BRADLEY'S Called into Bradley's, North Main Street, to…read morebrowse among their 700 wines. Wouldn't you know it - they didn't have the Four Sisters Shiraz that I was on the lookout for. At least that was my excuse for calling. They had some bargains, one Australian Shiraz I had bought elsewhere before Christmas was marked down by three euro. The Penfold's Rawson Retreat range was also down by that amount and I treated herself (my excuse) to a bottle of Semillon Chardonnay. They also have huge ranges of spirits and beers but I didn't have time to check them all or the arms to carry them. Settled for a few beers on this occasion and am now looking forward to sampling Pilsner Urquell (€2.99), Rick Stein's Chalky's Bark Open (€2.99) and, from Oz, Hahn Premium (€1.89). My father always maintained that Bradley's had the best bottled Irish beer in town but they have now spread their wings and are well worth a visit. Service, by the way, was relaxed and friendly.

Very handily situated off-licence in the centre of town. Go there when you've finished shopping for…read moreSaturday night and stock up for Saturday night. Good range of beers, and a nice selection of wines.

Toured the Midleton Distillery today (5-21-26) and had Myles as our tour guide. Myles was very…read morepersonable and had vast knowledge of the distillery as well as the processes of making whiskey. The grounds were vast and we were able to see various phases of whiskey making. At the end of the tour we had a whiskey tasting of three varieties followed by a cocktail at their bar. This tour was great and there was so much more to see than The Teeling Whiskey Tour in Dublin. I recommend The Midleton Distillery Tour to travelers.

Great experience at Midleton. The property is beautiful and in a lovely town…read more Our tour guide Cassy was incredibly knowledgeable and informative. She expertly answered the myriad of questions she was presented with. We opted for the higher priced premium tasting, which included a tasting of the distillery specific Jameson, Redbreast 15, and Midleton Very Rare. That too was a good experience overall, with a different host guiding us through the tasting, but it was definitely rushed. It was clear that the employee was under the gun to move us along. Each whiskey was wonderful, but it felt odd downing a taste of Midleton like a shot. The tour concluded with an included drink in the bar. Most of us opted for a Jameson and Ginger, made with Fever Tree ginger ale, given the unusually warm weather Ireland was experiencing. We also bought a "Spot" flight to sample three of those brand (Red Spot was amazing). Lastly, the wife and I perused the gift shop and the glorious Midleton vault of rare years and editions. Another employee, Michael, was informative and generous with his time as he talked about the whiskey's history and the significance of the various releases. He had no problem answering our questions regarding bottles valued at tens of thousands of Euros, even though we were clearly not in the market for one. He was able to approach the whiskey from both the perspective of a collector and an enthusiastic consumer. Our time in the vault was almost like a second tour and we spent so much time in it that our adult children began to think we had gone missing. We finally left, purchasing a bottle of the Dair Ghaelach release, matured in casks made from the wood of a native Irish tree (which we learned is very rare). While its cost was dwarfed by many of the rare bottles present, it was definitely more than we are used to spending on a bottle. We intend to keep it as a collector's piece, on par with "artwork." However, Michael would probably encourage us to enjoy it on the many special occasions that life brings us : )

O'HANLON'S OFF LICENCE The relatively new establishment in…read morethe Mayfield Shopping Centre is well established after 18 months and my recent call showed why. They are a friendly lot in this off licence. Loads of free advice on the best beer buys locally and also some down to earth advice on their extensive stock of wines. They informally steer you through the maze of types and prices and don't just hand out the expensive bottle. They want customers, sure, but they want happy repeat customers. I went off with my purchases, including a Wyndham Bin 555 Shiraz, and will be back.