Tullamore Dew Old Fashioned

Tullamore Dew Old Fashioned

    I was looking for an excuse to use my lovely Tullamore Dew which I reviewed here and it occurred to me that I've yet to make a whiskey Old Fashioned. I've made one with rum, but haven't done a proper whiskey variant. Admittedly, this is still breaking from tradition slightly, in using an Irish whiskey instead of a Bourbon or Rye, or anything American really. But this is not too far off base.
    Unfortunately, I didn't have any oranges to get a swath from, but this is a brighter whiskey, so I think we should be okay. The angostura bitters are very forward on the nose, there's some appley notes as well from the whiskey, but it's a lot of nutmeg and cinnamon and maybe a little allspice, it all leads to a very pleasant baking apple smell. Sort of a moderate mouth feel, not thick or thin, not sharp or anything, but I've had smoother, and then as you're dissecting the feel of the drink, the flavor creeps up on you, like warm apple pie with whipped cream and some caramel drizzled on top. I'm struggling to find words to describe how divine this is, it's sweet, it's got a bit of apple fruitiness happening, it's got so much baking spice flavor from the bitters, which leads to a more vanilla almost creamy end. I have a "gum" simple syrup (Meaning the simple syrup has had some gum arabic added to it, it thickens the syrup slightly, and can add some body to a drink) that is likely contributing to that creamy textural sensation. Upon a second larger sip, I get a bit more of a wheat note in the beginning, again chased by that warm apple pie note, again a creamy textural bit, and then something I didn't get last time, a bit of a cinnamon finish. Nothing burning, but it is a bit spicy, not like a cinnamon gum, but more like a cinnamon roll or other baked good with more cinnamon than you were expecting. Just enough to linger in the back of your mouth.
    This drink is candy, honestly, if you think of yourself as some whiskey loving tough guy that enjoys the burn of their rye, this probably isn't your drink. It's so sweet and mellow all the way through that it probably doesn't satisfy the niche of an old fashioned to whiskey snobs. This is a drink for the person who wants to like whiskey but doesn't know where to start, or for the person who just wants apple pie. 9.8/10 Elevates the whiskey and the bitters, will be making this again.

My Spec

My spec is:
2oz Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey
1/2oz Gum Simple Syrup (although normal simple syrup would be fine)
2 dashes of Angostura Aromatic Bitters
Build in your glass over a nice big ice cube, stir a bit to dilute and mix

 

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