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| Open for business all over again. |
Ireland's push to monumentally expand its whiskey tourism is being bolstered by more than just a spate of new distilleries in a country that for generations had only four despite its reputation for producing good spirits.
One of the country's iconic brands today reopened its facilities after an $11.6 million investment. Irish Distillers has re-opened the home of its Jameson whiskey brand in the Smithfield neighborhood of Dublin.
The new Jameson Distillery Bow Street brand home will support the Irish whiskey tourism strategy target of tripling the number of whiskey tourists visiting Ireland each year, aiming to hit 1.9 million by 2025. The Irish Tourist Board estimates that 600,000 tourists already visit Ireland's whiskey visitor centers every year.
For generations, four distilleries -- Cooley, Bushmills, Kilbeggan and Midleton, the home of Jameson -- produced the vast majority of Irish whiskies. Now, there are 32 distilleries in operation or being built in Ireland.
Three new guided tours are being offered at the Bow Street site: "The Bow St. Experience" focus on the stories of Jameson's heritage and current innovations; "The Whiskey Makers" and "The Whiskey Shakers" provide more in-depth whiskey and cocktail master classes and include a chance to sample whiskey straight from a cask in the distillery's new live maturation house.
"We've grown up on Bow Street and welcomed over 4 million whiskey lovers through our doors since the opening of the Old Jameson Distillery brand home in 1997," said Jean-Christophe Coutures, chairman and CEO of Irish Distillers. "The success of Irish whiskey is a success story for Ireland and we look forward to welcoming whiskey-lovers from across the globe and sharing our story with them."
• Go here to visit the Capital Region Brew Trail
• Go here to visit Notes On Napkins
• Go here to visit Dowd's New York Wines Notebook
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