Name: Tullamore Dew
Type: Irish Whiskey
Origin: Ireland
ABV: 40%
Price: $19.99 from my local grocery store
In my travels as a freelance musician, I will often times have to room with other band members to help save on the cost of a trip for whomever is paying for it. On one of my recent trips, three of us had a house for the weekend while out of town playing a festival. After dinner, we did what was customary (for musicians) and stocked up on adult beverages for the house. The piano player, Al, asked us if we were familiar with Tullamore Dew. I knew of it by seeing in grocery liquor stores with regular frequency but never pulled the trigger. He was kind enough to share the bottle with us throughout the weekend. Once I got back, I thought it would be fun to give it a proper look.
The color on this whiskey is what I would consider a standard yellow gold in hue. It doesn’t set it self apart from other whiskeys in this regard. The nose on this bottle is very faint with glints of peat moss and fruit. I find a very light body at the start of the drink while the middle part of the palette is brought light toffee and touches of peat. The back of the palette and the aftertaste gives hints of smoke and jabs of a bite but overall it is an easy drinking whiskey. I could see this being enjoyed in a number of fashions: straight (my preference), on the rocks (my preference if I know I am going to be drinking a lot over a longer period of time), and in mixed drinks.
When I was out of town, I luckily happened upon a three-pack of Quesada Octoberfest while buying alcohol, so the whiskey was paired with that cigar and complemented it in wonderful fashion. Since its lighter bodied, it was not going to compete with the flavors from that cigar or anything from medium to full bodied in strength in any way. And for the price of the bottle, it’s going to leave someone more money to buy cigars =)
Overall, I enjoyed it. It’ll be enjoyed at my house for sure. I wouldn’t buy this over Jameson Caskmates, but for an inexpensive bottle, it’ll do the job in a cinch (or when you need some cheap alcohol out of town with folks who don’t like peaty scotch). It probably won’t be purchased again unless we are cash strapped in some way but it’s good to know it exists and will be enjoyed.
Final Score: 8.25/10
Thank you very much for reading and I look forward to the next time I can share my thoughts with you.
