Tullamore
The Tullamore Distillery is a newly constructed Irish whiskey distillery located in Tullamore, County Offaly near the site of the old Tullamore Distillery which ceased production in the 1950s. Tullamore is the county town of Offaly and situated just an hour from Dublin. Aside from its eponymous whiskey, the area is famous for its beautiful landscapes including the Slieve Bloom Mountains and the Bog of Allen. The D.E.W. in Tullamore D.E.W., perhaps the brand’s most well-known whiskey, doesn’t come from the moisture found on the grass after dawn, but rather represents the initials of Daniel E. Williams, who was the General Manager of the original distillery and subsequently its owner in later years. First established in 1829 the Tullamore distillery closed in 1954 having suffered financial difficulties during a global decrease in demand for Ireland’s liquid gold. However, through a marriage and a negotiation, the brand was kept alive by Irish Distillers, the parent company of Powers and Jameson. In 1994 it passed from IDL to C&C, before falling under the ownership of Scotch whisky company William Grant & Sons in 2010. Potential expansion of the brand at the time of its acquisition by William Grand was limited by its reliance on Irish Distillers who produced the whiskey on behalf of the brand and to ensure future supply and control over the entire process, William Grant & Sons opted to build their own distillery in Tullamore, the brand’s original home. The current distillery building was officially opened in September 2014 and is the first distillery to operate in Tullamore since their original distillery closed down in 1954. The distillery laid down 22,392 casks in its first year, and maintain that they have since doubled that. Originally there were only 4 pot stills, used to make single malt and pot still. They added 2 more later and in 2017 added a column still. They now distill grain, malt, and pot still which are all used to make their signature blended whiskeys. Tullamore D.E.W whiskeys are predominantly triple distilled, triple blend whiskey. There are currently 9 iterations available to buy. The Distillery offers 3 different tours that start at €15 and are anywhere from 45 minutes to 3 hours long.
