The Tullamore Dew Heritage Centre - Tullamore
The Tullamore Dew Heritage Centre is housed in a 1897 Bonded Warehouse from the original D.E. Williams Distillery in Tullamore. This distillery was built in 1829, located in the Midlands of Ireland, an area ideal for distilling, due to its abundance of water, turf for fuel and excellent barley growing conditions. The D.E. Williams Distillery was to become, until its closure in 1954, one of Ireland’s most successful and famous distilleries.
The Distillery was managed for over 30 years by Daniel E. Williams. He installed not only the best production facilities available at the time, but also gave the distillery its most famous brand: his initials D.E.W. became incorporated into the brand name and the whiskey became known as Tullamore Dew.
The Tullamore Distillery suffered the same difficulties that crippled the Irish whiskey industry in the early half of the 20th century: Irish independence and civil war, the loss of Commonwealth markets and American prohibition. It struggled on, helped enormously in 1948 when the company finally found an age old Irish recipe for heather wine, which was reproduced and very successfuly marketed as the whiskey liqueur Irish Mist.
In 1954, whiskey distillation ceased at Tullamore and all efforts were focused on the production of Irish Mist. The Tullamore Dew whiskey brand was however resurrected in 1963. It is distilled today at Midleton and now owned by C&C International, and it is once again one of Ireland’s most successful Irish Whiskey brands.
Today, visitors can enjoy the history of the distillery in the Tullamore Dew Heritage Centre. The tour starts with an audiovisual presentation in different languages and the exhibition relates the story of Tullamore Dew Whiskey and the work that used to take place in the distillery. Visitors can learn how whiskey was made thanks to the various recreated working stations of the distillery, such as the malting, bottling, corking, cooperage areas and the warehouse where the old oak barrels filled with Tullamore Dew Whiskey were left to mature. The Heritage Centre now also has two casks with whiskey maturing on site - an ex sherry cask and an ex bourbon cask, which are the types of casks used today in the maturation of Tullamore Dew whiskeys - so do ask the tour guide to lift out the bung so you can get the full waft of wonderful aromas emanating from these whiskeys.
There is another interesting exhibition in the Heritage Centre, around the theme of the story of the development of the town of Tullamore, which started 9,500 years ago with the formation of the bog.
The tour ends up in the Old Bond Store bar with a complimentary glass of whiskey from the Tullamore Dew range or an Irish Mist Liqueur - perfect if you want to sample one of the new additions to the Tullamore Dew range, such as the 10 Year Old blend or the 10 Year Old Single Malt. Visitors also have the opportunity of buying whiskey or souvenirs in the gift shop, including the Tullamore Dew Heritage Whiskey which can only be purchased in the Heritage Centre.
After your visit to the Tullamore Dew Heritage Centre, take a stroll around Tullamore, which is a typical busy Midlands Irish town. Fans of Tullamore Dew Whiskey should definitely not miss this opportunity for another trip down memory lane and have their photograph taken in front of the original gates of the D.E. Williams Distillery in Patrick Street. From there, it's a 2 minute walk to The Brewery Tap, Tullamore’s favourite pub, and a great place to continue your discovery and enjoyment of the full range of Tullamore Dew whiskeys.
Tullamore Dew Heritage Centre, Bury Quay, Tullamore, Co. Offaly.
Tel. +353 57 9325015 Fax +353 57 9325016
E-mail: info@tullamore-dew.org
Web: www.tullamore-dew.org
Local Tourist Info and Accommodation: www.discovertullamore.com
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