Melanie Tam
Google
I booked tickets online for the Bow Street Experience and Cask Draw (€41 - if you don't want to do the cask draw, the regular experience is €26) for a Saturday at 11:30. We did get there 10 minutes late but the first 10-15 minutes of the tour is getting your included drink at the bar. You can choose from Jameson on the rocks or a Jameson and ginger. From there, they take you into different rooms, where you get to smell the ingredients that go into distilling Jameson, and tell you about the history and the process. You'll also get to try a few different Jamesons. From first drink to finish, the whole thing lasts probably about an hour. When booking the cask draw, the website tells you to make sure you book for an hour after the Bow Street Experience so that you have enough time to finish the tour. We booked the 12:30 and it starts on time, and lasts for about half an hour. They take you into the barrel room, where they explain the whiskey, and then you get to taste cask strength single pot still whiskey, drawn straight from the cask. I don't remember what ABV they said it was but it's very high and not something that should be taken as a shot. In fact, it's so high that children are not allowed in the barrel room because of the fumes from the alcohol. Neither my husband nor I knew this at the time of booking, and we had our 8-month-old with. We just thought they bring you into a regular room, and let you taste the cask-strength whiskey, but you actually get to see them draw it, which was cool. Initially, we were just going to take turns doing the cask draw but my husband didn't end up doing it and they were able to refund us. So just something to keep in mind - if you're just looking to taste the whiskey or if you have kids with you, you might be better off going to the bar (though I'm not too sure if this exact one is served there).
The experience is definitely for tourists but I would say it's one of those must-see tourist spots if you find yourself in Dublin.