While I haven’t a drop of Irish blood in my veins, I can appreciate the St. Patrick’s day holiday, the people and the whiskey along with the best of them.

I have only been to Ireland once but I have been around the Irish my whole life, as a New Yorker and an American. There is nothing quite like the lilting sound of an Irish accent. It thrills me when hear it. I used to have an Irish boss and I remember having a hard time actually listening to the “what” of what he was saying because I loved the “how” or tone of it. Go figure. I bet I’m wasn’t the first lass to fall for the accent and I doubt I will be the last. In fact even the New York Times has an article on this topic this weekend. Go figure. Come to think of it, one of my first beaus was a young man of Irish descent, black Irish with those baby blues and dark hair. Another lifetime, back to the task at hand – whiskey.

To celebrate the day I bought my Dad a bottle of Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey. Irish whiskey tends to undergo triple distillation. It is lighter than Scotch. Distillation takes place in pot stills. Irish whiskey is made from raw and malted barley which is dried in kilns and it is aged for a minimum of three years. These last are all differences from Scotch. I think of Irish Whiskey sort of like a Barbaresco compared to a Barolo. 

A historic brand, it was new to us which it shouldn’t have been because if was established in 1829. Tullamore is the name of the town in Ireland where the distillery is located. DEW are the initials of Daniel Edmund Williams who was a distillery manager

This guy has an incredibly interesting story. He began working at the distillery as a stable boy at the age of 15 and went on to become Distillery Manager by the age of 25 and the rest is history.

The whiskey I chose was a blended whiskey, grain, malt, and pot still whiskeys melded together. Apparently the first gives sweet notes, the next fruit flavors, and the third spice. These whiskeys are aged in ex-bourbon and ex-sherry barrels or butts as they are called.

The result, a lovely, sweet/spice amber colored drink with which to celebrate the day.

Sláinte!