Tullamore D.E.W. 14 Year Old Single Malt is a triple-distilled Irish single malt matured in a four-cask combination — bourbon, Oloroso sherry, port and Madeira — before being bottled without chill-filtration at 41.3% ABV. It sits in the middle of Tullamore's single malt range, between the 12 and the 18.
Single malt is not the part of the Irish whiskey tradition Tullamore is best known for; the brand's reputation was built on its triple-blend. But the 14 Year Old is the house's argument that Tullamore malt, given time and a thoughtful cask mosaic, can hold its own with the Speysides and Highlanders it quietly resembles.
The nose is soft and gracious — honey and stewed apricot leading, vanilla and raisin close behind, and a bright mandarin note that keeps it from sitting too heavy. On the palate the four casks begin to declare themselves individually: bourbon vanilla and oak underneath, Oloroso raisin and fig in the middle, a Madeira-like nutty sweetness, and the port's red-fruit blush flickering at the edges.
The finish is unhurried and generous, carrying dark sugar and dried fruit into a gentle spice, warming rather than burning. It is a single malt with Tullamore's trademark smoothness intact, but with more to say than the blend — more layers, more texture, more afternoon.
Pour it for the moment between dinner and the fire, when you want something to think about but not to wrestle with.
