Kilbeggan Distillery
Historic distillery founded in 1757 in the centre of Kilbeggan, with guided tours through its restored buildings and a tasting.
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Over het museum
Kilbeggan Distillery traces its beginnings to 1757, when Matthias McManus set up the first distillery in the town with the backing of Gustavus Lambert. It is regarded as the oldest continuously licensed distillery in Ireland. A fire in 1878 damaged part of the works, and local people helped to save several thousand casks from the warehouses.
The twentieth century was hard on the business: distilling was suspended in 1917 because of food shortages, the American Prohibition closed an important export market, and production stopped in 1924 before restarting in 1931. After an increase in excise tax closed the stills in 1953, the site was sold in 1963 and turned into a piggery.
A local preservation association was formed in 1982 to take on the buildings. The waterwheel was restored and turned again in 1983. Distilling started again in 2007 with traditional methods and antique copper stills, and in 2010 mashing and fermenting equipment was added so that the whole process now takes place on site. Today visitors can tour the working and historic parts of the distillery and finish with a tasting.
Hoogtepunten
- Guided Distillery Experience of about 90 minutes with a whiskey tasting
- Restored historic distillery buildings and waterwheel
- Antique copper stills, back in use since 2007
- Cask bottling and Irish Coffee masterclass experiences
- Warehouse bar and whiskey shop
Vaste collectie
- Distillery Experience – A guided tour through the historic distillery buildings and the working stills, explaining how Irish whiskey is made and ending with a tasting.
Toegangsprijzen & kortingen
Prices depend on the experience chosen and are shown when booking. A whiskey tasting is part of every experience, so visitors need valid ID to show they are of legal drinking age.
Toegankelijkheid
Het museum heeft hierover geen informatie gepubliceerd.
Kinderen & gezin
Tastings are part of every experience, and some experiences are limited to over 18s.
Bereikbaarheid & parkeren
The distillery is just off the Dublin to Galway road at junction 5 of the M6.
Route plannenService & horeca
- Café
- Restaurant: niet aanwezig
- Museumwinkel
The Warehouse Bar serves coffee, tea, cocktails and light snacks; the whiskey shop sells the Kilbeggan range and gifts.
Evenementen & zaalverhuur
Het museum heeft hierover geen informatie gepubliceerd.
Je bezoek plannen
| Rondleidingen | ja · duur ca. 1,5 uur |
|---|---|
| Goed om te weten | The main Distillery Experience is a guided tour of about 90 minutes that ends with a four-whiskey masterclass. Other options are cask bottling (30 minutes), an Irish Coffee masterclass (60 minutes, over 18s only) and a cask selection tasting (60 minutes, over 18s only). Private tours can be arranged by email. |