Old Jameson Distillery

The Jameson Distillery was in Dublin‘s Bow Street. Jameson & Son was closed in 1971 when the pot stills went cold. The Scotsman and Presbyterian John Jameson, originally a lawyer from Clackmannanshire (Stirling) bought the Bow Street Distillery which seemingly was owend by John Stein, a relative of Robert Stein (one of the inventors of the Patent Still) around 1780 (which is not substantiated). John Jameson had married Magarete Haig, the daughter of the Whisky Baron John Haig and Magarete Stein, and later came to Dublin around 1777. But there are other different stories related. The distillery was renamed in 1810 John Jameson & Son.

Most of the Jameson‘s whiskey was sold in casks to bonders, blenders, shops and pubs in the 19th century. Some of the remaining premises were later changed into the Irish Whiskey Corner.

Today, Old Jameson Distillery it is a Heritage Centre, it is the spiritual home of John Jameson,  there is no production anymore, the centre is a display imitating the various steps of distillery processes. There is no heat, no steam, no real mashing, distilling and warehousing. Imagination is most wanted.

The tours are interesting for the general tourist but not for the whiskey enthusiast. The shop is well visiting, full of Midleton bottlings and merchandise.

There is a nice restaurant and a very pleasant tasting lounge.

Afred Barnard reported in 1886: „The Bow Street Distillery, which is one of the oldest in Ireland, having been established about the year 1780, covers upwards of five acres of ground, and is a quarter of a mile from the Four Courts, and about half a mile from Sackville Street, credited with being the broadest street in Europe.

The water used in the Distillery is obtained from two deep wells on the premises, noted from time immemorial for its quality, purity and suitability for distillation purposes.

The works originally belonged to an aristocratic trio, consisting of an Honourable, a Baronet, and a General, and it was from these gentlemen that the grandfather of the present proprietors purchased the works at the beginning of this century. During the past forty years they have been considerably increased, and partly rebuilt, while nearly every department has been supplied with new and improved machinery.

Passing under the archway, we found ourselves in an extensive oblong court, where a very busy scene presented itself - workmen were hurrying to and fro, carts laden with Whisky were leaving the Stores, and casks of all sizes were strewn about the place. It was with difficulty that we picked our way through it all and reached the offices, which consist of a spacious suite of apartments for the partners, Distillery clerks, and revenue officers.

We were conducted over the extensive works by the Manager, and commenced our inspection at the Barley Stores and Maltings. The first building entered was a lofty four-story structure, each floor measuring 126 feet by 48 feet; the top used for barley, and the two underneath, which possess the usual steeps, are for malting purposes. Attached to these is a large Kiln, 48 feet by 60 feet; this lofty building is the very perfection of cleanliness, the walls being painted a light drab colour, and the pillars bright scarlet. It is heated by four furnaces, and the floor above is laid with perforated Chester tiles. Our guide informed us that at Drogheda Messrs. John Jameson & Son have other three large Maltings and two Kilns on a more extensive scale than these.“

The Whisky Distilleries of the United Kingdom, p. 355.

See full description: www.wormtub.com or Alfred Barnard. The Whisky Distilleries of the United Kingdom.

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