William Grant & Sons is celebrating 10 years since the company bought Tullamore Dew whiskey with a limited edition bottle release, as well as commissioning a new print from Irish artist Claudine O’Sullivan.
Since William Grant & Sons acquired the brand, it has grown from strength to strength both in Ireland and, most notably, across the globe. To achieve this, William Grant & Sons stayed true to the brand’s heritage whilst also implementing an ambitious marketing and distribution strategy over the last 10 years which resulted in widespread global success. Tullamore Dew has seen its sales more than double over the last 10 years and it is now the second largest whiskey brand in the world.
Established in Tullamore Distillery in Co. Offaly in 1829, Tullamore Dew took its name from its general manager and later, owner, Daniel E. Williams. The distillery closed in Tullamore in 1954 due to global Irish whiskey sales declining – it was sixty years before Tullamore Dew came back to Tullamore town when William Grant & Sons invested over €100m in the new distillery.
Tullamore town experienced the world’s first ever recorded air disaster in 1785 when a hot air balloon crashed and destroyed the town. After the town was rebuilt, Tullamore used a symbol of rebirth, the phoenix, as its coat of arms. A carved phoenix now sits at the entrance of the Tullamore Dew Distillery.
The Phoenix now forms part of the 10 year anniversary celebrations. The brand is offering people the chance to win the sought after Phoenix blend. This blend is a rare addition from a very limited batch that is no longer available to purchase. This cask strength expression showcases a combination of American and European oak used in the maturation of this triple blend liquid.
This special bottle was first launched in 2014 to celebrate the reopening of the distillery.
Additionally, the brand is celebrating the fact that the Tullamore Dew Visitor Centre in Tullamore town will officially reopen its doors to the public on 29th June, 2020.
To add to the celebrations, Tullamore Dew has commissioned Irish artist, Claudine O’Sullivan, to create an illustration of the Tullamore Dew Phoenix. Twenty entrants who enter to win the Phoenix bottle will receive a signed original print from the artist as a runner up prize. All entrants to the overall competition will receive an electronic version of the print via email which they can print at home.
To enter to win the bottle and the art piece, visit www.tullamoredew.com/RisingFromTheAshes.
Global Brand Director, Chin Ru Foo, said: “We decided to focus our anniversary celebrations on the Phoenix as, under the current circumstances, it feels very apt. The phoenix represents news beginnings, rebirth and hope, sentiments that are very much sought after these days. Tullamore Dew is a brand that has gone through many evolutions and has achieved so much since it was established in 1829. Through all this change, the brand has remained true to its character and history, keeping the story of the phoenix at its core.”