Tullamore D.E.W. Beauty of Blend.
Tullamore D.E.W. Irish Whiskey partners with MyHeritage DNA to unlock the ‘Beauty of Blend’
Did you know that only 0.3% of people have one ethnicity in their DNA, showing our world is a true blend? The new Tullamore D.E.W. Beauty of Blend campaign unlocks the secrets and potential of a Global Blend.
To celebrate the launch of ‘The Beauty of Blend’, Tullamore D.E.W., the original triple blend Irish whiskey has partnered with MyHeritage DNA, the leading destination for family history and DNA testing, to create a limited edition branded DNA kit which will allow people all over the world to uncover their own unique blend. Reviewing trends of DNA testing from around the world, Tullamore D.E.W. worked with MyHeritage DNA, to uncover that 99.7% of people have a blend of multiple ethnicities, meaning that only 0.3% of individuals sampled are of only one ethnic background. Keep that figure 3 in mind. You’ll be seeing it again!
The partnership gives Tullamore D.E.W. fans an opportunity to discover, and celebrate, their own unique blend of ethnicities. Limited edition branded MyHeritage DNA kits will be given away through a gifting program and the Tullamore D.E.W. social channels in the coming months. I was fortunate enough to receive one of the first of these Tullamore D.E.W. DNA Gift Sets in yesterday’s post. As the picture of my kit shows, the kit itself is quite simple. You take two separate swabs from inside your cheeks, seal them in them in two small plastic test tubes and mail them to My Heritage DNA HQ where, after a few weeks, they are analysed. The results are then uploaded for you to view securely online.
According to MyHeritage DNA’s global database, MyHeritage DNA test results can reveal up to 42 ethnicities – the most comprehensive of all consumer DNA tests available on the market. I’ve metioned before that my own name McNamara is Mac Conn Mara in Irish which means Son of the Hound of the Sea or Pirate. I’m hoping that “Pirate” is included as an ethnicity and will be very disappointed if It’s not included as at least 50% of my makeup!!!
Edit! The results are in! Given how much time I have enjoyed working and living in and among the beautiful city and wonderful people of Sarajevo, I was shocked, but delighted to learn that I have more than 10% Balkan in my makeup. I didn’t see that one coming! Bosnian Coffee for anyone?
Tullamore D.E.W., which is now the world’s second largest Irish whiskey brand is unique in that it is the only Irish Whiskey which is a triple blend of all three types of Irish whiskey: pot still, malt and grain, triple distilled and triple cask matured to deliver a whiskey of exceptional beauty. This link to 3 is also the reason why, when I created Irish Whiskey Day some years ago, I picked the 3rd March or 3/3, exactly two weeks before St. Patrick’s Day.
Because of all this, Tullamore D.E.W. champions the rich, transformative power of blend, and believes in dedicating time to explore the limitless new and interesting opportunities that are created by combining different elements. Tullamore D.E.W. is giving people the opportunity to unlock their own personal Tullamore D.E.W. Beauty of Blend – the beautiful blend of ethnicities that combine to make each individual unique.
This unique partnership is part of Tullamore D.E.W.’s new global advertising campaign, ‘Beauty of Blend’ which celebrates the unique spirit of the blend – whether it be the triple blend of pot still, malt and grain whiskies in Tullamore D.E.W., crafted to bring people together, or the blending of cultures and ideas throughout history.
Tullamore D.E.W.’s Global Brand Director, Caspar MacRae, commented:
“We are built on blend. It runs through every bottle of our original triple blend Irish whiskey. There are numerous examples in the worlds of food, music and beyond where something beautiful has been created because of the blending of different cultures or ideas, and we think that is worth celebrating.
The Beauty of Blend celebrates our belief in the spirit of blend – from the original triple blend in our Irish whiskey to the blending of cultures, rooted in our historic association with Irish emigrants around the world.”
For generations, Ireland’s diaspora of 80 million people have built and blended around the world. Tullamore D.E.W., the whiskey favoured by Irish immigrants since 1829, is now championing the blended world as a more interesting, eclectic place. By enabling people around the world to discover their own unique blend using Tullamore D.E.W. Beauty of Blend DNA Kits, Tullamore D.E.W. hopes to reveal the often surprising and varied blends that exist all around us, and inspire diverse groups of people around the world to come together socially, break down barriers and celebrate inclusiveness.
The Tullamore D.E.W. Beauty of Blend campaign launches with two new films ‘No Irish Need Apply’ and ‘Danny Boy’. Both videos are directed by Laurence Dunmore. Laurence also directed the iconic 2013 video The Parting Glass, which according to Creativity magazine, was “The Alcohol Ad That All Ads Should Aspire To.”
‘No Irish Need Apply’ is a boldly challenging film, showcasing the history of Irish immigration in the USA.
‘Danny Boy’ implicitly celebrates cultural diversity in a way that is aspirational, inspirational, authentically Irish and distinctly sociable.
There really is a buzz and energy about Tullamore D.E.W. since they came under new ownership. It’s not just the budgets that this new investment has brought to the brand and new distillery. It’s the dynamic energy and confidence of the brand and their team.
Why am I such a fan of this new campaign? Because I really get it. Over the last 20 years of travel in my professional life, I have carried the small plastic naggin bottles of Tullamore D.E.W. and other Irish whiskeys with me all over the world where they often found use as my own personal “Negotiation Kit”. My love of whiskey has opened doors, built friendships and relationships and diffused difficulties for me in paces as diverse as Sarajevo, Stockholm, Mogadishu, Brussels, Beirut and Kosovo. Irish Whiskey is that little bit of Irish Heritage and Culture that anyone from anywhere in the world can claim and enjoy at any time, as their own personal piece of Irishness.
The Tullamore D.E.W. line up now includes Pooka 1 (Tullamore D.E.W. Original, Pooka 2 (Tullamore D.E.W. Cider Finish and Tullamore D.E.W. Phoenix) and Pooka 3 (Tullamore D.E.W. 12 Year Old Special Reserve, Tullamore D.E.W. 15 Year Old Trilogy, Tullamore D.E.W. 14 Year Old Single Malt) whiskeys.
Looking to the future for Tullamore D.E.W., Global Brand Director Caspar MacRae, added;
“Our ambition for Tullamore D.E.W. is reflected in the major investments we’re making in the brand and in the distillery. The quality of our blended whiskey, combined with the brand’s reputation and increased investment, puts us in a great position for further growth in 2018 and beyond.”
Their new €35 Million Distillery in Tullamore has just celebrated it’s third birthday. (There’s that magic 3 again!) which is an important coming of age milestone for any Irish Whiskey distillery. After three years of maturation, the new make spirit from a distillery legally becomes whiskey. So when better than a third birthday to bring another 3 into play with the launch in coming weeks of their new €25 Million grain distillery on the new Tullamore campus. From November 2017 on, Tullamore D.E.W. will once more be distilling all three components (Pot still, malt and grain) of their blend in Tullamore for the first time in over 50 years. I’ll report back the new grain distillery next month both here and on my Irish Whiskey Podcast at IrishWhiskeyPod.com.
Until then, to whoever you are and wherever you are, thanks for reading and…
Glasses Up!
Stuart
Yes, a very good whiskey but I believe that no
Locally grown malting barley is being used in the
New 6 million distillery in Tullamore…. Locally grown barley was always a feature of the Offaly-made spirit and contributed to its flavour spectrum.
Hi,
Nice to meet you and thanks for the input. I attended the opening of the new grain distillery in Tullamore last week and I inquired about the use of Irish Grain. I was informed that in general, both the malt and grain distilleries in Tullamore use Irish grown grain sourced from two separate Irish grain suppliers.
The reason that they don’t shout about this is that they also have a third grain supplier available on demand who can supply them with grain from outside Ireland. They keep this supplier in reserve in case of a catastrophic failure on the side of their Irish suppliers.
While I like the idea of Irish grain being used in Irish whiskey, I myself do not subscribe to the “Terroir” marketing being promoted by some new distilleries of late. While there may be subtle differences in taste and flavour between different types or strains of barley in beer, by the time this beer or wash has been distilled two or three times, any residual differential will be minute. The differences attributable to identical grain types grown in Cork versus Tullamore, let alone Cork versus Montana will be negligible if they exist at all following distillation.
Even if Terroir were important, wouldn’t it be a huge coincidence if the fields which happen to be close to the distillery just happened to produce better flavoured grain than elsewhere in Ireland!
The difference with wine is that like, but to an even greater extent than beer, the grape contributes a significant part of the flavour and quality associated with the finished product. That’s also why distilleries are built near water sources and distribution networks (roads, canals etc) whereas wineries are located near or in vineyards.
So, my own opinion is that while it is a nice idea that an Irish whiskey distillery would support their local economy by using Irish grain, it’s just a nice and noble idea. The whole myth of grain “terroir” in whiskey is just marketing talk. For an independent view on this see this recent Scottish Malt Whisky Society article on Whisky Grain Terroir.
Kind regards,
Stuart