Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/86618
DEPARTMENT HEADER After one year of living in NYC, Irish-born Tim Herlihy has become a bona fide New Yorker . . . when he's in town. As the Brand Ambassador for Tullamore D.E.W., he's on the road more often than not. When Tullamore D.E.W. was looking for an ambassador for its Irish whiskey, it didn't have to look far to find Tim Herlihy. The candidate not only had the educational credentials—a degree in commerce—but he had previously worked for the Irish Food Board in America and had an understanding of all things Irish. But perhaps even deeper that than were his Irish roots. Tim grew up in the small village of Termonfeckin, in County Louth, where his parents own an egg farm, so it's no exaggeration to say he's the quintessential salt of the Irish earth. But it was his passion for whiskey that got him off the farm and to America. Now transplanted in New York City for a year, Tim, 26, says it's like coming home again. He lives in a neighbor- hood blessed with plenty of Irish pubs, should he ever feel a wee homesick. He calls Cooper Craft & Kitchen, a pub down the street from his apartment where we met up on a Saturday morn- ing, an extension of his living room. And with good reason: It's a friendly place to take in a football game (that's 114 / the tasting panel / october 2012 soccer to you Americans) with friends or those who would become friends over an ale or a Tullamore D.E.W. That's part of the "Irish True" message Tim, who tweets under @TullamoreTim, is charged with spreading in his role as Tullamore D.E.W.'s Brand Ambassador. "It's not that you have to have an Irish passport; it's about a mindset and an attitude," he said. "It's about drinking it with friends and having a good time in a bar. Particularly in Irish pubs." With a large Irish diaspora in the U.S., and a friendly inclination to think Irish—at least once a year, anyway—it's easy to get people on board. That peo- ple are already somewhat predisposed to embrace the Irish culture sometimes makes whiskey an afterthought. Tim wants to change that. "Having that cultural fondness helps get the spirit out there and talk about it. There's a real connection with Irish people—whether it's the ancestry or the attitude," he said over glass of whiskey in his neighborhood bar. "But it's not about shamrocks, leprechauns and lucky charms. It's about a cozy atmosphere and having a good time over some Tullamore D.E.W." To do that, he logs some 7,000 miles a month traveling around the United States, bringing liquid to lips and educating people about the finer points of Irish whiskey, a category, he says, that isn't always clear with the consum- ers. "Irish whiskey and scotch tend to go under the same umbrella. I'll hear people say 'I'll have an Irish scotch.' " Tim is quick to point out the differences. Because Tullamore D.E.W. triple-dis- tills, the spirit takes on a smoother glide than the double-distilled scotch, which, depending on where it's produced, also takes on smoky or peaty flavors. And, whereas scotch tends to be a meditative drink, bound somewhat to rules, Irish whiskey is social and, like the Irish, a bit rebellious. "I get asked, 'How do you drink your Irish whiskey?' and I say, 'Rule number one: Always drink it with friends, and rule number two: Drink it however you like it.'" He's also quick to note that the Irish have a historic advantage over the Scots. "I always like to remind people that in Ireland we invented whiskey 500