Tullamore Dew Special Reserve: Tasty, but Not So Special

The regular expression of Tullamore Dew is generally my go-to standard blended Irish whiskey. It's inexpensive and I like it just a little more than Jameson's. So, I was intrigued when this new variant hit the local store shelves carrying an age statement (missing from the regular Dew's label) and a hefty 75% price premium.

According to the Tullamore Dew website, the the Special Edition Dew gets more aging, and a slightly different mix of whiskies: more malt and pot still distilled whiskey (the good stuff) and less of the non malt whiskey distilled with some other, not so marketable still type (the "meh" stuff?). Both share a mix of triple-distilled whiskies made from different grains aged in bourbon and Oloroso casks, although the Special Reserve Dew makes a big deal out of those casks on the label, and the regular Dew doesn't really mention them.

So, if you're standing there in the liquor store, torn between the $20 bottle of regular,just plain regular Dew, and the $37 bottle of the sexy Special Reserve Dew with it's age statement and promise of being aged just so in bourbon and sherry casks, which one should your trembling hand add to your basket?

It depends - do you need to impress someone who doesn't read this site?

Buy the Special Reserve Dew.

Do you want to explore the subtle differences between whiskey that's at least 12 years old, vs whiskey of a presumably younger, but indeterminate age?

Again, buy the Special Reserve Dew.

Are you looking for the best value for your whiskey dollar?

Buy the regular Dew.

Alternately, if you're looking to spend in the price range of the Special Reserve Dew and are attracted by the sherry cask aging, go a few dollars more for an Abelour, Glenfarclas, Balvenie Double Wood, or Macallan 12 year old single malt. All of these have much richer sherry notes in their flavor.

I'm not saying the Special Reserve Dew is a bad whiskey. It most certainly is not. To my taste, though, it is not 75% better than the regular Dew...not even close to being that superior.

I say that based on sitting here, with a glass of each, side-by-side. Based on how they look in the glass, they are almost indistinguishable. They are both honey colored, with the Special Reserve being barely perceptibly darker.

Both weigh in at 80 proof (40% abv) meaning both have been watered down from cask strength. This isn't a knock - the lowered proof allows one to enjoy all the flavor available while sipping either one neat, rather than having to experiment to find the right amount of water to add.

Both have very similar aromas to my nose: sweet with a touch of sherry.

There is a discernible difference in flavor, but not a stunning one. Both are light bodied, starting with honey sweetness that quickly fades to a muted sherry and oak flavors before disappearing in a medium short finish.

The Special Reserve Dew is just a little softer, a little smoother, with a little more sherry and detectable oak and overall slightly richer flavor.

For all the mention it makes of the sherry casks on the label, the Special Reserve either spends little time in them or the sherried whiskies are a small part of the blend. You can find the flavors, but you have to think about it. If you're expecting the rich sherry flavors you find in the single malts I mentioned earlier, you'll be disappointed. (For the record, the regular Dew gets a pass here, because it doesn't make prominent mention of the sherry aging on it's label - in fact, I didn't even realize it used sherry cask aged whiskey in the mix until I was researching for this review).

Is the Special Reserve Dew better than the regular Dew? Yes.

Is it $17 or per bottle better than it's $20 a bottle younger sibling? Not to my tastes, alas. I'll be keeping the regular Dew around, but when this bottle of Special Reserve Dew is gone, I won't pay to replace it.

2013 Last Minute Gift Guide

So, you've let your holiday shopping go, and now you're behind the proverbial 8-ball, with Solstice and Christmas parties bearing down on you, with Christmas and Boxing day themselves just around the corner. Fortunately, in most places in the US and other developed countries, the local liquor offers a selection of gifts for the adults in your life. As an added benefit, if you choose wisely, you'll appear thoughtful and erudite, as opposed to desperate.

To that end, here are some ideas for good  gifts, and some that aren't even too dear.

A Bottle for the Party

Looking to bring something to share for the holiday party, that's distinctive, good, and not too expensive? Here are some ideas:

Old Weller Antique Reserve - Usually under $25 a bottle, and under $20 in some places, this is a great choice for parties where you know there will be bourbon drinkers.

Redemption Rye (not yet reviewed) - Price ranges from $22 - $30 a bottle. Youngish, but mature enough to be drinkable straight. It makes a great mixer for cocktails, like Manhattans (originally made with rye, before Prohibition all but killed it off) and other bourbon-based drinks.

Auchentoshan Classic Single Malt Scotch (not yet reviewed) - $28 - $32 a bottle, generally. This is the only single malt that's triple distilled. The results is a light, sweet spirit with honey notes and none of the divisive peat or smoke flavors that often divide whisky drinker. The resulting wide appeal makes a great choice for parties.

 A Bottle for Under the Tree

For starters, I've reviewed several scotches, bourbons, as well as a rye, a rum and an Irish whisky that I've labelled as good gift choices. They are mentioned in the list below, along with a couple of extra ones that I haven't had a chance to formally review yet.

For the Bourbon Lover

Angels Envy (not yet reviewed) - runs between $40 and $50 a bottle, and well worth it. Angels Envy is finished in used port casks. This has been done by scotch makers for years, but it's a rarity in the bourbon world. The resulting blend of flavors is excellent, and as gifts go, it's a real winner: rare, good, and not to expensive.

Elmer T. Lee Single Barrel  - runs $25 - $30 a bottle, if you can find it. A great gift for the bourbon lover, because it is quite good and honors the man credited with starting the bourbon revival. And the reasonable price doesn't hurt at all.

Woodford Reserve Distller's Select - runs around $30 a bottle, plus or minus a couple of bucks, depending on where you live. One of my top 4 bourbons of all time, and solid choice for the bourbon aficionado. Even if they have a bottle on their bar, they're going to need another one sometime soon.

For the Scotch Lover

Auchentoshan Classic Single Malt Scotch (not yet reviewed) - see above.  An excellent scotch, and one whose price has not yet gone through the roof.

Laphroaig Quarter Cask -  Moving up the price range a bit, the Quarter Cask will set you back between $50 to $60 for a 750ml bottle. As gift, you wan't to be a little more careful with this - you need to select a recipient who likes peaty scotch. However, for such a person, this bottle makes an excellent gift. Not only is the whisky excellent and relatively new to the market, it gives the enthusiast a chance to see how changing the wood/whisky ratio in the aging cask affects flavor.

The Macallan Cask Strength - Prices for this are all over the map this holiday season, ranging from $60 - $100 a bottle, and stock seems to be limited. If you can score this for $90 or so, it makes a good gift for the scotch connoisseur, assuming you love or need to impress somebody $90 worth.

Ardbeg Uigeadail - Running from $55 to $75 a bottle, and worth every penny, even at $75. Peaty scotch partially aged in used sherry barrels, the resulting flavors are surprisingly rich and well blended. For the scotch drinker with any taste for peat at all, this is a heavenly dram and thus a wonderful gift. Ever folks who find the standard Ardbeg too peaty and harsh like Uigeadail. However, if the maximum amount of peat a person can tolerate is zero, another choice, alas, might be better for them.

For the Rye Lover

WIllett Family Estate Bottled Single Barrel Rye - Around $35 a bottle, and simply the best rye whiskey I've ever tasted. Now, some folks simply don't like rye, much like some folks don't like peat. But if they like rye, and you can locate a bottle of this, it's a surefire winner of a gift.

For the Irish Whiskey Lover

The Tyrconnell - Runs around $35 a bottle. A rarity in the marketplace, this is a single malt Irish whiskey (most are blends).  That, plus the fact that it's plenty good whiskey, makes it an excellent gift for the person who fancies the lighter Irish take on whiskey.

For the Rum Lover

Zaya - About $25  - $35 a bottle, which makes it a little on the expensive side for rum. However, this is special stuff: quintuple distilled, aged for 12 years, and so sweet and smooth and rich you can drink it straight. And I've seen nice gift packs in the stores with excellent glasses for the same price as the bottle alone. You can mix it, but if you do, be aware of how sweet Zaya is on its own.

 

Tyrconnell - Sweet Irish Single Malt

 

The Tyrconnell is a rarity in the marketplace - a single malt Irish whiskey. Most Irish whiskies you find on the shelves int he US are blends of whiskies from several different grains, and possibly  different distilleries.This includes heavyweights like Bushmills (although they do have a single malt offering) Jameson's and Tullamore Dew.

It is, by Internet reports, double-distilled, as opposed to the triple-distilling most Irish whiskies undergo. This seems to be born out in the heavier mouthfeel of the Tyrconnell when compared to a triple distilled whiskey like Tullamore Dew.

The Tyrconnell is aged for some years in oak barrels. How many? Who knows. There's no age statement on the bottle, nor on the official Website. Barrels are ready when the  master taster says they are.

Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, as barrels of whiskey in a warehouse age at different rates depending on where in the warehouse they are. Some will be ready sooner than others.

And I certainly can't complain about the end result. The Tyrconnell has a wonderful, intense fruity smell that immediately surprises. It's got a pleasant light golden color.

Taste-wise, it's a nice mix honey and fruit sweetness with just a little oiliness at the end (which seems to support the double distallation hypothesis). The finish is short - the flavors don't linger long.

I find it to be quite a pleasant dram, especially in summertime. I take mine neat. Water seems to weaken the wonderful aroma, and reduce the honey and fruit notes in the taste and bring out the alcohol flavor.

At $30 - $35 a bottle, it's a solid value in the whiskey world. It's a quite accessible drink, and makes a nice addition to the bar of somebody who wants to offer something a little different from the standard Irish whiskies most Americans are familiar with.

If you're a scotch drinker who likes Auchentoshan or Glengoyne, you'll find Tyrconnell to be most agreeable.

And a side note on globalization: Cooley Distillery used to be the last independent distillery in Ireland. It's now owned by the parent company of Jim Beam.

Historical note: the packaging claims a heritage that goes back to 1762. However, the Watt Distillery, which was the original producer of Tyrconnell, went out of business in 1925. The brand was acquired by Cooley Distillery in  1988, and subsequently the Tyrconnell was resurrected.