Kilkenny does not have a huge brewing scene by number, but it punches far above its weight on history: Ireland’s oldest ale is still made on the same city-centre plot where Franciscan friars were brewing 300 years before Smithwick’s put its name on the label. This guide covers the five real breweries, distilleries and orchard-distillers that Visit Kilkenny itself points visitors toward, plus a look at the beer we already reviewed from this city, a bookable food-and-brewery tour, and where to eat, sleep and walk off the pints afterward.
Smithwick’s Experience
Rating: 4.7/5 from over 2,600 TripAdvisor reviews · Price: From EUR20 (Signature Experience) or EUR50 (Masters of Ale)
Smithwick’s has been brewed in Kilkenny since 1710, on ground that was already a working Franciscan abbey brewery centuries before that. The Signature Experience runs about 45 minutes to an hour: a guided walk through the history, a chance to mill the malt and smell the hops, and a complimentary pint of Smithwick’s (or a soft drink) at the end. Step up to the 75-minute Masters of Ale Experience and you get a sensory tasting flight of four ales, a pint-pouring tutorial, and an engraved glass to take home. It sits on Ireland’s Medieval Mile, a five-minute walk from Kilkenny Castle.
“I had a wonderful tour at Kilkenny Brewery! The guide MORGAN was knowledgeable and enthusiastic, providing fascinating insights into the brewing process and history of the brewery. The atmosphere was lively, and the tasting session was a highlight, offering a range of delicious brews.”
TripAdvisor reviewer
If you want to try Smithwick’s cream-ale cousin before or after the tour, we’ve already reviewed it here: Kilkenny Irish Cream Ale Review: Smithwick’s Creamier Cousin. It is not brewed on-site any more (Guinness produces it at St James’s Gate) but the name and the nitro pour both trace straight back to this building.
- 44 Parliament Street, Kilkenny, R95 VK54
- Open 7 days, March-October 10.30am-6.30pm, November-February 11am-5pm
- Book ahead in summer, especially weekends
Sullivan’s Brewing Company & Tap Room
Sullivan’s has one of the odder brewery stories in Ireland. The original Malting’s brewery on James’s Street dates to 1702, survived a fire in 1880, and was then lost by its owner in a horse bet in 1918. It stayed dormant for nearly a hundred years until members of the Sullivan and Smithwick families revived it in 2016, this time on John Street Lower. The Malting’s Red Ale went on to be voted best draught ale in the world for 2017/18. The taproom runs a guided brewery experience covering the history and the brewing process, with tastings of the current lineup, and the kitchen does wood-fired pizza, burgers, tacos and wings alongside the beer.
“An absolutely unforgettable visit to Sullivan’s Taproom. The beers are on a completely different level, a brilliant fusion of ancient brewing traditions and bold new-world creativity… The atmosphere is fantastic, and the staff deserve special praise for being genuinely kind, polite, and welcoming.”
Bobby Ganev, Google review
- 15 John Street Lower, Kilkenny, R95 H2CE
- Walk-ins welcome; call +353 56 779 7980 for same-day bookings
- Rotating taps, so the lineup changes visit to visit
Ballykeefe Distillery
Ballykeefe is a working family farm about 15 minutes outside Kilkenny city that also happens to be an award-winning whiskey distillery. It grows its own grain, distills on-site, and matures casks in a converted horse stable that now serves as the tasting room, complete with exposed brick and reclaimed-wood tables. The guided tour walks through the full process, from grain to cask, and finishes with a tasting of the current spirits. It is a purely appointment/request-based visit rather than a walk-in attraction, so check the distillery’s own site before turning up.
“One of the best whiskey tours ever! Seeing a distillery on the farm was truly refreshing. Great family business. I learned so much about whiskey making at this distillery, and it sets the standard for Ireland’s green distilleries.”
TripAdvisor reviewer
- Kyle, Ballykeefe, Cuffesgrange, Co. Kilkenny, R95 NR50
- Tours by request, book via ballykeefedistillery.ie
- 15 minutes’ drive from Kilkenny city centre
Highbank Orchards
Highbank is a fifth-generation organic farm on the N76 just south of Kilkenny city, and the least beer-focused stop on this list, but it earns its place: the orchard runs what it calls Ireland’s smallest distillery, turning its own apples into cider, apple gin and apple brandy, alongside the syrups and juices it is best known for. The self-guided Red Gate Orchard Walk (about an hour, EUR16pp) uses QR-coded gates to tell the family’s history as you go; the Taste and Tour Highbank Experience (EUR70pp, groups of 6-30) adds a guided tasting of the syrup, ciders and spirits in the 17th-century stone coachyard.
“The history of the farm, which was fascinating… great insights into what life is like on the farm and discussing what goes into the various products they make (ciders, brandy, gin etc). The grounds are amazing.”
Highbank Orchards visitor testimonial
- Highbank Organic Farm, Cuffesgrange, Kilkenny, R95 N1KC
- Farm shop open Monday-Saturday, 9am-5pm
- 7km south of Kilkenny city on the N76 toward Callan
Kilkenny Whiskey Guild
Not a brewery, but worth knowing about if whiskey is part of the trip: the Kilkenny Whiskey Guild links 10 pubs and bars across the city (including Brewery Corner, Billy Byrne’s, The Dylan Whiskey Bar, Langton’s, Lanigan’s, Left Bank, Matt the Miller’s, Paris Texas, The Hibernian Bar and The Wine Centre), each stocking at least 60 Irish whiskeys with staff trained to run tastings, food pairings and mixology sessions. Check kilkennywhiskeyguild.com for guild events and tasting nights while you’re in town.
Book a Kilkenny Food & Brewery Tour
Rating: 4.5/5 from Viator reviews · Price: From USD 141.50 per person
If you’d rather have a local guide string all of this together, the Kilkenny Food and Brewery Tour does exactly that: a walk through the medieval streets and alleys with a knowledgeable guide, food samples from stops around the city, and a glass of Smithwick’s built into the finish. Several past guests note the food tour itself runs about three hours, with a fourth hour tacked on at the end for the included Smithwick’s Experience visit, so budget the full afternoon.
“What a great day! Starting with an Irish Coffee and a wonderful history of the city of Kilkenny… We walked through the city center sampling all sorts of savories and treats. Would highly recommend!”
avanber60, Viator review
Book the Kilkenny Food & Brewery Tour
Things to Do in Kilkenny
All five stops above sit on or near Ireland’s Medieval Mile, the walking route linking Kilkenny Castle to St Canice’s Cathedral, so it’s easy to build a full day around brewing history and medieval history at the same time.
- Kilkenny Castle, the Anglo-Norman castle founded soon after 1170, largely remodelled in Victorian style, with 50 acres of parkland, a rose garden and a lake. The Parade, Kilkenny, R95 YRK1.
- Medieval Mile Museum, housed in the 13th-century former St Mary’s Church, with a glass floor over the original medieval foundations and 800 years of city history under one roof. St Mary’s Lane.
- St Canice’s Cathedral & Round Tower, Ireland’s second-longest cathedral, standing since the 6th century, with a climbable 9th-century round tower (121 steps) for a panoramic view over the city. The Close, Coach Road, R95 V63H.
- Rothe House & Gardens, a well-preserved early 17th-century merchant’s townhouse on Parliament Street, with period rooms and a restored walled garden behind it.
Where to Stay
Everything on this list sits inside or just outside Kilkenny city, so a city-centre base covers it all without needing a car for the brewery and pub visits (you will still want one, or a taxi, for Ballykeefe and Highbank).
- Kilkenny Ormonde Hotel, 4-star city-centre hotel right by Kilkenny Castle, the Medieval Mile Museum and St Canice’s Cathedral, with the only hotel pool and leisure centre in the city centre.
- Pembroke Kilkenny, 4-star hotel in the middle of the historic centre, close to Kilkenny Castle, with spacious rooms and an award-winning breakfast.
- Kilkenny Hibernian Hotel, 4-star boutique hotel set in a former Georgian bank on Ormonde Street, with the Hibernian Bar and Harpers Restaurant on-site.
- Kilford Arms Hotel, family-run hotel in the heart of the city centre, an easy walk to the train and bus station and the MacDonagh shopping centre.
Also see: our review of Kilkenny Irish Cream Ale, and Best Brewery & Beer Tours in San Diego if you’re planning brewery trips further afield.
