The remains of an old Viking castle
on the waterfront at Waterford, Ireland.
on the waterfront at Waterford, Ireland.
The women at the reservation desk looked at us two scruffy touristy guys rather weirdly when we arrived first thing in the morning, standing at their counter asking for a tour of their Crystal making operation. Of course, we ourselves were doubting our sanity, asking for a tour at a place of such finery. We'd already seen the display of amazing crystal table ware and wondered what we were doing here ourselves. But, it had already been scheduled and paid for, and so here we were, ready to endure the embarrassment and go through with it.
Well, it turned out better than we thought. If fact, the process followed my own creative specialty of working with clay creating ceramic sculptures. Another subject which came up during the tour was regarding the fact that only men were working in the warehouse creating the crystal. Our tour leader had no answer for this and so it was kind of left hanging in the air. But, we felt more comfortable of course.
After we finished the tour, another problem arose. We were wondering around the obligatory "you have to buy something after a tour shop" when we realized something scary for guys. Our wives would most likely be expected us to bring something home from this establishment in the form of a gift. Something from a castle would not be so appreciated, but this probably would. Upon careful reflection it seemed like a no brainier, we were stuck, trapped and helpless, it had to be done, we had to buy something! But what in the world could we afford from a place such as this?
The staff must have been wondering about us as we went around the store displays again and again, peering at euro prices and straining our brains with calculations of Canadian dollars. We finally landed on a solution, it would have to be Christmas ornaments! Yes that's right, that's all we could afford and still keep the respect of our ladies back home. If we'd spent to much or to little, we would just have to ask for forgiveness later!
Meanwhile, we had to get on the road. Waterford was tempting with all the Viking and medieval stuff we could explore. We decided if we ever came again, we'd do that then. For now, we had a schedule which meant driving 140 km to our next tour event and our B&B for tonight.
THE WHISKEY DISTILLERY TOUR.
The Whisky distillery is located about 100 km from Waterford just north of Midleton. Below you see a map with the two locations and on the right a photo of the amazing countryside along the way.
Well, it turned out better than we thought. If fact, the process followed my own creative specialty of working with clay creating ceramic sculptures. Another subject which came up during the tour was regarding the fact that only men were working in the warehouse creating the crystal. Our tour leader had no answer for this and so it was kind of left hanging in the air. But, we felt more comfortable of course.
After we finished the tour, another problem arose. We were wondering around the obligatory "you have to buy something after a tour shop" when we realized something scary for guys. Our wives would most likely be expected us to bring something home from this establishment in the form of a gift. Something from a castle would not be so appreciated, but this probably would. Upon careful reflection it seemed like a no brainier, we were stuck, trapped and helpless, it had to be done, we had to buy something! But what in the world could we afford from a place such as this?
The staff must have been wondering about us as we went around the store displays again and again, peering at euro prices and straining our brains with calculations of Canadian dollars. We finally landed on a solution, it would have to be Christmas ornaments! Yes that's right, that's all we could afford and still keep the respect of our ladies back home. If we'd spent to much or to little, we would just have to ask for forgiveness later!
Meanwhile, we had to get on the road. Waterford was tempting with all the Viking and medieval stuff we could explore. We decided if we ever came again, we'd do that then. For now, we had a schedule which meant driving 140 km to our next tour event and our B&B for tonight.
THE WHISKEY DISTILLERY TOUR.
The Whisky distillery is located about 100 km from Waterford just north of Midleton. Below you see a map with the two locations and on the right a photo of the amazing countryside along the way.
We arrived at the Jameson Distillery just in time to join a tour that had just begun. Above is an old pot-still outside the entrance and below is what used to be the power source for the whole plant, a huge cast Iron waterwheel.
This waterwheel dates back to 1852 is 22 feet in diameter and is made of cast iron metal. It is one of the few waterwheels working in Ireland today. It drove five sets of millstones which ground down the malt and barley into a course flour called grist.
There are two unique aspects of Jameson Irish Whiskey. First it is in the way the sprouted malt is dried. The guide took pains to clarify that it is dried in a kiln using a smokeless heat. Away from direct heat. While their neighbors in Scotland blow peat smoke through the grain giving the Scotch whisky a smokey peaty taste. This taste is deliberately absent in Irish whiskey.
The second reason is illustrated in the photo below left. Irish Whiskey is distilled three times. Scottish whiskey is distilled twice and American once. The illustration below shows three distillation units connected together, where the "wash" is introduced on the left, boiled and it's alcohol vapors cooled or "distilled" then heated and cooled another two times. The resulting "spirit" is very pure at around 96% alcohol. At this point it is virtually colorless and odorless and does not become whiskey until it has spent at least 3 - 18 years maturing in oak barrels. During this maturation process the whiskey develops its rich golden color. The kinds of barrels and the number of years stored result in the different types of whiskey sold. Before bottling it is reduced to an alcoholic strength of 40% ready for consumption.
There are two unique aspects of Jameson Irish Whiskey. First it is in the way the sprouted malt is dried. The guide took pains to clarify that it is dried in a kiln using a smokeless heat. Away from direct heat. While their neighbors in Scotland blow peat smoke through the grain giving the Scotch whisky a smokey peaty taste. This taste is deliberately absent in Irish whiskey.
The second reason is illustrated in the photo below left. Irish Whiskey is distilled three times. Scottish whiskey is distilled twice and American once. The illustration below shows three distillation units connected together, where the "wash" is introduced on the left, boiled and it's alcohol vapors cooled or "distilled" then heated and cooled another two times. The resulting "spirit" is very pure at around 96% alcohol. At this point it is virtually colorless and odorless and does not become whiskey until it has spent at least 3 - 18 years maturing in oak barrels. During this maturation process the whiskey develops its rich golden color. The kinds of barrels and the number of years stored result in the different types of whiskey sold. Before bottling it is reduced to an alcoholic strength of 40% ready for consumption.
At the end of the tour we were ushered into the bar area to do a taste test! In the above photo you will see that on the left was a sample of the Scottish (smokey tasting) whiskey. On the right was an American whisky and in the center was the Irish Jameson whiskey. This was very enlightening as the differences were dramatic. The Scottish was very tart with the smokey taste and the American very bland, while the Jameson in the center came out smooth and pleasant to the taste.
We were of course each given a certificate as taste testing experts and served a wonderful glass of whiskey at the bar.
What a way to end the day! Now all we had to do was drive on to Blarney north of Cork and find our B&B!
What a way to end the day! Now all we had to do was drive on to Blarney north of Cork and find our B&B!
“Happiness is having a rare steak, a bottle of whisky,
and a dog to eat the rare steak.”
Johnny Carson
and a dog to eat the rare steak.”
Johnny Carson
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