The copper-pot stills here sit under the stained glass and glass steeple of a deconsecrated church, which is the whole reason to come. Pearse Lyons Distillery occupies the former Church of St James on James’s Street, in Dublin’s Liberties, and is the only independently family-owned spirit producer in the city. It opened to the public in 2017 and turns out a range of Irish whiskeys and a Dublin gin.
History
There has been activity on this ground since the 12th century, when a hospice was set up for pilgrims heading to the Camino de Santiago from St James. The present Gothic church went up in 1859 and held services until 1963, after which it spent decades as a cash-and-carry, a lighting store and a food warehouse. In 2013 Dr Pearse Lyons – a biochemist with five generations of coopers behind him – bought the derelict shell and put €20 million into restoring it, opening the distillery in 2017. He died in 2018; his son Dr Mark Lyons now runs operations.
What to do
The flagship distillery tour is led by a storyteller and runs through the 800-year history of the site, the basics of fermentation, and the copper-pot stills that make Pearse Irish Whiskey. It ends with a tasting of three small-batch expressions – Pearse Original, Distiller’s Choice and Founder’s Choice – built around what the distillery calls its ‘Irish whiskey with a Kentucky flare’.
Beyond the standard tour there are a few hands-on options. The Gin School is a two-hour workshop where you pick botanicals, run a miniature copper-pot still and bottle a personalised 70 cl gin, with a cocktail and seasonal bites thrown in. The whiskey-blending session lets you blend your own and bottle the result to take home. The Cocktail Corner bar serves a menu tied to specific Pearse spirits, and a glass-walled visitor centre covers the archaeology of the graveyard and the rebirth of Dublin distilling before the tour starts.
Nearby
The Guinness Storehouse is a five-minute walk, which makes pairing the two an easy half-day. Roe & Co Distillery is six minutes on foot if you want a second distillery, and Kilmainham Gaol (17 minutes) and the Irish Museum of Modern Art at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham (12 minutes) round out the area. Phoenix Park, one of the largest enclosed city parks in Europe, is about 15 minutes away.
Practical information
| Experience | Duration | Price (EUR) |
|---|---|---|
| Distillery Tour & Tasting | 1 hour | €20 – €22 |
| Gin School | 2 hours | €20 |
| Whiskey Blending | 1.5 hours | €20 |
| Cocktail Corner (no tour) | 45 min | €15 (drink price varies) |
Tours run Monday to Saturday 10.30am–6pm and Sunday 11.30am–6pm, with the last tour at 5pm. Book ahead, especially in peak season. The tasting portion is 18-plus, and groups are capped at 12 to keep the tour intimate, so bring photo ID. Allow 1.5 to 2 hours to take in the tour, tasting and a drink at the Cocktail Corner without rushing.
The one caveat on access: the visitor centre and most of the tour route are wheelchair-accessible, but the historic nave has steep steps and is not suitable for wheelchair users.
Getting there
The distillery is at 121-122 James’s Street, Dublin 8, D08 ET27. It is a five-minute walk from the Guinness Storehouse and about 30 minutes from Grafton Street. Dublin Bus routes 13, G1, G2, S2 and 123 stop on James’s Street every 10 to 15 minutes, and the Luas Red Line stop ‘St James’s’ is a 400 m walk. DublinBikes stations sit on and near James’s Street, and the nearest public car parks are on Thomas Street and by the Guinness Storehouse. For details, call +353 1 691 6000 or see pearselyonsdistillery.com.