"Too much of anything is bad, but too much good whiskey is barely enough." -Mark Twain Kilbeggan was established in 1757 and is one of the oldest distilleries in Ireland. The distillery was closed for a private tour when I arrived (a big bus parked in the lot) but the pub area was still open and there are a few things you can see in the courtyards even without the guided tour including the original fermenting stills and more. A perfect Irish coffee with a pastry made the chilly morning and the gift shop has all sorts including their bottled whiskey and other merchandise. [Review 1971 of 2024 - 152 in Republic of Ireland - 22993 overall] read more

See all

A true gem to get a peak at the roots of distilling. It's the oldest continuously licensed distillery in Ireland. Michael was our guide and did an exceptional job. Answering questions and imparting knowledge. The display of the old distillery was amazing. The water wheel power drawn from the river was impressive. The collection of historic components in place was so impressive. The samplings were delicious. Certainly recommended. read more

See all

Beautiful place to go have a Irish coffee with some friends. Historic building that is pretty enough to host a wedding. Absolutely recommend. read more

See all

Who am I to argue with its claim to be the oldest licensed distillery of its kind in Ireland? It was founded in 1757, producing 1,500 gallons that year and they spent the next 200 years making delicious whiskey. It hard times with temperance groups and world wars and a hiatus when it shut shop in 1953. It began distilling again in 2007. It's biggest product line is a blended whiskey, distilled twice, instead of three times, for increased flavour and complexity. It is then aged in ex-bourbon casks for a minimum of four years creating a long, satisfying finish. To be honest I prefer triple distilled Irish whiskeys. They offer Covid secure tours and for a mere €15 they will take you back near 400 years on a journey through the history of Ireland's oldest licensed distillery. You will see their waterwheel and steam engine. Then you will be taken through the process of production and shown how they produce whiskey, including their Ctesiphon warehouse where they mature this liquid gold. At the end you'll sample 3 whiskeys from their viewing platform, overlooking the peaty waters of the river Brosna. They also have a superb coffee and sandwich bar within that's worth a visit too but do remember that the Irish tax system is harsh so if you pay for their whiskeys in house you'll pay top dollar so Irish politicians can invent non jobs for themselves in places like New York at exorbitant wages, generous pension benefits and huge expenses. Pigs not just in a trough but who dine at the Piglet bistro Dublin - giving us a new word meaning to defraud the public - a Zappone. read more

Awesome distillery experience. If you're like me and want to go to a distillery but have kids who won't stand for a tour - this is the place for you! They offer tours but as an alternative you can check out their courtyard, historical memorabilia, gift shop and tasting room on your own. I've been to a ton of distilleries and the tasting room / bar at Kilbeggan was exceptional. Many options for flights/cocktails/by-the-glass. read more

See all

Kilbeggan is special among distillery tours. What sets this tour apart is the idyllic setting, but even more so the impressive display of 19th Century equipment. You've got a working distillery, an industrial museum, and a picture-postcard setting under one rather cozy roof. To top off our experience, we had a great guide who indulged my many questions and we lucked into a time slot that gave us a solo look at the place. So it ain't exactly Disneyland. The early portion of the tour shows remarkably preserved and in some cases still functional 19th Century technology. In essence, it's like visiting a decommissioned grain mill. So you get a wonderful glimpse into the traditional distilling process, and they don't sugarcoat the history. For example, did you know they used to use a mixture of malted and unmalted barley in those days to escape taxes? Not a sign of quality! Even if you're not a geek for this sort of thing, the place oozes charm. Just take a look at the photos! The old factory closed in the 1950s because they had refused to keep up with the latest technologies. All of their stills were the type that required emptying between batches. The factory remained derelict until recently, when the brand was purchased and the old place was renovated. And they understandably take pride in the amazing facility -- three kinds of stills, a cooperage, and the fabulous water wheel. The functional portion of the factory is lovely as well, and you're offered a very straightforward look at the modern production free from a lot of the self indulgent hype that often accompanies similar tours. I've probably seen 15 distillery tours, so it was a delight to see such a refreshing approach and such a beautiful site. This gem was a big highlight for me. read more

See all

My husband and I came here for a tour. It was fun to check out the history of this place and all the old machines. It was such an awesome tour. I unfortunately couldn't try their whiskeys, but my husband thought they were all very delicious. He purchased several bottles and up to this day has made an additional order. The tour lady even gave me a few little bottles to try when I'm no longer pregnant and gave me a little bottle of their old and expensive whiskey to try. ( I haven't yet) I totally recommend to check out. read more

Kilbeggan Distillery Experience - Checking out their hut where they store their barrels of whiskey. - Museums Near Me - Kilbeggan, WH

See all

We had a fun time doing the whiskey tour here as the guides were quite informative. Did you know that Kilbeggan Distillery is now owned by Suntory? WTF? Anyway, at the end of the tour, you get to do a few tastings. Surprisingly, I enjoyed their grain whiskey more than their single/blended malts. I wanted to buy a bottle, but that Irish tax really kills the deal. This was a nice little stop on our way to Galway from Dublin. Don't forget to drive 15 minutes south to visit Tillamore Dew as well. Note: Make sure you email them for reservations as this place can get quite crowded. read more

This place is pretty awesome! The tour looked pretty awesome, but we were on the time schedule and couldn't make the tour but the employees were so friendly that we ended up getting a couple of bottles to take back home. If you driving by this place please do yourself a favor and stop by. You're not going to regret it. read more

Great tour and product! We learned the art of distilling from the experts. An incredible experience.

Adored our experience here: we did the apprentice tour because of time limits, but would have gladly spent more time if we could. The tour is phenomenal because of the history and maintenance of the water wheel driven machinery. The building is breathtaking. Thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend it. read more

Kilbeggan Distillery Experience - Beautiful grounds - Museums Near Me - Kilbeggan, WH

What a fantastic tour. This tour is busy, we had to wait around for the second tour but we went off for food. What makes this tour so good is the way it's presented. They show the old way the whiskey was made and the history is still there to see with your very eyes. The tasting was fantastic. I was a designated driver so they gave me a miniature whiskey to bring home and we all also got a glass to bring home which was really thoughtful. It's little things like that, that can make your experience even that little bit better. This is a great tour so don't pass it. Highly recommend it. read more

Myself and a friend visited here on Saturday, we had a CityDeals voucher which entitled us to the tour, a tasting and a bottle of the standard Kilbeggan whiskey to take away (this only cost €20 between us!!). Anyway the place closes at 6pm, and due to events outside our control, (the girls who were our lift were having a 1/2 day spa treatments in Tullamore, which ran way over), we arrived just after 5pm, such is life, however we had the place to ourselves. The tour is great in that you are left to your own devices, which is the way I like it. There are plenty of signs and details around which explain everything. Also some brilliant photo ops. The distillery itself is lovingly restored and thankfully lacks the modern aesthetics of hand rails and aluminium steps which helps add to the authenticity. The mill wheel is fully operational and all the machinery inside the museum is in full working order. It feels like a working piece of art, to think it is the oldest distillery in the world and still works - fantastic! Remember this is now a working distillery and you can see the new barrels in the yard out back. The first produce is due in 2014, until then the Kilbeggan whiskey is produced at the Cooley Distillery (the now owners of this historic site). The tasting was fun, although a little rushed as the staff were finsihing up. The gift shop is refreshingly good value, no rip offs here. I would recommend this to anyone with an interest in Whiskey or old industrial machinery. There is a little bar at the front which sells all the Cooley Distillery's produce, including the wonderful Connemara Irish Whiskey. This unfortunately closes at 6pm too :(. The only downside is that we didn't have enough time, but that was our fault....... next time! read more

This place is awesome! It is a full size experience! No props, no gimmicks, just a purely authentic distillery. The old equipment is all accessible and maintains its original glory. The new equipment, on the other side of the facility, makes whiskey right before your eyes. The staff is friendly. We took a self-guided tour where we were able to take as much time at each station as we needed. read more

What a cute distillery! Great tastings as well, loved the all grain whiskey. Tour guide was informative and the site is very quaint.

Absolutely the best distillery tour we've taken. We were lucky enough to book the connoisseur experience, which while a bit pricey, was ABSOLUTELY worthwhile. We were led on a private tour (with no more than 12 at any time, this tour had only 10 on it). For this one, we were able to see not only the parts always open to the public, but go behind the scenes to storehouses and offices. This meant special reserve tastings of whiskey (real, full pours) and even getting to self-bottle 200mL of whiskey to take home. At the end, we were treated to lunch in the cafe (it was excellent and greatly above the usual cafe standards you may expect at a tourist location). Loved every second of the tour - extremely informative, personalized, and well-worth the time and money. If you happen to be in Ireland when one of these tours is being given, do this! (Only once a month). read more

Dean was our guide for this tour. It is not a long tour, but Dean was very knowledgeable about the history of the distillery and whiskey itself. He also had some funny stories. There was a tasting and souvenir glass. We also ate lunch there. The owner was a funny guy. He passed out musical instruments for everyone to play along with music after lunch. The food and service were great. It was a good break on the way from Dublin to Galway. read more