Experience our elevated premium tour. While others finish their journey at the main bar, you will be welcomed to our Private Tasting Suite. Here, under the guidance of our Whisky Specialist, you will explore the evolution of McConnell's from its 1776 roots to its modern-day 'super premium' revivals. Taste Rare and super premium distillery exclusives. The Premium experience includes 5 pours. The Heritage: Start with our "New Make" spirit, straight off the stills, right here in Belfast. The Icons: The award winning 5-year-old and the rich Sherry Cask finish. The Premium Revival: Sample rare, aged distillery exclusive, World Whiskies Award Winning McConnell’s Old Cromac Collection,20 year-old Single Malt, Tawny Port Finish followed by our Cask Strength Sherry Cask Finish. Hear the untold stories. Learn about the 1909 Great fire that nearly silenced the brand forever and the secret blending techniques that made McConnell's the Whisky of choice in the early 20th century rumoured to have been served on board the Titanic!
Excellent tour!! Ask for Sam- she was awesome! The distillery is beautifully renovated and has incredible history. Thank you, Sam, for providing such an excellent tour experience!
Sam was a wonderful tour guide - knowledgeable and engaging. Even better was the time she gave at the bar after the tour!
Being from Scotland my expectations were high, but I absolutely loved it - it was my first time trying their whisky and it was fantastic. Really great, lots learned about Irish Whisk(e)y and McConnells history within it. Sam, our tour guide you could tell was so passionate about their job and it really made the tour special. Lovely tour.
I’m Belfast born and came with a colleague from work who was visiting from Scotland. I honestly can say it was an amazing tour. I don’t like whiskey but would definitely recommend this tour. Sam was so informative and really enthusiastic.
Brilliant experience. The host was very knowledgeable and we got to try some beautiful whisky. Really interesting and worthwhile.
Sam was absolutely amazing! Very engaging and educated our group in a digestible manner. Thank you Sam, you’re the best!
Sam was very knowledgeable, fiercely commited, and that shone through the whole tour.
This was one of the best experiences of my Belfast trip. It exceeded my expectations! Our tour guide was fantastic and really knew the product and history of the current location of McConnells Whisky. I raved about the experience the whole way back to NY. I recommend this tour as a must see if you're visiting Belfast.
Great tour and premium sampling at the end. They are a relatively new distillery and off to a great start. Everyone was warm and friendly.
A unique location and fascinating look at the history of the building. The distillery tour is interesting and informative - very much recommended.
The experience was really good to learn more about whiskey processing techniques and of course Sam is the best!
Had a great tour with Sam. Extremely knowledgeable and passionate. Just do it
Sam was grand. Great location.
We visited McConnells during our recent trip to Ireland. We selected it because we had never had McConnells and it was within walking distance of our hotel. We knew it was near an old jail but didn't realize the distillery was in the old jail. It was so neat! They did a beautiful job of restoring it. Our guide, Neve had to must knowledge. My husband asked her about yeast strain used and she had the answer with the scientific name! We are guides at a distillery in Kentucky so really appreciated the detail. After the tour and regular tasting, us and two other couples were taken to another room where we got samples of a cask strength and the 20 year old. Both were excellent. We would have purchased the cask strength but they don't bottle it. YOU SHOULD BOTTLE IT! We would have purchased it. We took a bottle back to the US with us. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Belfast.
Sam was amazing 10/10. I’d really recommend her as a tour guide!
What an absolute amazing tour well paced so very informative and fabulous location. Natalie deserves a very special mention outstanding guide we got lucky near on a Private tour fantastic value enjoy your tasting 10 out of 10
Sam was brilliant she knew her stuff about the whiskey and the location
Sam was great. Very welcoming, very informative. Will come back to do the upgraded tour when I’m back in Ireland. Beautiful facility.
This is a great tour of a whisky distillery in a great location. Every visitor to Belfast should find the time to do it. Our tour guide was Sam. She was very knowledgeable, lively and funny and made our tour experience amazing. A whisky & ginger ale to start with then the tour then three tots of new make, 5 yr old & 5 yr old sherry cask. Very informative and I bought a bottle to leave with. Would recommend to anyone.
Such a brilliant cocktail class! 🍸🥃 Sam was so friendly, welcoming and made the whole experience so enjoyable. The cocktails were absolutely delicious and the class was such good fun. Would definitely recommend and would 100% do it again! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
If you haven’t experienced McConnells distillery, you are surely missing out. From the history, unique location, transformation from a run down jail to a sophisticated distillery that clearly pays attention to detail this is a must on a visit to Belfast. All 5 of your senses will be treated to a unique experience.
An absolutely excellent experience. Its amazing what John Lelly and the team have done here. Resurrecting a legacy of Belfast whisky ( if you do the tour you'll know why the "e" has been omitted! ) as well as making such innovative use of the old prison site. The passion shown by everyone was inspiring and particular recognition for Sam our host for the tour, tasting and cocktail making experience....just pure genuine belfast class! Best wishes to all for continued success. Joe.
What a cracking tour we had yesterday at McConnell's. Sam the tour guide was incredible! One of the most passionate and funny whiskey tours I've been on and I've been on quite a few. The distillery in the old Crumlin jail is amazing to see and the whiskey itself is delicious. We paid more for the connoisseur tour and I'm so glad we did. We got to access an exclusive room as well as trying 2 distillery exclusive whiskies that you can't get anywhere else. Really loved it! Will definitely be back when we're next in Belfast.
This is a great tour. Our guide was fun bubbly and knowledgeable. Completely exceeded all my expectations. It was a present from my wife for Father’s Day 😊 whisky sampling was delicious and amazing to see how they converted the Crumlin Road Jail. Highly Recommend
Sam was amazing and an absolute delight! Love the motivational music playlist!! Super fun and easy!!
We both enjoyed the tour, but would love to come again when the distillery was working to see it in full flow and be able to savour the smells and the sounds. But thought it was great, the size of the crowd was just nice, and Conor was great craic. Also excellent support as having a disability I was supported with using the lift.
Such a beautiful distillery and our guide Amanda was awesome!
Absolutely fabulous, our guide Natalie was knowledgeable and full of enthusiasm for her craft, great work
Great tour, very informative Amanda was efficient and effective. She welcomed questions and was patient.
There are a lot of options for visiting Irish distilleries. I wanted one that gave a sense of whiskey history while also being a visual experience. McConnell's was a fun choice. Housed in a repurposed wing of an abandoned prison, I appreciated how they remodeled yet still retained the history. Cells were left in place where possible. Where they had to be removed, the outlines were painted on the floors. There was even cell to tour. The distillery is the rebirth of a famous name. It's only been active for a half-dozen years, but draws on a lot of history. The whisky (as they spell it) tasting consisted of four different expressions, including a 20-year-version. Of course, this aged version had to be made with the assistance of another famous distiller. The tour and tasting was done by Sam, who was excellent. She knew her history of McConnells and the prison, and what to look for in each of the samples. As someone more familiar with wine than whiskey, she was a valuable resource. This is a coffee bar, gift shop and an upstairs bar. One warning. As a former prison, there are lots of stairs and only a single lift. Those with mobility issues should plan accordingly.
The distillery operates in what was one of the major prisons in Belfast from the 1840s-1980s. Lots of stories about the role it played in the Rebellion and the Troubles, but also great education about the whisky making process and McConnell’s choices. Amanda was funny and entertaining, but she also covered the production and the history with honesty and conviction. She must be in an improv comedy group or an actress! I had been introduced to McConnell’s whisky while in Dublin, and I had loved it, so I wanted to make the tour. I’m glad I did!
Brilliant guide, very informative and great Whisky
Wonderful tour, learned about Whisky and Belfast. The staff were very nice and knowledgeable. Great facility. My only ask is that you sell a distillery exclusive whisky. The sherry cask barrel strength was so great.
Absolute must do for any whisky lover. Loads of information from our tour leader Ethan, and the whisky was absolutely phenomenal. I’m no stranger to the mcconnells brand but left with a greater appreciation and will be definitely keeping the 5 sherry cask in permanent rotation on my shelf
Great experience not just with regards to the whisky but also the building is also a great experience. Admissions fee was well worth the tour as well as the samples. The tour length was spot on and the guide was very very good.
An excellent experience showcasing the history of the brand and talking you through the full process of how they make each of their whiskys. Ample opportunity to take pictures and ask questions regarding the distillery or just the history of the old prison that they now occupy. Owen was our guide and provided an oustanding tour. He's clearly passionate about what he does and has a great understanding of whisky, mixology, and how best to enjoy each of the drinks we tried that day. Naimh as well was very friendly on the bar after the tour and makes terrific cocktails. Well worth a visit whether you're a fan of whisky or even if you're not.
Sam our tour guide was absolutely phenomenal! Never have I met someone more passionate and enthusiast about their job. Her never ending knowledge and ability to simplify the tour into easy to understand concepts made it incredible. The building and the care of restoration and innovation was phenomenal. Definitely a must see (either Sam or the building lol). The tasting at the end was the cherry (cask) on top. Delicious whiskeys with so many tasting notes. 10/10
Was well set up and very folded about the history was brilliant
This tour was great. Sam was engaging, informative and funny. A legendary tour guide. I'd definitely encourage people to do the premium tour because the additional whiskies are incredible. I love the history and how they have kept the legacy of the distillery and the prison building in which it now sits. A must do for anyone in Belfast.
Fabulous tour! Some interesting history to go with great whisky in a very unique building. Sam is a legend and a great tour guide. Will definitely be back again in future.
Excellent work, I recommend!
Amanda our tour guide was great! Fun, informative, and kept a slightly rowdy group of bachelors in check. Lovely to see how a historic site once gloomy place has been transformed and repurposed into a vibrant beautiful distillery. Highly recommended!
My favourite part of our Belfast trip! Natalie was an asset to your company, give that girl a raise!
Great tour and exceptional tasting. Eoin led a wonderful tour and was very knowledgeable. Had another whisky in the bar after which was also great.
Had a fantastic whisky tour in McConnell’s with the wonderful Sam. She was so knowledgeable but more importantly enthusiastic about this gorgeous Irish whisky.
I've been on a few distillery tours across Ireland and McConnells stood out as a nice change of pace. The distillery is beautiful and very unique. We did the premium tour, which has the added benefit of 2 premium whiskeys, which are worth the price of admission, and more. Our tour guide, Sam, was the highlight of our tour. Having a local guide with a personality like her's made this tour great. I wish every distillery had someone like Sam to do their tours. I highly recommend McConnells for anyone interested in it.
The tour was amazing!, you should do the premium tasting tour.
What a beautiful distillery in a very historical building in Belfast. And a wonderful tour with beautiful whiskey
Sam is a wonderful tour guide! Great tour, very interesting! Tasting experience was amazing!
The venue was stunning, the tour was informative and fun and the whisky tasted incredible. 5 stars to our tour guide Gerald who was super - very knowledgeable, friendly and approachable.
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