During our time in Dublin, we spent a lot of time exploring the sites, shopping for aran wool and claddagh rings, and eating some good, hardy food. Of course, our list of things to do involved drinking lots of Irish whiskey and Guinness, and while I never actually kept count, I must have tried at least 10 different whiskeys in the short time we were there.

While Dublin’s main attractions are gorgeous (Trinity College Library, at the top of my list), I would highly recommend getting a little whiskey drunk, and tasting all the Irish whiskey you can find.

A great place to start is the Irish Whiskey Museum! While it was a small museum, was a great tour and tasting! Delicious whiskey, and very knowledgable tour guides that teach you about the history of Irish Whiskey, and how to properly smell and drink your whiskey… smell by breathing in through your mouth, and always sip your whiskey! A great place for an Irish Whiskey amateur like myself.

Our second day of tours was spent at Teeling Whiskey Distillery, a craft whiskey distillery in the industrial part of town. And while I would recommend using your GPS to find it (my friend and I may have gotten lost in the “dodgy” end of town), it is a really cool and new place to try out some great whiskey. It was really cool to see how the whiskey is distilled and aged in different barrels. The tasting was also informative and involved different whiskeys and a whiskey cocktail!

The next stop, was of course, The Guinness Storehouse! I am not the biggest beer drinker, but it was an awesome “tour” (more of a self-guided museum). Each floor of the storehouse was about a different aspect of Guinness, my favorite being the advertising floor, where you could watch any and all Guinness commercials, and see all the different mascots throughout the ages.

We also took a master pouring class, and got to pour our own Guinness that we then enjoyed on the top floor bar overlooking Dublin. I have heard most people say that visiting the Guinness Storehouse is kind of over-rated, but I thought it was pretty cool and very much worth it! Definitely something every Dublin tourist should experience.

Needless to say, drinking is a part of the whole Dublin experience! One member of our group had a Guinness with every lunch and dinner (when in Dublin, right?)! And even after all of our tours and tastings, we still sought out a whiskey bar to try even more Irish whiskeys. If anything, Dublin taught me one thing… There is nothing better than enjoying a good drink with friends, while listening to some live music.

Want to see more on out trip to Ireland? Check out my post, The Beauty of Ireland!

Keep an eye out for more post on the rest of my time in Europe this past summer! – Sláinte!