Today was something I had been looking forward to on this trip. With a free Sunday, Mike, myself, and two other coworkers (Hi Bubba and Shawn!) had decided to book at tour at the Jameson Distillery in Middleton, Ireland. Now, I’ve been before, but I’m always up for a whiskey tasting and I’d already solidified that I would not be the one driving! We booked a special “premium” tasting at the end and would have a private sample of some additional whiskey offerings as well.
We walked the grounds and learned about the history of the Jameson brand. I’ve spoken about it on this blog before so I won’t spend too much time, but the private tasting at the end did really add to the tour and I would strongly encourage it to anyone who is wanting to go. You get to try four additional samples of some of the most-rare year-over-year stuff that Jameson makes. Mine included Middleton Very Rare, which is a yearly release. I loved it. I loved it enough that a bottle made it home with me!
We left the Jameson Distillery and decided lunch was a great option. There were close restaurants, but I kept encouraging that we walk a little further. There’s plenty of room in Middleton, I thought, there must be plenty of restaurants too! Well… I was half-right, but being as it was a Sunday afternoon many of them were still closed. We did find one that worked, however, Bayleaf Bistro in just about the middle of town. The staff was limited (seemed like a family affair), the food was okay but not amazing, but it hit the spot and I got some cheesy bread that felt like something I used to make at home with cheddar. That was definitely the highlight of the meal for me.
Lunch at BayLeaf… I did like their sign for the restrooms!
We left there, and Bubba (who had gotten our rental car at the airport when they flew in) drove us back to Cork Airport, where we dropped off the car before catching a taxi into the city. Mike and I went back into the hotel, and spent some hours catching up on work and prepping for the next day. We had a busy week of work ahead.
I should mention, the River Lee has an “Executive Lounge” on the 6th floor that I have access to through my work, and it is fantastic. Small snacks and drinks are available almost all day, and there is a coffee machine that has supported me through many a jetlag at this point. If you ever stay there and have downtime planned at the hotel, see if you can’t get access by asking at the front desk. It’s a great perk! I think we skipped dinner, but I don’t remember at this point. Maybe we went back to the bar for some more cribbage… most of the rest of the trip will be an amalgamation because time has passed, and it really was just a great deal of work that occurred!
The River Lee is known for their “Honeycomb Old Fashioned”. They are very good… but almost too sweet for my taste!
