Tullamore Dew
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| Type | Irish whiskey |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | William Grant & Sons |
| Country of origin | Tullamore, Ireland |
| Introduced | 1829 |
| Variants | 10-year single malt, 12-year-old reserve, old bonded warehouse release, |
| Related products | Grant's |
Tullamore Dew is a brand of blended Irish whiskey produced by William Grant & Sons. Although it was originally a single pot still whiskey, first distilled in 1829 in Tullamore, County Offaly, the modern product is a blended whiskey that is not produced in Tullamore town. The primary blend ingredients are from the New Midleton Distillery in county Cork (a facility owned by Pernod-Ricard), as are Jameson, Powers, Paddy and the rest of the Irish Distillers products. The name derives from the initials of an early manager of the concern, Mr. Daniel E. Williams (abbreviated "D. E. W." and merged to form "Dew"). Formerly owned and marketed by the Irish company, C&C Group, the label was sold to the Scottish Company William Grant & Sons in 2010.
History
Tullamore has a history of whiskey distilling. The first modern factory distillery, founded by Michael Molloy, can be traced back to 1829. When Molloy died, the distillery passed into the hands of the Daly family, with Captain Bernard Daly in charge of the business. One of his colleagues, Daniel E. Williams, took over as general manager, and by 1890 he had the distillery in full production. It was from Daniel's initials (D. E. W.) that the whiskey's name was derived. Williams brought electricity to Tullamore in 1893. The distillery installed the town's first telephones and introduced motorised transport. Williams ran various commercial businesses throughout the Irish midlands – drinks businesses, tea importing, seed and grain retail, and a network of 26 general stores.
Following this period Prohibition in the United States, an economic war with Britain in the 1930s and World War II all harmed the industry. Tullamore was one of many distilleries affected by a general decline in Irish whiskey sales worldwide. After World War II Desmond Williams, grandson of Daniel E. Williams, used modern marketing techniques to re-establish Irish whiskey in world markets. In 1947 Desmond Williams also developed Irish Mist, an Irish liqueur made from a blend of whiskey, herbs and honey, using a recipe alleged to have disappeared in the late 17th century, and to have been rediscovered in a manuscript 250 years later. Desmond also capitalised on the Irish coffee concept, and promoted blended whiskies.
In 1953 the brand was sold to Powers and the Tullamore distillery was closed, with its production moved, along with that of Jameson, Powers, Paddy and the rest of the Irish Distillers products, to the New Midleton Distillery in county Cork. The brand was purchased in 1994 by the C&C Group plc. In 2010 C&C sold Tullamore Dew to William Grant & Sons in a €300 million deal.[1] Most of the current product is made at the New Midleton Distillery. After the acquisition, Grant & Sons Ltd. announced that it planned to invest in a new state-of-the-art pot-still whiskey and malt whiskey distillery in Tullamore, which would bring whiskey production back to the town for the first time since the original distillery closed in 1954.[2] As of 2013, the whiskey currently sells about 850,000 cases per year (an amount that has doubled since 2005).[3]
Labels
The Tullamore Dew whiskies contain both malted and unmalted barley-based whiskeys, triple distilled and aged between 12 to 15 years in old bourbon or sherry casks. Some pot-still whiskey is included in the blend.
- Whiskeys
- Tullamore Dew: Tullamore Dew is marketed as "a premium Irish whiskey with a distinctively smooth taste". Proof66.com, aggregator of expert whiskey ratings, places the Original in its Tier 3 Category.
- Tullamore Dew Single Malt: 10 year old single malt whiskey.
- Tullamore Dew 12 Year Old Special Reserve
- Tullamore Dew Phoenix: released to celebrate the first aviation disaster in history and the re-opening of a Tullamore distillery.
- Tullamore Dew Old Bonded Warehouse: This release was "developed to mark the reopening of the Tullamore D.E.W. Visitor Centre in 2012", the only location at which this whiskey is available. [5]
- Discontinued
- Tullamore Dew 10 Year Old Reserve: Tullamore Dew 10 Year Old Reserve is triple-distilled and aged in Spanish and American oak casks for a minimum of 10 years. Proof66.com rates the 10-Year Reserve in Top 10th Percentile of the best whiskies in the world.[6]
- Tullamore Dew Black 43: 7 year old, with pot-still whiskey aged in oloroso sherry casks. 43% alcohol (86 US proof)
- Tullamore Dew Heritage: This blend was launched in 2000 to mark the opening of the Tullamore Dew Heritage Centre in County Offaly – the only place it is currently sold. Tullamore Dew Heritage won the Trophy for Best Irish Whiskey in 2001, and gold medals at the International Spirits Challenge in 2002 and 2003.
See also
References
- ↑ http://business.scotsman.com/business/Whisky-firm-Grant-plans-Irish.6267052.jp
- ↑ Walsh, Jane (13 September 2013). "Construction on the state of the arts distillery for Tullamore D.E.W. begins". Irish Central. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
- ↑ http://www.irishcentral.com/news/Contstruction-on-the-state-of-the-arts-distillery-for-Tullamore-DEW-begins-223627311.html?page=2
- ↑ Proof66.com Summary Page for Tullamore Original http://www.proof66.com/whiskey/tullamore-dew-irish-whiskey.html
- ↑ Tullamore Dew's description of Old Bonded Warehouse http://www.tullamoredew.com/us-en/products/old-bonded-warehouse
- ↑ Proof66.com Summary Page for Tullamore Dew 10-Year Reserve http://www.proof66.com/whiskey/tullamore-dew-10yr-irish-whiskey.html
External links
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