This whisky was the second dram of the tweet tasting session and there was another very generous dram in the bottle. So after chewing on some dark chocolate to ready my palate, I poured half out, leaving the other half for RealDramSi. We both drank from Glencairn glasses, although his dram waited till after he had munched on a pizza!
This expression is another Irish Blend, but this time with a minimum age of twelve years.
Nose: This was a really odd case of mistaken identity. When I opened the bottle and poured the dram, it had a strong cider apple smell, which was warm and summery. However the smell opened as time passed and it smelt much more like warm mince pies, spicy, sweet, oaky and pat
Taste: This dram started with a flavour that is all about apples, it is fresh, sweet and invitingly subtle, like a freshly poured cloudy farm apple juice. There were also notes of the caramelised sugar and the cereal of pastry/
As the flavour developed, the middle notes were creamy and tasted of vanilla custard, but with a healthy topping of hazelnuts. This nutty, midly spicy, but creamy note is where this whisky won me over.
The final flavours were different again, there were spices, cloves and oak. The wood is drying, but never unpleasant. Also returning in the finish was a fruity flavour, somewhere between plums, strawberries and pineapples.
Mouthfeel: This whisky is much smoother, much more interesting and subtler than I had imagined it would be. It like many Irish whiskies is smooth and gentle.
Overall: I think I was in the minority, but this was my favourite dram of the tasting. I really enjoyed the middle notes and would really like to drink some more to see how it stands up to further drinking.
Nose: 14
Start: 14
Middle: 16
Finish: 14
Value: 14
Overall: 72/100
More Information: Tullamore Dew Website
Available: Master or Malt