I have made it to my alcoholic mecca, to the place where whiskey originates... Ireland. Just a few weeks ago, I was in Dublin which houses the Guinness Brewery and Storehouse and Old Jameson Distillery. I did not make it out to the Old Jameson Distillery as I want to go to the current one. The new distillery is in Cork, a lovely area I hear, and is actually the Middleton Distillery. See, there are only three legal distilleries still in open in all of Ireland - the other two are Bushmill's in the north, specifically Antrim. The other is Cooley Distillery which produces for all of the independent Irish Whiskey labels. Vintage bottles from silent (closed) distilleries are collectors items so grab a bottle if given the chance and appetizing price. Many of the whiskeys I tried used to have their own distilleries but closed down and operate under Cooleys now.
I also did not visit Guinness because to be honest, I am not a fan of the stuff and although I was told that the Guinness is just much better in Ireland, and I would say that it does taste a bit better, I would not order it as first, second or third choice. Decidedly, I have had enough Irish beer to fill any desire for the next year - given me an ale any day over a stout. There are some decent red ales which I tried but it was most important for me to sample as much Whiskey as possible so the first destination was The Temple Bar, a very famous bar in Dublin that showcases only traditional Irish music. The Street and District is named after this bar which has been in business for 160 years. It actually inspired one of the bars in my stomping ground called Piper Down - the owner did try to name it the Temple Bar as an ode to the actual Temple Bar but was not allowed to by the local religious zealots and politics who thought this was a stab at the Mormon temple, which partly it was, and forgot about the separation of church and state clause in our constitution.
The Temple Bar is quite capacious and has I do believe the largest selection of Whiskey at any pub in Ireland, at least that which I came across in my trip. In fact, there were 450 offered according to the website but I saw 172 on the menu, 44 of which were Irish. I pinched myself to make sure that this was not a dream hoping that it was because I would envision Eric Bana coming over and asking me if he can buy me the most expensive shot on the menu. I just felt the pangs left over from my reality check but then decided I deter my attention to the young and helpful Irish bartender who looked to be eighteen. He was extremely helpful and nice to me and my tourists friends by providing a map of the area, making recommendations and even told me where I can get cheap Whiskey from their supplier, The Celtic Whiskey Shop. I asked for his recommendations of the top Whiskey's of choice and I said - nothing I could get in the states because I've had that and can get that at any time. He recommended Green Spot 10 year (Middleton Distillery), Writer's Tear (unnamed distillery in Cork) and Middleton. I chose the Green Spot and it had great taste and was quite delicious for the value at if I can remember correctly was 8 euro. It was a great first shot among many on my Whiskey quest. I also ordered a cheese board and tried an item that I could also not find in my hometown - 3 layer sandwich of crab meat. We enjoyed the music, the chatter and suddenly, my friend, Jo (for all you words with friends fans that is a great 11 point + word which means sweetheart) with whom I was traveling had an admirer - a white haired, wasted man who crept his way over to us to boldly state that Jo was the prettiest woman all of Temple Bar that night. Jo broke the news that she is married and therefore would have to settle for second to last best. After he came over five more times mentioning divorce options and her response was to try pawning him off on me as I don't sport a rock on my finger. Perhaps I have an air about me that says - buddy, don't even try because he didn't. Or perhaps he just doesn't like settling for second best. Knowing that my friend was under the weather and we had our fill, I stated it was time to go and our other friends, who are married and don't face the same fun predicaments than that of travelers flying solo.
Day two, my first priority was to actually see the Book of Kells at Trinity College not before grabbing a bite to eat at Elephant and Castle, an American-Irish restaurant where I could get a vegetarian Irish breakfast with veggie sausages that were actually edible. I consulted my map and found my way over to the mark which the bartender had indicated the night before. When I arrived, I was confused because there was a wine shop but I realized I had to go through to reach the whiskey shop. My eyes widened and lips formed a smile... there was a lot of whiskey that I had never heard of before. I began barraging the shop employee with questions of his recommendations. He pointed out a few of his favorites, what was on sale and even had a large selection of airplane/travel-sized bottles so that I could taste different kinds of whiskeys without buying a whole bottle and could even bring back some for my friends. I had a tasting of the Connamera - I believe the only or one of the only Irish whiskeys which uses malted peat, giving it scotch taste. The shopkeeper said he was amazed at how many people come in asking for Scottish whiskey... well that's scotch which is a different breed. Lastly, I asked what was the most expensive Whiskey in the shop and I was directed to the Middleton which ranged from 1,500 to 2,000 Euros which I was told was overvalued. Well that is the cost of my entire trip! I was curious but no, I did not buy a bottle of Whiskey which amounts the same to a monthly mortgage payment. I decided to get the Locke's 8 year. It was a type which I cannot obtain stateside and was on sale for 26 euros and it came recommended for the value. In fact, the shopkeeper said its taste was on par with much more expensive whiskeys. I opened the whiskey bottle when I returned stateside and absolutely agree. I truthfully admit that I have been tapping into this delicious smooth, and some-what fruity whiskey. 
After walking around and exhausting myself, my travel buddies and I settled on St. John Gogarty for dinner. It reminded me of an Irish Chillies (an american chain, at least I hope it hasn't made its way overseas, which sports overly caloric meal the likes of potato wedges with low-grade cheese, sour cream and bacon bits). The food was a bit too salty, none of the waitresses were Irish. I went up to the bar not knowing what I wanted for food and ordered the Middleton for 17 euros. I also ordered water with it and the waiter said "with this shot? You are crazy, you will dilute it". Well, in previous whiskey tastings, specifically that of a local whiskey, High West, the owner and distiller told me that water opens up fine whiskey and brings out the flavors more. I decided in this noisy, highly-occupied bar that I would not spend the time to get into a discussion on the manner in which whiskey should be best enjoyed. I sipped at my glass, which to my dismay was not over poured, and found that it did not need water after all... it was simply perfect, the best whiskey which I had ever had and will have and shared some with friends - one of which said it was extremely good and the other who said he can't taste the difference between that and any other whiskey. I decided he should not have any more and enjoyed every last sip of mine alongside a basket of fresh oysters.
My fellow tourists and I consulted and agreed to move on to the next bar, The Dubliner located next door. We were going to go there because I had received a recommendation from a local to go there for Whiskey since it's cheap. Actually, the recommendation came from The National Gallery security guard who looked uncannily similar to our bar lurcher friend from the previous night and I just had to ask if he was at the Temple Bar to confirm if I had discovered his day job since his night job was hitting on married and attractive foreign women. It was not the same man, however, but he did tell me which bar I should go next for better value and non-tourists prices. The whiskey at The Dubliner was cheaper but the selection was not expansive. The bar was blaring with music before but now had quieted down and the bartenders could chat with us and give me more recommendations. I tried the entry-level, cheaper whiskeys such as Paddy and Powers (both distilled at Middleton). Paddy I was not happy, a bit too strong without more delicate flavors, with but Powers was actually pretty good. I even tried some other beers and hard cider.
Then a skinny and middle aged Welsh guy decided he was going to befriend us or rather hit on me because I appeared to be the only woman in the bar without a man sitting next to me. His version of flirting was basing a whole conversation on the etymology of common phrases and words in various languages. It would have been interesting had the information been peppered into a conversation of a more light-hearted subject. In fact, I was impressed that I had reached my limit of caring about the nuances of language. In other words, this man was a bore. Damn me and my American manners as I did not tell him to buzz off but did look away in an uninterested way. He and the bartender were egging us on for more shots and I took this as my opportunity as a way out and declined and we moved on then to the hotel bar where I had wine (I can't remember what but do believe it was good) and moved on to a much lighter conversation discussing politics and then religion with my colleague's husband. Well it was heavy subject matter but admittedly much preferred to the previous conversation of the complexities of being a Welsh man selling wares on the street when purportedly having a degree in history and language.
My second to last day I made my way over to the oldest pub in Ireland, The Brazen Head, and had seafood chowder - a mixture of all sorts of freshly caught fish, chips, coffee and a beer. All types of tourists were pouring in and it seems that this panoply of people had made its way to every inch of the walls in the form of paper money, badges and souvenirs. I did discover my favorite Irish stout, Kilkenny. After enjoying this lunch, ventured on to do a bit of antiquing and unfortunately, found myself in a run-down part of town and it took me a while to find the shops which I sought so they were close to closing by the time I arrived but at least I had just enough time to purchase a water color of a famous bar Doheny and Nesbitt. I had a desire to go to this bar to make some sort of memory with this art work I had just purchased but the watercolor would remind me of Ireland if I made it out to the bar or not. 
At night, a larger group of us went out and settled to have dinner at Gallagher's Boxty house where I had potato dumplings (which is what Boxty is) and red ale and fried cheese. I talked with my friends' colleagues, as this was a work trip for all of them. I discovered one's husband works for the BBC for TV and I was a bit of a fan girl over that piece of knowledge.We ventured on to a recommended bar, The Morrison, and I took note that I just wasn't feeling right. I went to the restroom which was elegantly set up with a fanning couch and candle and was actually impressed since the rest of the bar, which was packed to the gills, looked a bit worn in by the amount of customers it receives on a daily basis. When I returned from the elegant ladies room, all of my friends had made their drink selections and paid so I was left to fend for myself. The bartender joked that they weren't really friends since they didn't wait for me. I wanted to still try more Irish Whiskey from my list of recommendations from my various sources and ordered Writer's Tear. The bartender said he had never heard of it. I said it was recommended at the Temple Bar and he scoffed saying well it wasn't Irish. Well, that is not true because it was listed as Irish Whiskey on the Temple Bar's menu and was stated as Irish in the Celtic Whiskey shop but I decided it might be rude for me to into an altercation with an Irish man about his country's own spirits, me being a foreigner and all. So I bit my tongue and asked for the Tullamore Dew. It was good but I was increasingly feel unwell. I asked to pay for my whiskey 4.95 on my card. The bartender used this as an excuse to chide me again since I didn't have cash on me. Also, my card doesn't have a chip in it so they have problems running it. More chiding. But it was all in good humor as he said I was pretty and it made up for it. I wasn't feeling pretty, in fact I knew I had to get home quick. I put down my half-drunken glass of whiskey and said I am leaving as I am not well. I made my way out of the bar and felt fever-induced and had cold sweat... I walked through the streets not knowing where I was and wishing I could be transported back to the hotel room instantly. I officially had entered the beginning stages of food poisoning and did made it back just in time. I will spare you of those details but I will say that I may have an aversion to boxty now.
The next day I was recovering and I made it to Doheny and Nesbitt pub but just to take a picture - I could not bring myself to drink or eat that day which goes without saying, was unfortunate. That is when I missed the Guinness Stock House tour to take a nap and recuperate. I was told that I did not miss much since it was not the actual brewery. They said there is a nice view of the city in the eye packed in with all of the other tourists in a small space with no place to sit to drink a pint. My friend's husband mentioned the experience would have been enhanced if Guinness had a dragon on site - even an animatronic one breathing flames at the end of the tour. I admitted, that would be spectacular addition.
We did go out that night and hit up The Dubliner again which had run out of beer. I repeat, ran out of beer! This is just not good news when a bar has not planned appropriately and has run out of its staple product before the night is even near its end. Feeling turned off by this, we headed to another bar where I didn't want anything except Ginger Beer. I had tried Hollows' Ginger Beer, which is better than you might think, the night before and thought that would be the only suitable alcoholic drink of choice. But the bartender informed me probably four times it was out of stock - I could not understand his thick accent and asked him to repeat his statement. Also I didn't want to believe him. Seriously... bars stock your beer! I ordered ginger ale with no alcohol and listed to The Smiths... which I was in the mood for that night since I was feeling a bit broody in my recovering stages and not getting what I wanted to drink. The next morning, early I might add, I bid adieu to my fun times in Dublin thinking if I return, I will make it in the countryside and visit cheese makers, hopefully visit all of the active distilleries and continue to taste more Irish whiskeys, including independent distillers and even potheen if I get a chance.
A week after my return, I found myself in Park City for Sundance and being on a whiskey high, I wanted to go to High West Distillery again and compare Irish with American-style whiskey. Well I had a feeling it would be booked and it unfortunately was for a private concert. I did end up at a bar/faux french restaurant, Easy Street, and sat at the bar and my roommate and I were hit on men with girlfriends at home and waited for two hours to be seated for dinner. I noticed a woman next to me who could not get the attention of the bartender so me in my usual brazen way called him over for her. She ordered Bushmills which I said was a good choice. She said that she was just told to get an Irish Whiskey. I said - well, you should get the Middleton then. It's the best there is but asked the bartender how much. It was $23 but I told her, it would not disappoint and I know because I just got back from Ireland and tried as much whiskey as I could there. She then changed her order and said to me "My God, you just up sold me... I should hire you as my saleswoman". I then told her it depends on the territory. I just like high quality and research things in which I am interested is all. She reported back that it was mighty fine and the selection was perfect. Through the food poisoning and ails of travel, the experience of it all is most certainly worth it when I can use the moments I spent there and keep it with me here and even share it with others.
