My stomach churned with excitement as I entered the doors of Pour House for my first official whiskey tasting. Pour House is a familiar place for evening activities for me. However, this time, I took in a big gulp of air once I was inside. Both of us a little nervous about what to do, my fellow Bourbon Babe and I slowly walked our way through the tables to a gal in the back of the room near a sign that read “Tullamore D.E.W.”.

 We shyly asked her if this was the whiskey tasting event and, with a bubbly Irish accent, she exclaimed, “Why yes!” A native Irish citizen, this cheery whiskey fanatic was the West Coast ambassador for the label Tullamore D.E.W. and our hostess for the evening.

 She went on to share that the Tullamore D.E.W. distillery was founded in 1829, in a central Ireland town called Tullamore. One of the distillery family members, Daniel E. Williams, was responsible for bringing to the distillery the new “flavor” of mixing malted and unmalted barley together, branding Tullamore to be what it is today. As you can see in the name, Tullamore D.E.W. kept Daniel’s initials (D.E.W.). Remaining true to the dedication and flavor profiles Daniel brought to his Irish whiskey has made Tullamore D.E.W. the second largest Irish whiskey brand in the world today!

At our whiskey tasting we got to try four labels. Below we give you the run-down of the different varietals and a brief description of the flavors. You can find Tullamore D.E.W. at most BevMos, ranging in price from $24 to $65 per bottle.

Original Tullamore D.E.W. Irish Whiskey*

• Flavors: citrus, green apple, spice, vanilla, marzipan, buttery
• Notes: The spice comes from mixing barley and unmalted barley together

*Bourbon Babes’ favorite!

 Tullamore D.E.W. 12 Year Special Reserve

• Flavors: red wine, nuttiness, spice, sherry, chocolate, praline, marzipan
• Notes: This special reserve spends a portion of its life in a bourbon oak barrel and then in a sherry barrel

Tullamore D.E.W. 10 Year Single Malt

• Flavors: earthiness, tropical fruits, pineapple, freshly cut grass, toasted wood, apricots, Christmas cake
• Notes: This malt is fermented with actual pineapple chunks to bring out its sweet flavors

 Tullamore D.E.W. Phoenix

• Flavors: toffee, malty, leafy, vanilla, caramel sweetness, floral, oak tannins, oloroso sherry, spicy
• Note: This is their featured Irish whiskey and it  explodes in your mouth! It will likely only be available until summer 2015 as it is a limited batch, so get it before it’s gone!