A distillery drinkathon: Ireland's smooth operators

Raise a toast to Ireland's whiskey revival at one of the country's best distilleries.

At the turn of the 20th century, Irish whiskey ruled the roost. But a series of setbacks - sparked by Ireland's fight for independence from Britain and the onset of Prohibition in the USA - shattered its export markets, and the whisky makers of Scotland began to dominate the global scene. Over the last few decades, however, the Emerald Isle has re-emerged as a major player, buoyed by a wave of new craft distilleries and resurgent old-timers like Jameson and Bushmills. Across the island of Ireland, you'll find an increasingly enticing and quirky selection of places for tours and tastings of the so-called Uisce beatha, or water of life.

The newest distillery to welcome visitors is dripping with history. Relaunching a brand born in Belfast in 1776, McConnell's occupies an impressively converted wing of Crumlin Road Gaol, a key landmark in Northern Ireland's capital and one that, prior to its closure in 1996, had held everyone from colonial-era convicts awaiting transportation to Australia to political figures locked up during "The Troubles" that erupted in the province in the late 1960s. After absorbing the jail's storied past on a self-guided tour that has you ducking inside many of its old cells, head over to the distillery, where a separate tasting-tour sees guides teaching you about the whiskey-making process and sharing samples of McConnell's liquid gold. You'll discover some of the important differences between Scottish whisky and Irish whiskey. While both must be matured in wooden casks on home soil for at least three years, Scotch is usually distilled just twice, whereas Irish tends to be triple-distilled, giving it - say some connoisseurs - a smoother, more delicate finish. Intriguingly, though most Irish distilleries spell whiskey with an "e" to differentiate it from the Scots - a trend that arose in the 19th century - McConnell's upholds tradition, sticking to the original spelling and honouring the company established in 1776 by brothers John and James McConnell. mcconnellsirishwhisky.com; crumlinroadgaol.com

Another beacon of Belfast's rejuvenated whiskey scene, this industrial-sleek waterfront address was the first such distillery to open in the city since Prohibition. And it pays homage to another significant chapter of Belfast's heritage, taking its name from the legendary vessel constructed at this very shipyard between 1909 and 1912. Housed in a converted pumphouse, Titanic Distillers has a range of tours, from its signature 60-minute one that ends with tastings of its premium Irish whiskey and vodka to longer tours that delve underground to admire the antique pumping engines and outside to explore the wider dock and to see where Titanic last rested on dry ground before her maiden voyage. Tie in a trip to the distillery with other highlights of the Titanic Quarter, as this ever-expanding district is dubbed. It's anchored around Titanic Belfast, a multi-award-winning exhibition about the vessel in a dazzling building that looks like a cross between ship hulls and icebergs. Next door is the maritime-inspired Titanic Hotel Belfast, which has 119 rooms and serves modern Irish cuisine and afternoon tea in the former Victorian headquarters of Harland & Wolff, the firm that built Titanic. titanicdistillers.com; visitbelfast.com

Nestled in lush sprawling grounds, a 20-minute drive (or train ride) north of Dublin, this country retreat was in the same landed family for 800 years. Now you can tour its eclectically-furnished rooms then sample varieties of Irish whiskey here with charismatic expert John Callely Jr, who learned the ropes at Dublin's old Jameson distillery as a teenager and now, with his father John, helms whiskey tours all over the Emerald Isle.

Staged at Malahide Castle on selected Saturdays, the intimate tasting sessions let you contrast a famous whiskey - like a Bushmills 10 Year Old Single Malt - with small-batch ones you'd probably otherwise never encounter. Tipples come from the likes of Ballykeefe Distillery, set on an eco-friendly farm near Kilkenny, and Lough Ree Distillery in County Longford, where the locally-reared peat gives a smoky tang to its blended whiskeys. malahidecastleandgardens.ie; whiskeyisland.ie

Malty aromas have long permeated the air of the Liberties, an inner-city Dublin neighbourhood that's been home to Guinness since 1759, with the hulking St James's Gate Brewery a magnet for tourists eager to sip pints of the "black stuff" at source. But those who prefer whiskey (and gin) are also in their element in the Liberties, where distilleries have been opening at a faster rate than at any time since they first sprang up here in the 18th century. Perhaps the most alluring newcomer is Pearse Lyons Distillery, located in a former church adorned with a contemporary glass steeple that lights up at dusk.

Another whiskey that's regularly poured at Malahide - and renowned for its sea-salty tinge - comes from Lambay, a private off-grid island and nature reserve about eight kilometres away as the gull flies. If you're travelling as a group, you may be tempted to splash out on the bespoke tours that escort you to the island by boat between April and October. Craft chocolate is paired with triple-distilled, bourbon-barrel-matured whiskey finished on the island in French oak cognac casks, with Lambay's own volcanic well water added at the final stage before bottling. You'll notice the bottle labels carry illustrations of a puffin - one of the many species of seabird that breed on the island in the northern spring and summer. Guided walks show off Lambay's rich array of wildlife. Keep your eyes peeled for sheep, deer, grey seals and Ireland's only wild breeding population of red-necked Australian wallabies, first brought to the island in the 1950s. lambaywhiskey.com; ireland.com