Royal Oak Distillery
Royal Oak Distillery
5
Distillery Tours
This location was reported permanently closed
About
Located in Ireland’s ancient east region, Royal Oak Distillery is one of the largest independent manual whiskey distilleries in the country and the first to be developed in Carlow in over 200 years and is the only independent distillery in the world to produce all three types of Irish whiskey in one still house, namely – pot still, malt and grain.
Carlow, County Carlow, Ireland

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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.


5.0
5.0 of 5 bubbles195 reviews
Excellent
183
Very good
8
Average
2
Poor
0
Terrible
2

Morina C
Dublin, Ireland5 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2020 • Couples
An interesting , informative and very enjoyable tour. Fionn was an excellent and knowledgeable guide. Would highly recommend a visit to Royal Oak.
Written 10 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you so much for taking time to review your tour with us here at Royal Oak Distillery. We are lucky to have that live experience which allows us to really get in and understand the process on a more personal level. Fionn is a great guide as all of our guides here are trained fully on what we do and how we distil our spirit. We hope you come back and look forward to seeing you again. Woody
Written 11 March 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Delaware_traveler_13
Delmar, DE10 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020
We arrived to the distillery at 1:30 for a 2:00 tour on Sunday (times vary during the weekdays). We walked around the manor house while we waited. The tour was very fun. Paddy was a great and knowledgeable fellow. He had some fun jokes and I really learned about the distilling process. I did not consider myself a whiskey connoisseur, but the tasting was very fun. Paddy made it approachable and even convinced me that I could enjoy whiskey! I highly recommend this tour. We bought some "Irishman" in duty free on our way home. I am looking forward to an evening taste.
Written 20 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hey Delaware_traveler_13, thank you very much for your great review. I'm glad you enjoyed our tour and of course had a bit of time to stroll up around Hollodan House. And yes, drinking whiskey the correct way makes all the difference. Enjoy your purchase and come back again for a sip of new release in the near future. Paddy
Written 23 February 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Richard B
2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020 • Couples
Wonderful hands on and close up experience of the craft that is whiskey distillation from grain to cask, friendly knowlagable staff, with a genuine interest in whiskey, would recommend a visit for any whiskey enthusiast.
Written 6 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi Richard, Thank you very much for your review. I'm glad you guys enjoyed your experience here. And I'm glad enthusiasts like yourselves picked up some more knowledge of the process.To get up close and experience all the sights, sounds and smells in a live manual distillery is a real treat. I look forward to seeing you guys back again soon. Paddy
Written 8 February 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Tja
6 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2020 • Family
Very thorough yet very interesting. You can see and smell your way through the factory. Nice guide..
Written 16 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you so much for your review and I'm glad you had a good experience. At Royal Oak Distillery we do try to ensure you get a full experience of what distillation holds. Being Ireland's largest manual distillery allows us to get up close and personal with the process. We look forward to seeing you again sometime where we can take time to relax in the beautiful 42 acre surroundings and enjoy a whiskey :) Woody
Written 17 January 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Mike W
1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2019 • Couples
Fantastic. Our guide was a wealth of knowledge and had tons of information to share with us about the whiskey distilling process. Whiskey tasting at the end was great and I highly recommend checking out this unique Irish distillery.
Written 15 December 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you so much for your review and I'm happy to hear you have had a great experience with us here at Royal Oak Distillery. One thing we pride ourselves on would be the people that we have working here. The sense of passion can be seen from the moment you walk in and in everyone you meet. Being the largest manual distillery in Ireland allows us that more personal touch and gets us closer to the distillation process. While being unique that we produce all three types of whiskey under the one roof allows an understanding of all types of distillation available. I hope you do return when we can chat again about some more about things whiskey :) Woody
Written 17 January 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

DavidofLasVegas
Las Vegas, NV17 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2019 • Friends
Driving on M50 to M9 to Kilkenny accidentally turned off the exit for food/rest and ran into this great spot.

Followed the sign to Royal Oak Distillery. Absolutely best decision made! If you like the local stuff and as I'm typing this review in Jameson's Distillery lobby, you must stop by Royal Oak! We had Patty as our tour guide and he was absolutely amazing and personal. Taught us every step of the way of how "manual" distillery is operated. They focus on the tour being sensory (smell, see, feel, taste, hear) so you will get that here.

We definitely had a great education and then the tasting, Patty walked us through the art of tasting whiskey.

I just finished Jameson's tour... It's a great tour but commercialized, trust me if you are learning/getting into whiskey drinking check out Royal Oak's down to earth, personal tour Irish Whiskey.
Written 8 December 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your review DavidofLasVegas, Yes, sometimes the best things come from a lucky turn off the beaten track. And having been on the go for 30+ hours from Vegas, what better place to relax than in the beautiful grassy surrounds of Royal Oak Distillery and the Holloden House Estate. I am glad you guys were able to experience the manual process of Irish whiskey production first hand on your visit here. And to teach you a bit more about appreciating whiskey properly is something we pride ourselves on and hope you get to pass on to your fellow whiskey seekers. Don't forget to take that turn off whenever you guys come back to Ireland! Paddy
Written 13 December 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Damo637
Lucerne, Switzerland4 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2019
Our trip to Royal Oak was top class in everyday. The visitor area was great, the distillery experience was 'close up and personal', and Paddy our tour guide was very knowledgeable and lead us expertly through a four-dram tasting session at the end. His detailed descriptions of the various distillery processes were lightened with a liberal sprinkling of humour. We also had the pleasure of chatting with Woody at the end of the tour.
Written 23 November 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
A fantastic visit and Paddy loved not only showing you around but the pleasure of chatting with you, as too did I. It is great to find others that have passion as we do for whiskey. I look forward to meeting with you again sometime and we can sit and enjoy a taoscán together :) Woody
Written 26 November 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

JAG
13 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2019
Our tour (€15) was short, and personalized as we were the only ones booked. Beautiful Setting and the “Connoisseur’s Choice” tasting was worth the money. While its own brand of whiskey is maturing in kegs – in storage for two more years – the Royal Oak is distributing two of our favorite whiskeys.
Written 21 November 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi Jeff, thank you very much for taking the time to write us a review. We do like to make the tours an up close and personable experience, and sometimes our guests can be in luck to have a private tour experience also :) Yes, we do offer different types of tours, depending on the different levels of interest when it comes to tasting. We are very proud of the fact that we are Irelands largest manual distillery so our guests really get an in depth explanation of the art of distillation. We look forward to welcoming you back to Royal Oak distillery in the future where we can sit and sample some more beautiful premium Irish Whiskeys with you. Best wishes, Fionn
Written 22 November 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Marco D
16 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2019
Everything was perfect. The place is beautiful, the staff are funny and professional, the tour is very interesting and the whiskey was delicious!
Written 17 November 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi marcodA7994KO Thank you so much for your review. We are of course delighted to hear that you enjoyed your experience with us here at Irelands largest manual distillery where we could show you the processes involved in creating Single Malt, Pot Still as well as Grain Whiskey. All our tour guides here at Royal Oak distillery are highly educated in the distillation process so we are always very proud of the fact that we can offer our guests a real in depth, up close and personal tour of our distillery. Make sure to come visit us again soon as there will be many new and exciting releases of premium Irish Whiskey coming out of our distillery soon. Best wishes, Fionn
Written 22 November 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Vacationer230561
Dyffryn Ardudwy, UK11 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2019 • Friends
What an amazing place to visit, so proud that there is an amazing Distillery like this in Carlow, Woody and the staff were so welcoming and should be extremely proud of the way they run the place we loved every minute of visiting Royal Oak Distillery and we will be recommending our friends and Family take a visit and tour
Written 12 November 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you so much for your review. We do try to make sure that we extend that Irish welcome and as for proud, we love what we do and having the largest manual distillery in Ireland, Royal Oak Distillery love showing off that manual side of distillation. We hope to see you again sometime :) Woody
Written 13 November 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

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