For St. Patrick’s Day this year, I did not do the usual weekday drinking my lunch with a sausage dog down at Finnegan’s Wake because we had the Gold Law Firm fishing rodeo today, followed up with roasted lamb and vegetables, Shepherd’s Pie, and four different Irish ales. Being the firm whiskey expert I was called upon to pick out a bottle for the gathering. I picked Tullamore Dew, mostly because I like it better than Jameson’s or Bushmills. It’s a particularly inoffensive whiskey as well; there’s nothing about it that is particularly an acquired taste.

Tullamore Dew is a blend of three Irish whiskies. I am not a fan of blended scotch, Canadian, or American whiskies. I really can’t figure out why I am okay with an Irish blend, but there it is. One of the whiskies is a single malt whiskey. One is pure grain whiskey. One is Irish Pot Still whiskey made largely from unmalted barley with a little malted barley for the enzymes as you would find in bourbon and other whiskies. Of course, there is a cool story behind this particular style of Irish whiskey; the English overlords of Ireland started taxing malted barley, and the Irish response was to make whiskey using largely unmalted barley. A way of sticking it to the man so to speak.

If I had to guess I would say the grain whiskey plays a really minor role in this dram, with the single malt and pot still whiskies contributing most of the flavors. It’s aged in ex-bourbon and ex-oloroso sherry casks.

The nose is mild fruit. On the palate there is the sweetness of green apples and pears. Cinnamon and baking spice on the finish which lingers just the right amount of time. Lovely.

There is a reason this is now the number two Irish whiskey in the world and the US. It’s really good and deserves a place on your home bar.

https://youtu.be/hGZSixnpBFc

Enjoyed their Danny Boy commercial as well.