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Smithwick's Experience Kilkenny (formerly St. Francis Abbey Brewery and Kilkenny Brewery) is a brewery-turned-brewery-tour located on the Medieval Mile in Kilkenny, Ireland. The brewery was refurbished in 2014 for a reported €3.5 million and expects to host 70,000 visitors in its first year open.

The Smithwick's Experience Kilkenny is the original site where Smithwick's was brewed from the 1700's until 2014. Previously, the site was owned by Franciscan monks who also brewed beer before they were dissolved during the Reformation in 1537. The site is now a brewery tour that includes tastings, visual effects including holograms, and a gift shop. The brewery tour is laid out over two floors and sits on the original abbey foundations. As of December 2014, adult ticket prices are €12 and include a pint of Smithwick's or a soft drink. Tours take approximately 70 minutes and continue throughout the day. Smithwick’s Experience Kilkenny is open from 10am-6pm daily.

Site History
Recognised as one of Ireland’s oldest breweries, the site originated as a Franciscan monastery. The Abbey and brewery closed after 300 years due to the Reformation in Ireland in 1537. Many years later in 1705, the land was leased to John Smithwick and Richard Cole, who started a brewing business. The land at that time was owned by the Duke of Ormond. In 1710 John Smithwick became the owner, but this was not publicly known because according to the penal laws, as a Catholic, John was not allowed to own property. After John Smithwick's death, penal laws were revoked in 1782, allowing the Smithwick family to publicly claim ownership.

Many years later, John Smithwick's grandson Edmond Smithwick picked up the business. The brewery stayed entirely in the Smithwicks family until 1964 when Guinness and Company (Diageo) bought a controlling share of the brewery.

The site operated as a brewery until December 2013 when all brewing was moved to St James’ Gate in Dublin to centralise Diageo's brewing efforts. The site reopened as an attraction in late July 2014.

The Tour
The attraction boasts that it is a fully immersive experience that involves all the senses. Those who take the tour can smell the hops, taste fresh wort, feel the temperature of roasted barley, see a seven foot high hologram monk, hear the sounds of monastery halls, and taste a pint of Smithwick's at the end of the tour. There is also a gift shop at the entrance.

In January of 2015, it was named in the opening pages of Lonely Planet's 'New in Travel' ebook, which lists 26 hot attractions for 2015.