The Beauty of Blends - Tullamore DEW X.O. Irish Whiskey Finished in Caribbean Rum Casks
Legendary Conversations Since 1829
This blend of delicious Irish whiskey celebrates the blend of cultures of the people who came over from island and are now a part of the American heritage. Of the well known Irish Distillers- Jameson, Powers, Bushmill, Paddy’s all of them are triple distilled..but only one is triple distilled, blended and casks - Tullamore D.E.W.
Tullamore is a place that is both the geographical and emotional heart of Ireland. Daniel Edward Williams (the DEW in Tullamore D.E.W.) was an iconic individual who is remembered for his whiskey but is much bigger than that.
Daniel brought the first car and the first telephone to Tullemore. More importantly he brought the electrification project of rural Ireland. In the late 1800s early 1900s the interior of the island wasn’t connected.
Tullamore D.E.W. Triple Distilled, Blended, Cask Irish Whiskey.
To understand the complexity of this whiskey we should speak to the components that make it special.
There are three types of Irish Whiskey. Tullamore DEW original blend, the one you know, see and love is a tripled distilled whiskey. But what makes it interesting is that it’s tripled blended.
Grain Whiskey - produced in column stills, creates a light, sweet style whiskey.
Malt Whiskey - Malted Barley is when the grains are immersed in water. All the barley has to be germinated in malted barley, and all has to be from the same distillery if it’s a Single Malt.
Pot Still Whiskey - A Whiskey comprised of half malted and half unmalted barley, only made in Ireland. The Malt Tax of 1775 why was pot still became a thing. The King of London created a tax for all Irish brewers and distillers.
The English came to Ireland when they weren’t invited and they stayed too long. If only 50% of the barley is malted then only 50% would be taxed. This has been an essential part of Irish Whiskey since that tax law.
Daniel Edward Williams (the DEW in Tullemore DEW)
There is no other Irish whiskey that blends 3 casks. - ex bourbon, sherry and Tullumore Dew casks. This is the only whiskey in the world made this way.
You’re greeted by fruit on the nose but on the palate there’s a vanilla sweetness from the grain whiskey. Lovely, chocolate, vanilla, spices, dried fruits, and marzipan are the notes. Bourbon casks are made from American oak, vanillin is a compound in that wood. Spice and nuts flavors are coming from the pot still whiskey.
The X.O. is finished for 14 weeks in rum casks from the Demerara Distillery (El Dorado Rum). It’s called XO because it’s aged in wooded casks. This is the perfect Sunday night whiskey. The mouthfeel is creamier with flavors of rum raisin ice cream, bananas and toffee.
—The Neat Pour
Both The Geographical + Emotional Heart of Ireland, Tullamore
Other Notes:
-The only rules of Irish whiskeys are that they be distilled and matured on the island of Ireland. You don’t have to bottle Irish whiskey in Ireland. If a jet hits an Irish bottling plant and you have to bottle somewhere else, it’s still Irish whiskey.
-Original Tullamore DEW is a 5yr old product.
-Spanish casks cost $800 and are twice the size of a bourbon cask.
-You can pull significantly greater flavor from Spanish casks, but there isn’t enough sherry consumed for whiskey producers in Ireland and Scotland to just use sherry casks for aging.
-Sherry casks in most cases up to 5 times and they whiskey can mature for 2yrs.
-The X.O. is was the only whiskey awarded the Outstanding Gold Medal at The 2017 International Wine and Spirits Challenge.
-IWSC is considered the Oscars of wine and spirits. The only Irish whiskey to win was a Tullamore DEW was awarded Best Irish Whiskey.
Irish True