Whiskey present -> trip to dublin

[Selmabrussels]

Dear all,

With lots of interest I was reading parts of your websites and noticed that some of you have excellent knowledge of the pubs in dublin. Perhaps I overlooked it already, but if possible I would like to make a kind of voucher to give to my boyfriend for his birthday in exchange of a few drinks or a tasting in Dublin. For example I would like to say 'valid for a glas of .... in bar .... ' . The only problem is that he knows a lot about whiskeys and I nothing..

Although as far as I know he is not very familiair with the Irish Whiskeys and much more with the ones from Scotland. Therefore I thought i could use that and read up about it so i could surprise him.

Does any of you have experience with the tasting trays of the vathouse? Or would you say that it's a bit too touristic? Yes, i know i will be a tourist myself but i would hate to hear my own language around me and was thinking i should avoid a bit of the temple bar area? But perhaps i'm mistaken

Would it be possible to suggest me a few good bars and a couple of Irish Whiskeys that are hard to find on the mainland of europe?
I read this one coming back as a recommandation for foreigners
- Connemara Turf Mor
Powers John's Lane SPS

And as good bars

Brooks hotel bar
The Bull and Castle Christchurch Dublin 2
The Palace Bar Fleet street Dublin
Ryan's Parkgate Street Dublin 8
Cusacks North Strand Road

If you could perhaps give me a few more whiskeys names he should try? That would help me make a really good birthday present!

Thanks a lot in advance!

[DavidH]

A glass of The Palace Bar whiskey in The Palace Bar! Great whiskey (not too expensive either), great pub, very central. And after that, try the Powers John's Lane whiskey and any others that take your fancy. They have a good selection.

[Good Whiskey Hunting]

I wouldn't rule out the tasting trays at the Vat House. They have put allot into it. They had different ones than the web page when I was there a few years back I think.The Irish tasting tray offers better variety and value than the Bushmill's one. I'll be trying the International one the next time I'm there. It seems good value too but they wont be full measures at that price. Don't forget to tell the bar man to wet his fingers when he pours them .

If he's fond of Scottish single Malts, I nearly avoid the Turf Mór as he'll be comparing to the Islay Malts.
The Power's John's Lane is outstanding.
I just after finishing off a bottle of Yellow Spot and it too was beautiful too but hard to find.
Tyrconnell is a lovely malt.
Crested 10 or Black Bush are great value blends, you would not find a better Scottish blend for the same money in my opinion but I a little bias.

I'm not familiar with Dublin pubs but would recommend Kavanagh's on Dorset street and Mulligans in Stoneybatter, I think the address's are right. Great variety of beers too.

[Selmabrussels]

thanks so much for a response! I've already started making him curious about his birthday present..

And for the Turf Mor, is that than best to avoid? Or would a comparison also be a good thing?

I will include a tasting at the VAT house then, i think it's a good opportunity for him to taste a few different things. Perhaps we could even start there.. Hm, it's gonna be a good tasting trip!

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

How long will ye be in Dublin?

If you want to do these over a night or 2 then ...

Brooks
Bull and Castle
And The Palace bar
are all with in walking distance as well as The Vat house.
Also in that area are Bow St bar and The Temple bar.
All are in or close to the templebar area.

The Vat house is seen as expensive so will not have the crowds the others will.

The Palace bar & Bow st bar are both well worth a visit just to see traditional Dublin pubs.

Brooks is a small hotel bar so does not have the same atmospheres as other Irish pubs but you probably can relax there out of the sometimes busy pub scene in Dublin.

The Temple bar is quite touristy but has a large selection of whiskey so possibly worth a visit.

The Bull & Castle has a great beer selection and is a gastro pub.

I think I would be with you on the Turf Mor as it may well be a good comparison. Or just try the Connemara Cask Strength.

What you could possibly do is google all the pubs as a lot will have websites. And pick what you fancy. Then do up your own little vouchers on the pc and say something like. This voucher entitles you to x whiskies in this pub/establishment. Great ideal and with a general voucher he can pick his own. Like a child in a sweet shop . Possibly insist on a few Irish though


When in Rome as they say

We can point you in the direction of some fact sheets for certain Irish whiskies later.

[Pudge72]

Awesome info everybody (and great birthday idea 'Selmabrussels' ) as this thread dovetails nicely into some of the info that I'm compiling for (hopefully) our trip to Ireland in 2013.

[Selmabrussels]

Well the When in Rome do as the Romans do, is exactly where i got this idea from. When we were in Rome he got a fine dinner in a restaurant with good wines, but when going to Ireland, I think i can make him happier with whiskey and a simple lunch/dinner somewhere.

And we will be there for 4 days, thursday to sunday but only at the beginning of november but you can never be to early to prepare holiday plans

Will do the googling the bars tomorrow and prepare the voucher combinations and post them here and also give feedback afterwards. But i'm really glad for your help, cities become so much better when you get some inside information and make it easier to navigate through a city.

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

Here is a link to a test page on our site so not visible . Basically we are in the process of doing a whiskey map but it is in the very early stages so not much on it. However all the ones mentioned are there so it gives you an idea of where every thing is.

Just zoom into Dublin. Click on the icons and it tells what it is and if it has a url hopefully it is contained in the description.

https://sites.google.com/a/irishwhiskey ... ey-locator

[Selmabrussels]

Another stupid question, are there foods that combine good with whiskey or should you really drink it pure?

[TheWhiskeyBro]

Hi there,

I'll make a few suggestions, listed in walking order!

Trail #1: South Liffey Whiskey Trail (via Temple Bar)

1. Bowes - Fleet Street (fantastic selection of whiskeys & where Irish Whiskey Society was founded) http://www.doylesintown.com/bowes_bar
2. Palace Bar - Fleet Street (try a glass of Palace Bar Cooley 9yo in the back room) http://www.thepalacebardublin.com/
3. The VAT House - Anglesea Street (expensive but good selection) http://vathouse.ie/
4. The Temple Bar Pub (excellent selection) http://www.thetemplebarpub.com/whiskeys.htm
5. The Porterhouse - Parliament St (try a Dingle Whiskey) - starting a distillery in Dingle http://www.porterhousebrewco.com/bars-dublin-temple.php
6. The Bull & Castle - Lord Edward Street (7 finish with a beer & chaser)http://bull-and-castle.fxbuckley.ie/beer-hall

Trail #2: Grafton Street & Environs

1. Celtic Whiskey Shop (stop for a sample and view Irelands largest selection of whiskeys) http://www.celticwhiskeyshop.com/
2. The Duke/Neary's/Peters Pub - take your pick (just for the atmosphere of city centre local pub scene)
3. The Jasmine Bar @ Brooks Hotel (home of the Irish Whiskey Society) http://www.brookshotel.ie/
4. The Long Hall (original Victorian decor) http://www.dublinpubscene.com/thepubs/thelonghall.html
5. The Stags Head (try Powers from the Cask) http://www.louisfitzgerald.com/stagshead
6. The Bank - College Green (just for the opulence) http://www.bankoncollegegreen.com/

Trail #3: North Liffey Whiskey Trail (via Luas Red Line) - I'm sure someone can improve on this

1. Ryans of Parkgate Street (long time whiskey pub) http://ryans.fxbuckley.ie/ryans
2. L Mulligan Grocer Stoneybatter (gastropub/craft beer & huge whiskey selection) http://www.lmulligangrocer.com/
3. The Cobblestone (for a bit of trad) http://www.cobblestonepub.ie/
4. The Old Jameson Distillery (for a bit of whiskey culture) http://www.jameson.com
5. Nealons Capel Street http://www.jacknealonspub.com/Home.html
6. The Black Sheep http://www.facebook.com/theblacksheepdublin

That should open up the debate a bit

[Good Whiskey Hunting]

Excellent. TWB
You've just planned my next few sessions in the capital.
I'm forwarding the list to a friend who was asked to plan a stag.
I think I'll give it a test run myself.

[Selmabrussels]

Wow! I just forwarded it to him.. in case he gets bored of me..

And i finished my vouchers.. can i link to google docs from here? i cant add the ppt of them

[DavidH]

can i link to google docs from here?

Sure, we would love to see them. As it happens, my birthday is coming up...

[Pudge72]

Thanks for the lists, TWB! Apparently, I will not be leaving Dublin during my trip next year!

[Selmabrussels]

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B6_E-U ... UtBMFNQVmM

does this work?

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

Well if it does not there will be a que here a kilometer long to take his place. Looks great to me ....

If you want to have a bit of fun you can incorporate the old token system where workers like cart delivery drivers got whiskey tokens which they could only cash or redeem for drink after a certain time to prevent them from drinking during work. Also in the states during prohibition you could only get whiskey on prescription. Google both and you may find examples to incorporate pictures of these in your own token system if desired.



http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Form-1928-Pre ... 1802wt_966



But they are great as they are ... Is voucher 6 for the decent cigar emporium? Someone is really getting spoilt

[Selmabrussels]

Morning, yep number 6 is for the cigar emperium but only for the coffee i'm afraid.. but i think tax wise it's cheaper to buy it here anyway but i know it's a place that he would not to mind to visit.

And there is a quite simple restriction to this whole voucher stuff, he will have to stay nice to me

But really, all of you thanks for the help and suggestions!

[TheWhiskeyBro]

Terrific idea Selma, a lovely surprise for any whiskey lover!

[DavidH]

Very cool, thank you for sharing, Selma! Such a great idea for a gift. I hope you two have a wonderful time in Dublin.

[Selmabrussels]

Dear all,

I promised to report back, the present was received very well! And a bit amazed that there were other whiskey lovers so kind to help me plan this. In a month we are finally flying to Dublin so afterwards I'll report (or let him report so it links to the website a bit more) how it was.

Once more thanks!

[Selmabrussels]

Dear all, due to illness our trip was postponed and we visited dublin last weekend.

many thanks for the advice you gave me. I especially enjoyed the palace bar and he enjoyed the extensive lists to choose from there and in the bull and castle. And the store at the airport.. I told him he could do the reporting afterwards, so most likely you will find another post here in a while. Thanks again!