There's no half measures in Tullamore rebranding

Tullamore Dew is fading away. In its place: Tullamore D.E.W.

The whiskey, owned by the Scottish spirits firm William Grant and Sons since 2010, is in the process of rebranding the Irish whiskey to highlight the brand’s origins as the creation of Daniel E Williams, the entrepreneurial general manager of the Tullamore distillery.

Williams, who worked at the distillery for almost 60 years from the age of 14, is credited with introducing electricity to Tullamore in 1893.

His story takes pride of place in the recently refurbished Tullamore D.E.W. visitor centre, which invites people to taste “the rebellious spirit of Daniel E Williams”.

Tradition

Construction on William Grant and Sons’s new Tullamore distillery is expected to begin next year.

Once completed in 2014, it will resurrect the whiskey-making tradition in the Co Offaly town 60 years after the original distillery closed.

The rebranding began in the summer, but will take some time to complete across the range, according to a spokeswoman.

The bottles have been redesigned with a new wraparound label featuring the signature D E Williams, while the brand’s heritage is also emphasised by embossing 1829, the year the Tullamore distillery was built, on the glass and label.

n Whiskey galore: The new bottle (left) and the old one