Living, as we do, in the midlands there is always something to see and do. My husband was the one who suggested our latest outing – something that is very close to his heart – Alcohol! More specifically, he wanted to visit the place where Tullamore Dew Whiskey is distilled.

I’m sure all of you are aware, that Ireland has a rich tradition (along with Scotland) of distilling whiskey (or whisky as its spelt by our Scottish brethren) that dates back hundreds of years.
Tullamore Dew has been blended in Tullamore, County Offaly since 1829 and the name derives from Mr Daniel E Williams; one of the first employee’s in the concern – hence the moniker DEW. Nowadays it is one of the top Irish selling whiskeys in the world but back in the day it was merely one of hundreds of cottage type industries dotted around the country distilling spirits for the working men after a hard days labour in the fields.

Tullamore Dew has a wonderful visitor centre which we stopped by last week. They bill themselves as one of the best distillery tours of Ireland and they certainly lived up to their promise. On entering we were treated to a short video presentation that gave us some brief background about the locality and history of the place – then it was on to the self guided tour of the main facility itself. My husband and I prefer tours this way as we can linger longer on various attractions if we wish and are not ushered on before finishing looking at the memorabilia. However, there is a guided tour available for those that prefer it.

The tour itself has it all! Whether you want to grind barley in their Quern stone, watch the in-house bee’s at work in the resident bee hive (really!) or just have a look at all the old customs books from years gone by, you can really lose yourself in what was one of the first businesses to put Tullamore on the map nationally. On the first floor they have what is called the Town and Canal exhibition. Here you will find all sorts of old artefacts from Tullamore Dew through the years.

The tour culminates in what my husband was most excited about – the tasting! One of the Tullamore Dew team pours and explains the history and thinking behind this world class spirit. There is a selection to choose from. I tried some Irish Mist Liqueur. A whiskey liqueur flavoured with Honey. Delicious!

There is a lovely gift shop where one can purchase quite a few of these whiskeys including some of their aged range – but be careful … the older the bottle the bigger the price!

Based on the canal at the far end (toward the Athlone direction) of the town of Tullamore – the Tullamore Dew distillery is a great way to while away a couple of hours in County Offaly and at a cost of less than Euro 7 (less than $10) it’s a truly affordable afternoon out of the house…,for husbands too!

Author: Sine Treanor from Celtic Rings Ltd

Tags: ireland, offaly, tullamore, whiskey