Ireland. For those of us in the UK it’s that green isle but a short hop from us on any low budget airline, heralded for craggy coastlines and, let’s face it, folk fond of a drink or two. For those further afield, a destination hopelessly romantic, perfectly quaint. But how to discover it? Recently I donned my woollens against the chilly Gaelic winds and hopped on the Aer Lingus flight to Cork to do just that on a trip sponsored by Jameson Irish Whiskey.
Cork is located in the South West of the Republic of Ireland. It’s an uncommon tourist destination however has a number of wonderful places to visit and is only a few hours coach transfer from Dublin: the ideal place to start a 3 day trip to Ireland. Flying in is a delight: the plane is tiny and you descend over fields of green, no city skylines belching smog in sight. The airport is small and the drive from the airport is another study in green.
I stayed in the Castlemartyr Hotel, located near Midleton town. This is a sprawling, stately hotel set on the grounds of a 17th century castle and surrounded by striking countryside. Walking the full width of the grounds would be the work of a day but a stroll along the hotel’s river to the lake makes for an idyllic afternoon. Even better, take one of the estate dogs for a stroll- they have two Irish Setters on site available for guests to walk. If dogs aren’t your thing, bicycles are also available to use around the grounds.
The suites are large and luxurious. Think marble bathrooms with vast tubs for soaking, super king (plus some) beds scattered with about ten million cushions, chandeliers and wood panelled dressing rooms. Serious luxury.
About a ten minute drive from the hotel is the Jameson Irish Whisky Old Midleton Distillery, set on the banks of the river Dungourney. This site dates back to the 18th Century and is now part museum part active distillery, producing over 1 million gallons of Irish whiskey a year! We headed there for the full ‘Jameson Experience’ which is a tour of the old and new distilleries, accompanied of course by plenty of tasting. We toured the historic grain store, later used as a WW1 infirmary, headed to Jameson’s classroom to learn about the production process and then to the modern distillation zone where we were dwarfed by the shining copper heights of the three largest operational pot stills in the world! Once more, scale was starkly emphasised in the next stop of the Jameson tour: the warehouses where barrels of whiskey are aged in oak. The warehouse, one of 47, is vast, storing over 33,000 barrels of whiskey, each holding 200 litres. Here their Master of Maturation guided us through this aging process and treated us to a tasting straight from the cask.
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After a very swanky lunch in the Jameson restaurant, we were treated to a very special tasting by Master Blender Billy Leighton in one of the old storehouses. Billy talked us through the types of whiskey produced from the Jameson Original to the Black Barrel, a delicious whiskey aged in a barrel previously used to age Bourbon in America. The tour ended with a live demo by the Jameson Master Cooper, whose family have looked after the Jameson whiskey barrels for 5 generations. Ger showed us how the barrels are made by hand and measured by eye using tools passed down from father to son.
I loved this experience. The history of the site and the insight into the production process was beyond fascinating and the unmistakable love and care put into each bottle made the day actually quite a romantic one. At 15 euros a pop, this tour is an absolute steal for both whiskey aficionados and novices alike.
Following the Distillery Tour and after a brief freshen up and cocktail in the Castlemartyr Hotel bar, we moved on to dinner at Sage Restaurant in Midleton. This restaurant, run by Kevin Aherne, has an ethos of locality, with all ingredients sourced within a 12 mile radius. The menu includes dishes such as egg yolk in duck broth, served alongside fermented potato bread smothered in bone marrow, beef brisket served with celeriac and spinach and a brick of chocolate mousse crowned with toasted marshmallow.
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Fed and watered, we moseyed on down to Pat Shorts pub nearby. This is probably the most quintessentially Irish pub you could imagine; a dingy, pokey little hole in the most charming sense of the words. They are famous for their live music and that Sunday was no exception with an Irish band strumming out lively music to the bustling crowd gathered there.
The evening’s entertainment was continued back at the Castlemartyr bar where over more than a few Jameson and gingers we were serenaded by our hosts with Irish ballads.
So ended a wonderful day in Cork and one which I’d recommend for any trip to that part of Ireland. I could have stayed for longer and I’d loved to have explored the area more and enjoyed the luxuries of Castlemartyr. Then again, St Patrick’s Day in Dublin beckoned and it was with anticipation (and a few sore heads) that we piled onto our coach transfer the next morning to head there.
Day two post, coming soon…..
The evening’s entertainment was continued back at the Castlemartyr bar where over more than a few Jameson and gingers we were serenaded by our hosts with Irish ballads.
So ended a wonderful day in Cork and one which I’d recommend for any trip to that part of Ireland. I could have stayed for longer and I’d loved to have explored the area more and enjoyed the luxuries of Castlemartyr. Then again, St Patrick’s Day in Dublin beckoned and it was with anticipation (and a few sore heads) that we piled onto our coach transfer the next morning to head there.
Day two post, coming soon…..
