Northern Ireland Whiskey Trail – Whiskey Island

TOUR DETAILS

You leave in the morning by rail from the capital of the Republic of Ireland, Dublin to the capital of Northern Ireland, Belfast. Your whiskey expert Host will meet you off the train at Belfast Central Station and we hit the road for Echlinville Distillery, the first newly licensed whiskey distillery in Northern Ireland in over 125 years.

You’ll start with tea/coffee and freshly baked scones in the 19th century Echlinville Manor House. That’s followed by a walk through the facility which is a proper bona fide ‘field to glass’ distillery, All the barley is grown onsite and wait until you take in the aromas at their warehouse where their whiskeys are maturing – wow! Back to the manor house for two samples of their flagship whiskeys. If you’re lucky on the day, the Head Distillers might give you a quick tour of their private collection of army tanks!

Once we say our goodbyes at Echlinville, we have a short journey by road to a ferryport where we take a quick ferry from Portaferry to Strangford and 15 minutes driving on the other side will see us arrive at Downpatrick, which has strong ties to our patron saint – Patrick (he is said to be buried on the grounds of the town’s cathedral). Free time in the St Patrick Centre to browse / have lunch.

GIN EXPERIENCE

You’ll head for the little village of Crossgar next, home to Rademon Distillery – Home of Shortcross gin & Single Malt Whiskey. At The San Francisco World Spirits Competition, Shortcross Gin received a Gold Medal for ‘setting the standard for its category’. You’ll have a quick introduction to the gin process from Head Distiller at Rademon, David Boyd-Armstrong, and he will tell you all about his plans for his whiskey range coming soon.

The tour ends in the tastings bar for a gin tasting. This is a really special experience. We’re back in our transport in the late afternoon and we’re Dublin bound.

You’ll pass the pretty village of Hillsborough, which boasts the imposing Hillsborough Castle – home to the Queen of England, when she is in Northern Ireland.

The Distillery visits include:

ESSENTIALS

1. Full day fully escorted touring of Northern Ireland, predominantly through county Down
2. Luxury transport with experienced driver/guide
3. Slane Distillery whiskey tasting including their triple casked blend, Slane Irish Whiskey
4. Gin Experience at Rademon Estate Distillery. Tour the facility with the owners and taste their hugely successful Shortcross Gin
5. Tour and tasting at Echlinville Distillery. Includes tea/coffee & scones at Echlinville Manor House on arrival, fully guided tour and two samples of whiskey to finish
6. Ferry crossing from Strangford to Portaferry
7. One way rail journey Dublin/Belfast

For more day tours around Ireland click here.

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