Ballyfin Demesne | Gourmet Cuisine & Whiskey Tasting in Ireland

The Cellar Bar

Discreetly hidden away in the former Servants' Hall downstairs, the Cellar Bar is the perfect place to enjoy the convivial hospitality for which Ireland is famed.

While the relaxed atmosphere is perfect for a quiet drink the informal setting provides residents with an opportunity to enjoy an alternative dinner experience.

Here the night time menu is a simpler affair – grill style but making excellent use of Ballyfin garden produce as well as fish, fowl and meats from local suppliers.

The change in style from the main floor of the house is reflected in the décor and here there is a chance to admire some of Ballyfin's collection of contemporary Irish art which includes a major work by Michael Farrell (1940-2000) showing Vincent Van Gogh painting at Arles and a vividly expressionist piece above the bar by Brian Maguire (b. 1951) which contrast with the gentle lyricism of a series of flower pieces by the young Irish artist Michael Canning (b. 1971).

Here you will also find a superb collection of the best of Irish whiskies including single cask Middleton 1996; Inish Turk Beg, only 2,888 bottles produced; twelve-year old Red Breast and seventeen-year old Connemara, single cask.

On a summer’s day the bar opens out onto the former Kitchen Yard, which is now laid out as a courtyard garden.

Whiskey Tastings

Whiskey tastings are regular events at Ballyfin. We aim to provide an insight into the world of whiskey making, focusing mostly on our superb range of Irish whiskeys.

The Cellar

A highlight for many guests is a trip to Ballyfin’s well-stocked Cellar, just around the corner from the Bar. Guided by our expert sommelier, you can personally select your wine so that it is perfectly decanted and ready for you at dinner.

With its elaborate vaults, limestone columns and series of distinctive arched storage bins arranged like over-sized nest boxes, the cellar is a wonderfully atmospheric venue for wine tasting and private dining.

Among the highlights of the cellar is a group of wines from French chateaux with distinctly Irish names like Lynch. The Irish ‘Wine Geese’ winemakers of Bordeaux, who fled persecution at home, were among the most innovative viticulture pioneers of the eighteenth century and in honour of this Irish contribution to France, wines have been carefully selected for the cellar at Ballyfin from fourteen vineyards established by Irish exiles.