We
decide that we wanted to head south to the coast but we were a
bit burned out from the long drive the previous day. We
got a really late start and then finally decided that we would
visit the Jameson Distillery in Midleton. So, we piled into
the car and headed out. The day was perfect with bright
sun and mild temperatures. The scenery was great in the
full sun.
The photos below are what we saw.
We got
to Midleton and headed out on foot. The town was actually
quite busy with traffic, mostly tourists like us. We found
a a place
As we
entered the distillery, they had some nice artifacts on
display. This is, of course, fake but it still looks cool.
This
copper pot is from one of the boiler areas.
The
barley malting house is a big building made of stone.
I love
the stonework in their buildings here. The corners are cut
stone, the balance is raw stone.
An old
belt-powered piece of farm equipment.
Interesting
that the name of the tractor is Fordson. This is the way
it was done in the old days.
The tour
was reasonably informative; we got the download on the brewing
and distilling process. And there was some nice old
equipment on display.
This
belt-powered piece of equipment is likely a crusher or
grinder. Note the large flywheel on the right.
The back
side of the malting house. 5 stories of stone walls held
together by steel bars with cast iron plates. These were
used to support the walls.
The barley
was ground into grist in the mill. The mill was powered by
water that was carried by a small canal called a "race".
The race carried the water to the water wheel.
The
water was scooped by the flutes in the wheel causing it to
turn. This wheel has provide the motive power for the mill
since day one. It was only decommissioned about 10 years
ago.
The
wheel does not turn fast, but it DOES turn.
One of
the millstones that was used for the grinding the grist.
One of the
old distillery delivery trucks.
This was
an interesting old tractor used at the plant. The
manufacturer, Scammell, has long gone out of business, but a web
search will bring up some interesting photos of older trucks.
One of
the old copper stills used as part of a 3-still process.
These
stills were some of the largest in the world during their day.
A large
amount of heat was required to heat the stills which required
appropriate stacks to clear the smoke. Anthracite coal was
used "back in the day".
Many of
the buildings on the site were quite large.
A modern
day condenser. Why this is not in service is a
question. I am sure they are expensive to fabricate.
The last
stop on the tour was the tasting room.
The Jameson tour was interesting and very worthwhile. And not just for the free liquor. If you are in the area, it is worth stopping in. The tour takes about 90 minutes, plus the tasting. Jameson distills many brands of liquor, including my (current) favorite Red Breast. Some of their brands are quite pricey. I must say, however, that I tried Jameson 12 year and it was, at the time, better than Red Breast.
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Photos and Text Copyright Bill Caid 2015, all rights
reserved.
For your enjoyment only, not for commercial use.