Overview
For 125 years Dublin had no working whiskey distillery. Teeling broke that run in 2015, opening in Newmarket Square in the Liberties, the part of the city where the family had distilled since the 18th century. It is a modern production plant rather than a heritage relic, which means the tour walks you past whiskey actually being made.
History
The Teeling distilling line goes back to 1782, when Walter Teeling set up a craft distillery on Marrowbone Lane in the Liberties, then one of a dense cluster of Dublin distilleries. A later family venture, William Jameson & Co., took over the original premises before it closed in 1923.
In 1987 the descendant John Teeling bought an industrial alcohol plant at Cooley, County Louth, and founded the Cooley Distillery, the first new Irish whiskey distillery in decades. After Cooley was sold in 2011, his sons Jack and Stephen launched the Teeling brand in 2012 on a stock of 16,000 casks, then opened the Newmarket distillery in 2015 close to the 1782 site. The company has since picked up awards, including Sustainable Distillery of the Year at the 2022 Icons of Whisky Awards, and in late 2023 Bacardi Limited took a majority stake.
What to see and do
The guided tour
Tours run every 20 minutes, all day, led by staff. You walk the active production floor past the washbacks and three copper pot stills, with the fermentation, distillation and maturation explained as you go. There is a fair bit on the cask programme too, including rum, white port and Cabernet Sauvignon finishes.
Tasting
The standard tour ends with a Teeling Small Batch and a seasonal whiskey cocktail. Pay more and you can compare the Single Grain, Single Malt and Single Pot Still side by side, which is the better option if you actually want to taste the differences rather than just see the stills.
Bang Bang Bar and Phoenix Café
The Bang Bang Bar upstairs pours the full Teeling range plus cocktails. The Phoenix Café does locally sourced food, coffee and loose-leaf teas, and is open to anyone without a tour ticket (8am–4pm weekdays, 10am–6pm weekends).
Event spaces
The distillery has function rooms for private hire, among them the Alchemy Room with its barrel-shaped chandeliers and an outdoor rooftop terrace.
Combine with other Liberties attractions
Most of Dublin 8’s big sights are walkable from here. The Guinness Storehouse is 1.2 km west, St Patrick’s Cathedral 800 m and Christ Church Cathedral 1 km.
Practical information
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Address | 13-17 Newmarket, Merchants Quay, Dublin 8, D08 KD91, Ireland |
| Opening hours (tours) | Daily 11.00am–6.00pm (tours start every 20 minutes) |
| Standard tour | €22 per person (tasting of Small Batch and a cocktail) |
| Trinity tour | €26 per person (Small Batch, Single Grain and Single Malt) |
| Distillery Select tour | €35 per person (four signature whiskeys) |
| Connoisseur Cask | €50 per person (private tasting of exclusive single casks) |
| Public transport | Bus 150 stops at Newmarket; routes 27, 56a and 151 stop at St Luke’s Avenue (200 m); the Luas Red Line stop at Fatima is 1.1 km west. |
| Parking | Pay-and-display street parking in Newmarket Square. |
| Accessibility | The visitor centre, bar and café are wheelchair-accessible with lift access. |
| Website | https://teelingwhiskey.com |
Getting there
It is a 15-minute walk west of St Stephen’s Green. Hop-on hop-off sightseeing buses stop directly outside on Newmarket.
Booking
Standard tours can be booked on arrival, but reserve a slot online in summer; the smaller upgraded tastings sell out faster than the standard tour.
Sustainability
The distillery harvests rainwater, draws on an on-site well to cut mains water use, and recovers heat from production to warm the visitor centre. It is a certified member of Origin Green and sources grain from Irish maltsters.
Awards
Teeling’s whiskeys have taken several honours, including World’s Best Single Malt at the World Whiskies Awards for the 24-Year-Old Single Malt.