The Great Whisky Fire: The Dublin Disaster (Whisky History Dublin)

History is filled with strange events, but few are as bizarre, tragic, and uniquely Irish as the Great Dublin Whiskey Fire of 1875.

It sounds like an urban legend: a night when a river of burning whiskey flowed through the streets of the Liberties, and citizens ran toward the fire not to put it out, but to drink from it.

But this event actually happened. It remains one of the most significant moments in whisky history in Dublin.

It was a disaster where 13 people lost their lives, yet—incredibly—not a single person died from burns or smoke inhalation. They all died from alcohol poisoning.

In this historical deep dive, we are going to transport you back to 19th-century Dublin to witness the night the streets turned into a flaming cocktail.

1. The Golden Age of Irish Whiskey

To understand the magnitude of the fire, you have to understand the context. In 1875, Dublin was the whiskey capital of the world.

The “Golden Triangle” in the Liberties district was home to massive distilleries like Jameson, Powers, and Roe. These factories were churning out millions of gallons of spirit to be exported across the British Empire.

Reid’s Bonded Warehouse on Malone Street was storage for much of this liquid gold. It held over 5,000 barrels of whiskey and brandy, valued at what would be millions of dollars today.

Why was Irish Whiskey so big?
Read our guide on Irish Whiskey vs Scotch.

2. June 18, 1875: The Spark

At 8:00 PM on a pleasant June evening, a fire broke out in Reid’s Bonded Warehouse.

The cause is still debated, but the effect was immediate. As the warehouse heated up, the pressure inside the massive wooden casks began to rise.

Barrels didn’t just burn; they exploded.

The iron hoops on the casks snapped, sending 5,000 barrels worth of high-proof alcohol flooding onto the floor. But the liquid was already ignited. It wasn’t just a building fire anymore; it was a liquid fire.

3. The River of Fire

This is the part of whisky history in Dublin that reads like a horror movie.

The burning whiskey burst through the doors of the warehouse and began to flow down Mill Street and Ardee Street.

Witnesses described a “river of blue flame” that was 6 inches deep and 2 feet wide, moving rapidly downhill. It consumed everything in its path. Tenement houses caught fire instantly. Livestock (pigs and dogs) ran screaming through the streets.

The heat was so intense that the cobblestones cracked. But the real danger wasn’t the heat—it was the temptation.

4. The “Free Drink” Tragedy

The Liberties was a poor area. When the locals saw thousands of gallons of expensive whiskey flowing past their front doors, many didn’t see danger—they saw a miracle.

Crowds gathered with pots, pans, and even their own hats and boots to scoop up the liquid.

The Fatal Mistake:

The liquid was literally on fire. But more importantly, it was “undiluted” cask strength spirit, mixed with the filth of the gutter (sewage, charcoal, and debris).

People drank it anyway. 13 people died that night.

None of them died from the flames. The official cause of death for all 13 victims was alcohol poisoning. Their systems simply shut down from the shock of consuming such massive quantities of potent, contaminated spirit.

5. How They Stopped It (With Dung)

The Dublin Fire Brigade, led by the legendary Captain James Robert Ingram, realized that water was useless.

Because alcohol floats on water, spraying water on the burning river just made it spread faster. It was carrying the fire into the Coombe Maternity Hospital.

Captain Ingram had a genius, albeit disgusting, idea. He ordered his men to dig up the street and create a dam. But they needed material to block the flow.

He ordered a shipment of horse manure from a nearby stable.

The firefighters shoveled piles of wet dung into the streets to create a barrier. The manure absorbed the whiskey and starved the fire of oxygen. The river of fire was stopped by a wall of poop, saving the hospital and the rest of the city.

Visiting Dublin?
Check out our guide to World Whisky Destinations (Vol 109).

Summary: A Cautionary Tale

The Great Dublin Whiskey Fire of 1875 changed the industry forever.

It led to stricter regulations on how much spirit could be stored in urban areas. It also serves as a dark reminder of the power of alcohol.

It was a night where the city burned, the gutters flowed with gold, and the only thing that could save Dublin was quick thinking and a pile of manure.