Micil Distillery Experience 2 - Gin, Poitín and Whiskey
Overview
Available languages
1 hour
Mobile ticket
Step inside Galway cities only working distillery & discover the fascinating story of Ireland’s original spirit, poitín – outlawed here for over 300 years. Learn the real history of poitín and whiskey, how they’re made, and what makes Micil’s spirits so unique.
Your guide will take you on a journey from the hills of South Connemara, where our founder first distilled poitín in a small stillhouse, to today’s distillery, run by his great-great-great-grandson. Along the way, you’ll hear daring, funny and heartfelt stories from our family’s illicit past, while experiencing the sights, sounds and smells of a working distillery.
The tour includes three guided tastings from our award-winning portfolio – a poitín, a whiskey and a gin – distilled right here around you. It’s an entertaining, hands-on experience that blends heritage, craftsmanship and flavour, and one that every curious visitor to Galway should experience.
Additional Info
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Gift shop is available at the distillery
Minimum age to taste alcohol is 18 years
The distillery can be a little chilly sometimes, so best to bring a jacket
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What To Expect
Micil Distillery
A fascinating look at Galway's first working distillery in over 100 years
What‘s Included
Poitín and Whiskey Tasting Experience
Professional tour guide
Food, however Oslo Bar serves food daily
Options
12pm Tasting Experience
Taste 1 Gin, 1 Poitín & 1 Whiskey. An inside look into a working distillery, focusing on whiskey, poitín and gin.
Reviews
285 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Disappointing sales event ...
Q5886XKj rgs,,Sep 20, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
1.00The history of the poitin was far too superficial, all details about the whiskey and the production were too tailored to the Micil distillery. The production process came up short, the small distillation plant could not be seen up close and it was not explained in detail. Unfortunately, instead of a tour of a distillery (as is usual in other distilleries, and as we could also see from the information on their Website), we only expected a pure sales event. We strongly recommend that you rewrite your website to reality - e.g. with the title "sales event") and only offer a tour of a distillery if you have something to show for it!
Top Notch Distillery
M1485JEhilarym,,Sep 14, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Brilliant experience. It was short and sweet but very enjoyable. They are very generous with the amount of alcohol they offer for such a cheap price. Definitely worth doing both for the taste, the history lessons and the vibe in there. A small brewery producing great drinks.
Worth the trip!
victoriaaR5068IH,,Sep 11, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
4.00This was a fun experience, and a great way to learn about Galway’s only distillery. We were greeted with a gin and tonic, an extremely tasty one, and then our guide dove into the history of gin making, whiskey, and poitin. The lesson was fascinating and interactive, she passed out examples of the ingredients for us to touch and smell to really understand what goes into the spirits. The history of the company is also very impressive and befitting of the Irish culture. Our guide was funny and quick witted as well which made the experience all the more enjoyable. The experience had about 14 people and it never felt too crowded or hard to hear the guide. A few things to note. The building was a little hard to find (granted it was chucking down rain as we were on the street so we were stressed to find the entrance). It’s a blue bar, you walk through to the back and upstairs. This is not so much of a tour as it is a tasting and a history lesson, I wish there was more to see of the actual distilling process but I think they just have a small facility for now and it’s probably not easily accessible for the public. Lastly - if you are coming from Galway center take a cab or the bus, it’s a long walk and in the Irish weather you can get caught in the rain and wind a dozen times.
Great time learning about Micil Distillery
Roam03977043609,,Sep 8, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Such a great time, and Michael was a fantastic host. It was great learning about all the different spirits, and everything was so tasty
Top 5 highlight of our trip
651leanneq,,Oct 10, 2023
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00The Micil Distillery demonstration and tasting experience was a top 5 highlight of our trip to the West Coast of Ireland. The unassuming location in the back of a dark pub made me wonder what did we get ourself into. Well, let me say that Tom’s passion for his work teaching us the history of the Micil Distillery and the commitment of the family to produce an excellent product steeped in history shone through in his presentation. Tim’s easy going and friendly nature made him a joy to listen to and taught us so much. The poitin and whiskey tasting warmed us up and it was loads of fun creating a lasting memory for our whole tour group.
Amazing Whiskey and Poitin Tour
M7891AHmarkh,,Sep 28, 2023
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00An excellent Whiskey and Distillery tour by Aoife at Micil. We have toured many distilleries over the years in Scotland and Ireland and this was up there with the very best. Very interesting history of Whiskey and Poitin excellent knowledge by our local guide and all helped along by generous tastings as part of the talk as opposed to at the end. We called back again a couple of days later to buy Poitin and Whiskey and met with one of the owners who was happy to pass on local tourist tips.
Excellent small distillery tour!
softballmom169,,Aug 17, 2023
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Highly recommend the Micil Distillery tour! Aoife was a wonderful guide, sharing tons of knowledge and history about distilling and the local area, as well as entertaining stories. We learned about the making and history of poitin, whiskey, and even gin and Irish cream. Also learned a bit about the history, traditions, and people of Connemara. Under 18 welcome to attend, but not taste. This is currently the second smallest distillery in Ireland, but they are growing fast with plans to expand. They even offer the opportunity (for a price) to buy your own cask of whiskey. This is then aged at the distillery and then bottled in bottles with your own label. The distillery is actually in the back room of the Galway Bay Brewery Pub (which is also great). I highly recommend adding this little-known gem to your itinerary in Galway and the Connemara area!
Small, but Mighty!
560tracyl,,Aug 10, 2023
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We were told by a family member that this small distillery was well worth a visit and we were not disappointed. We learned so much from Eva who was passionate about Micil. The tasting of the various Micil spirits was delightful and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. If you are interested in a smaller, more personalized distillery tour, this is for you.
2nd smallest Whisky distillery in Ireland...but a quality whiskey made with passion.
lucmuller2016,,Aug 9, 2023
- Review from Tripadvisor
4.00MICIL is no more the smallest Irish Whiskey distillery. Hurray !!! It became recently the second smallest. And this makes MICIL still a nice little place to visit. We first had lunch at the pub (very good fish and ships) and visited the whisky distillery at the back of the pub. Very pedagogic and full of nice historical stories. Traditional tasting at the end of the visit. The whiskey is made with passion and is of good quality...to me. A place to visit for sure.
Great whiskey experience
21eva,,Jul 1, 2023
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Tom was great host and such an interesting tour about the family business making whiskey. You don’t have to like whiskey to try a few samples!
Related Experiences
Operated by Micil Distillery