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emelbe
The other times I’ve had Tullamore D.E.W. (and until recently, I wasn’t sure if it was the original or the 12-year) have been out of a flask during one 12- and one 24-hour endurance event. Let’s just say that anything would’ve been pleasant then and I didn’t feel like I’d done a proper tasting of it so I didn’t write it up. I strongly associate it with those events. It’s a physical memory. One sip of either and I’m all wrapped up in physical exertion and effort and pain and exhaustion and camaraderie. There’s also a bourbon that I’ll get to eventually that will probably have the same association. But I digress.
The original smells the way most Irish Whiskies taste to me, which is not altogether pleasant but it doesn’t taste like that at all. Messed with my head a bit. It had more of a bite and a burn than the 12-year but some nice, crisp fruitiness and a nice, clean aftertaste.
The 12-year smelled like pine and lemons (which would be the more diplomatic way to say furniture polish) but, again, the taste was completely different. Mellower and rounder than the original in every way.
I had a suspicion that ice might ruin these for me—don’t know if it’s because my affection for Tullamore D.E.W. comes from drinking it out of an ambient temperature flask when I’m filthy and exhausted or if I’m just getting better at predicting—so I drank them both neat and then, to be thorough, dropped a bit of ice into the last couple of sips. I was right. The addition didn’t do anything for me and I liked them better neat.
Image courtesy of the gent whose flask I first had it out of. That flask. That ruck. Cheers.