in the USwe We started the day with a change of plans. Nothing major, but for those of you that have been following us, you know how we emphasize the need to remain flexible when traveling. So, we were supposed to dock in Cobh, on the north side of Cork Harbor. Instead, we docked on the west side, in Ringaskiddy. It was no big deal for us, as we were taking a Princess tour today, but for those with private tours, this messed you up.

Once on our bus, we headed to the little town of Midleton, just outside of Cork, to visit the Midleton Distillery. Midleton has been operating on this site since 1825. They distil popular brands like Jameson, Red Breast, Paddy, Powers, Greenspot, Redspot, Yellowspot, Bluespot and Midleton Very Rare.

We enjoyed a nice video showing the history of the distillery, and then took a tour of the historic plant. We learned that Irish Whiskey is distilled three times, Scottish Whiskey has a double distilling process and American whiskey is often one or two distilling phases. Another fun fact, they buy most of their barrels used, from the US and the barrels can be used up to three more times, unlike in the US where whiskey can only be stored in a new or virgin barrel. It’s the law in the US and was lobbied for by, you guessed it, the barrel manufacturers! This was a very comprehensive tour, lasting 1.5 hours. Afterwards, we had a tasting of three whiskeys, and then we were offered a drink ticket for a “proper pour”.

We then had a driving tour of Cork, and as it was cold and rainy, we didn’t mind being shuttled about in the bus. Cork, population 250K, is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland, and is divided by the River Lee. There are many vehicle and pedestrian bridges to get from one side to the next.

Cork boasts of a manufacturing boom, with multi-conglomerates like Pfizer, Apple, Johnson & Johnson, Abvie, Johnson Controls and GE Healthcare, to name a few, setting up plants here. Their favorite sport is hurling…er, no not puking or vomiting, but hurling the sport using a wooden stick, called a hurley, and a ball, called a sliotar.

The sailaway was pretty cold and foggy but we stood outside, enjoying the scenery. On our way, we passed the sweet town of Cobh, where we were supposed to dock. We both agreed we’d like to return to visit Cobh someday.

Tomorrow: Dublin, Ireland

Recommend: Midleton Distillery Tours https://www.jamesonwhiskey.com/en-gb/visit-our-distilleries/midleton-distillery-cork/