LIMITED EDITION TULLAMORE D.E.W. PHOENIX LAUNCHES IN TRAVEL RETAIL EXCLUSIVELY WITH AER RIANTA

Born by the strength of town who witnessed the first ever air disaster on record, William Grant & Sons has launched a new limited edition whiskey ‘Tullamore D.E.W. Phoenix’ to celebrate the ultimate courage and optimism the Tullamore people, who driven by a positive spirit, rebuilt their town, and established the Tullamore Distillery in 1829. To highlight the Irish roots and the very personal nature of this whiskey, ‘Tullamore D.E.W. Phoenix’ is initially available through Travel Retail exclusively through ARI for the first year, with The Irish Whiskey Collection at The Loop Dublin Airport as the main outlet. Representatives from both WGS and ARI celebrated the arrival of 'Tullamore D.E.W. Phoenix' on August 20 at The Irish Whiskey Collection Dublin Airport.

It was the 10^th of May 1785 when the famous hot -air balloon fire occurred at Barrack Street (now Patrick Street) in Tullamore town, the same place that Tullamore D.E.W. Irish whiskey was later distilled. The hot-air balloon accident created such a huge inferno that it destroyed much of the town. But in the face of such fiery destruction, the people of Tullamore remained undaunted and rebuilt their town in the decades afterwards. Within 50 years, the Tullamore D.E.W. Distillery came into being on the site of the disaster, and the subsequent introduction of its whiskey to the world. To celebrate the positive spirit of the people and the ethos that “all will be well when you face life with optimism”, a phoenix symbol was added to the town’s coat of arms.

Tullamore D.E.W. Phoenix was created to celebrate Tullamore’s courage and optimism. It is an exceptional whiskey, full of complexity and subtlety. This unique, limited edition high strength, 55% ABV triple distilled Irish whiskey is enriched in pot still whiskey finished in Old Oloroso Sherry casks. It is a blend of all three types of Irish whiskey, pure pot-still, malt and grain whiskey. It is non- chill filtered, and crafted to perfection in small exclusive batches. Each bottle is uniquely numbered. Tullamore D.E.W. Phoenix is a medium-bodied whiskey with mellow complexity, deep leafy, malty notes and smooth vanilla oakiness.

Andre de Almeida (Regional Director for GTR Europe), says: “Tullamore D.E.W. Phoenix has been created to pay homage to the courage and spirit of the town's people in a time of great adversity. As a limited edition, its availability is only through selected markets, so we are delighted to have been allocated bottles for travel retail. It seemed only correct that we should keep the line within Ireland and specifically here at Dublin Airport, where our partnership with ARI is particularly strong.'

Jean Ann Taylor, Head of Retail, The Loop, said, “The Irish Whiskey Collection features only the finest products and the new offering from the Tullamore D.E.W. stable is simply outstanding. The Tullamore D.E.W. provenance together with the company’s reputation, both at home and abroad, will help ensure the early success of Phoenix. It’s keenly priced and is a whiskey to be bought and enjoyed now. Although, as a limited edition bottle, some may decide to add Tullamore D.E.W. Phoenix to their own private whiskey collection.”

In addition to Dublin & Cork Airports, ARI will also distribute Tullamore D.E.W. Phoenix through a number of other selected outlets globally.

Tullamore D.E.W. Phoenix just took home a Gold Medal at the Irish Whiskey Masters 2013 for its taste. The brand has doubled worldwide sales to almost 850,000 (9L) cases since 2005. It is the largest selling Irish whiskey in many markets in Northern and Central Europe while in several countries, including Denmark, and Czech Republic it is the largest selling whisk(e)y of any type.

Image shows: Andre de Almeida (Regional Director for GTR Europe), Dave Gorman & Deirdre O'Carroll (ARI Ireland/The Loop), John Quinn (Global Brand Ambassador for Tullamore DEW)

Notes to editors

Tullamore D.E.W. Phoenix Tasting Notes:

Tullamore D.E.W. Phoenix is a medium bodied whiskey, with distinctive sherry notes and pleasantly spicy creamy pot still whiskey flavours nicely balanced.

Colour: Medium Golden amber

Nose: Warm and spicy initially, then rich, toffee, vanilla notes become evident.  The characteristic leafy, malty notes of Tullamore D.E.W. Are enriched with deeper, toasted oak aroma and a hint of sherry nuttiness.

Taste: The higher strength tingles on the tongue leaving a spicy pot-still flavour.  Addition of a little water releases layers of caramel sweetness, delicate floral notes and oak tannins. Altogether, a perfect balance of Oloroso sherry sweetness and spicy creamy pot still.

Finish: Long lasting with a lingering warmth.

• Tullamore D.E.W. Phoenix won a Gold Medal at the 2013 Irish Whiskey Masters. The Spirits Business, which stages the Irish Whiskey Masters competition, recognises the finest brands on the world stage. Launched in 2008, the competition has become one of the most respected and high profile blind tasting spirits competitions in the world. It is the only competition that uses entirely independent judges and as such, attracts vast numbers of entries every year.

• The Tullamore D.E.W. Visitor Centre re-opened its door in September 2012, after being closed for renovations. The Centre is located on the banks of the Grand Canal in Tullamore, in the heart of Ireland, which was vital in allowing the former distillery to transport whiskey to Dublin for distribution around the world. This year, the company started work on The Tullamore Distillery with a state of the art pot still and malt whiskey distillery in Tullamore town, bringing whiskey production back to the town for the first time since the original distillery closed in 1954.

• Tullamore D.E.W. is owned by William Grant & Sons, an independent family-owned distiller headquartered in the United Kingdom and founded by William Grant in 1887. Today, the global premium spirits company is run by the fifth generation of his family and distils some of the world’s leading brands of Scotch whisky, including the world’s most awarded single malt Glenfiddich, The Balvenie range of handcrafted single malts and the world’s third largest blended Scotch Grant’s as well as other iconic spirits brands such as Hendrick’s Gin, and Sailor Jerry.

• For more information about Tullamore D.E.W., visit: www.tullamoreDEW.com or www.facebook.com/tullamoreDEW