The Ireland Whiskey Trail website is a good overall source of information on touring the country's distilleries. Along with free maps that you can download, there's historical information as well as listings of whiskey pubs, hotel bars and specialized whiskey shops (www.irelandwhiskeytrail.com).

The Scotch Whisky Association has a similarly useful site focused on Scotland's national drink that includes whisky history, an interactive map and a downloadable "Distilleries to Visit" brochure (www.scotch-whisky.org.uk/understanding-scotch/whisky-regions-tours).

peter mandel