Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard, the world’s leading Irish Whiskey producer, has unveiled a new look and line-up for its popular Powers range, reflecting the company’s vision for Powers as a contemporary, super-premium whiskey, recognised for its flavor, quality and craft.

Changes to the range include the addition of a new Single Pot Still expression, Powers Signature Release, which will be available in Ireland and the USA from September 2013, plus new packaging and a new recipe for its seminal Powers Gold Label.

Powers Signature Release is the second Single Pot Still whiskey to be added to the Powers family, following the release of the ultra-premium Powers John’s Lane Release in May 2011. The new expression bears the hallmark spicy flavours that are typical of the Powers whiskeys, with black pepper, honey, vanilla and berries in abundance. Using the signature Powers pot still distillate, it has been matured mainly in American bourbon barrels with the subtle inclusion of whiskey matured in Spanish Oloroso sherry casks.

Powers Signature Release was introduced to whiskey fans for the first time in the US at WhiskyFest Chicago in April this year and will be on shelf in the USA and Ireland from September.

The new-recipe, new-look Powers Gold Label has taken inspiration from the brand’s history and features a higher strength abv of 43.2% and will be non chill filtered, allowing the spicy pot still character of the whiskey to come to the fore.  Being able to release a non chill filtered whiskey at strength lower than the industry norm of 46% is directly related to the proprietary triple distillation process which Powers uses.

The updated packaging reflects the super-premium nature of the whiskey and brings Powers Gold Label in line with the look of the other whiskeys within the Powers family.  The new whiskey and packaging format will be available in the USA from September 2013.

Anna Malmhake, CEO at Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard, says: “Powers has been long been regarded by whiskey lovers throughout Ireland and the world as the ‘whiskey drinker’s whiskey’ and recognised for its traditional, full-bodied pot still flavours. With demand for Irish whiskey now stronger than ever, it’s an exciting time of opportunity for the category in general and for Powers in particular. The timing is ideal to harness the tremendous reputation of Powers and to showcase its quality to an ever increasing number of super-premium whiskey drinkers.”

“With whiskey drinkers increasingly prioritising craft and quality in their purchasing decisions, we see excellent growth potential for the super-premium segment of the Irish Whiskey category so we are confident that the new Powers range will be a big hit for discerning whiskey drinkers, as they continue to explore and discover the many great whiskeys that Irish Distillers’ extensive portfolio has to offer.”

The introduction of the new-look Powers range is the latest in a series of innovations from Irish Distillers, owner of the world’s leading Irish whiskey brand, Jameson. May 2011 saw the release of its award winning range of Single Pot Still whiskeys and a subsequent release of numerous other whiskeys reaffirming the company’s commitment to growing the Irish whiskey category and to improving consumer awareness and understanding of the excellent quality of Irish Whiskeys at all price points.

Notes  

Tasting notes: 

Powers Gold Label 

Nose:

Aromatic Pot Still spices, soft cinnamon, a tincture of clove oil and a dusting of white pepper in balance with russet apples and ripe pears, all on a background of charred oak. 

Taste:

The rich Pot Still spices, cinnamon, green peppers and a touch of nutmeg combine effortlessly with orchard fruits, vanilla and toasted oak. All laid upon a crisp barley core.

Finish:

The lingering Pot Still oils and spices slowly fade leaving the wood and the barley competing for the last word.

Powers Signature Release

Nose:

Opens with the undeniable aromatics of traditional Pot Still Irish Whiskey. Triple distillation in Copper Pot Stills and years of maturation in top grade oak casks produce the crisp fresh herbal notes of garden mint and bergamot, balanced with more robust spicy touches of nutmeg, fig and black peppercorns. The sweet vanilla notes are laid upon a background of Charred American Oak and the subtle use of ex-Oloroso sherry butts, from Iberian oak, brings some succulent berry fruits to the mix.

Taste:

The initial mouth coating, typical of Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey, is succulently sweet with vanilla and leads into the warming flavours of the charred oak casks. Hints of black liquorice and cinnamon slowly allow some fruit to appear – melons, green apples and pears. Then, as the richness subsides, there is a crisp flinty acknowledgement of the barley.

Finish:

Long and wonderfully complex. An unhurried journey through an impressive flavour spectrum.

ABOUT POWERS IRISH WHISKEY

The origins of Powers Irish Whiskey date back over two hundred years when James Power founded the distillery at John’s Lane, near the western gate of Dublin in 1791.

A pioneer of its time, John Powers & Son was the first Irish distiller to bottle its own whiskey back in 1886, adopting a gold label exclusively for Powers bottled at John’s Lane as a guaranteed mark of its high quality. Today, Irish Distillers is continuing the brand’s reputation for quality and innovation as it reaches out to whiskey fans who are looking to expand their knowledge of Irish Whiskeys with the new-look Powers family, which includes Powers Gold Label, Powers Signature Release and Powers John’s Lane Release.

Powers whiskies share a signature style, with a rich and spicy character that is also remarkably silky, and have always been recognised for their traditional pot still flavours and dedication to the craft of whiskey distilling. 

About Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard

Irish Distillers Group was formed in 1966, when a merger took place between Irish whiskey distillers, John Power & Son, John Jameson & Son and the Cork Distillery Company. In an attempt to reverse the decline in Irish whiskey sales, the board of directors decided to close the existing distilleries in Cork and Dublin, and to consolidate production at a new purpose-built facility.

A site alongside the existing distillery in Midleton, Co. Cork was chosen as the location for the new distillery, as there was no room for expansion in Dublin. Both the Old Jameson Distillery and the Old Midelton Distillery currently operate as visitor centres attracting over 330,000 visitors annually. Following an early unsolicited takeover offer and one of the most protracted battles in Irish corporate history made by GrandMet, Allied-Lyons and Guinness, Irish Distillers was taken over by Pernod Ricard in June 1988 with the support of the management and employees.  

Irish whiskey brands within the Irish Distillers’ portfolio include Jameson, Paddy and Powers, with Single Pot Still brands, Green Spot, Yellow Spot, Redbreast and the much-revered Midleton, which includes prestigious expressions such Midleton Barry Crockett Legacy and Midleton Very Rare, completing the line-up.  

http://www.irishdistillers.ie/