However, ownership remained in the family until 1966, and several descendants of his sisters remained at work with the company until recent times. The last member of the family to sit on the board was Sir Thomas Talbot Power, who died in 1930, and with him the Power's Baronetcy. It was as perfect in flavour, and as pronounced in the ancient aroma of Irish Whisky so dear to the hearts of connoisseurs, as one could possibly desire, and we found a small flask of it very useful afterwards on our travels. The old make, which we drank with our luncheon, was delicious, and finer than anything we had hitherto tasted. In addition, Barnard was high in his praise for Powers whiskey, noting: At the time of his visit, the distillery was home to five pot stills, two of which with capacities of 25,000 gallons, were amongst the largest ever built. When Alfred Barnard, the British historian visited John's Lane in the late 1880s, he noted the elegance and cleanliness of the buildings, and the modernity of the distillery, describing it as 'about as complete a work as it is possible to find anywhere'. A gold label adorned each bottle and it was from these that the whiskey got the name Powers Gold Label. They were the first Dublin distillery to do so, and one of the first in the world.

In 1886, John Power & Son began bottling their own whiskey, rather than following the practice customary at the time, of selling whiskey directly to merchants and bonders who would bottle it themselves. The Still House at John's Lane Distillery, as it looked when Alfred Barnard visited in the 1800s.ĭuring this period, when the Dublin whiskey distilleries were amongst the largest in the world, the family-run firms of John Power, along with John Jameson, William Jameson, and George Roe, (collectively known as the 'Big Four') came to dominate the Irish distilling landscape, introducing several innovations. After expansion, output at the distillery rose to 700,000 gallons per annum, and by the 1880s, had reached about 900,000 gallons per annum, at which point the distillery covered over six acres of central Dublin, and had a staff of about 300 people. In 1871, the distillery was expanded and rebuilt in the Victorian style, becoming one of the most impressive sights in Dublin. In 1855, his son Sir James Power, laid the foundation stone for the O'Connell Monument, and in 1859 became High Sheriff of Dublin. In 1841, John Power, grandson of the founder was awarded a baronetcy, a hereditary title.

Īs the distillery grew, so too did the stature of the family. In 1827, production was reported at 160,270 gallons, and by 1833 had grown to 300,000 gallons per annum. įollowing reform of the distilling laws in 1823, the distillery expanded rapidly. At the time the distillery had three pot stills, though only one, a 500-gallon still is thought to have been in use. The distillery, which had an output of about 6,000 gallons in its first year of operation, initially traded as James Power and Son, but by 1822 had become John Power & Son, and had moved to a new premises at John's Lane, a side street off Thomas Street. It is a bit rough around the edges, but it’s warm going down and it doesn’t make you regret your choice at any time.In 1791 James Power, an innkeeper from Dublin, established a small distillery at his public house at 109 Thomas St., Dublin. Then finally we get some smooth tasting grains, almost a wheat like flavor, followed up with a salted brown butter quality and wrapped in a spice. Next up are some very light and pleasant woody aspects that add some body to this workhorse. First there’s a wave of honey with some nutty aspects on the side. Get that second sniff and it’s all grains and conjures images of farm houses and fresh cut hay, which is the malted barley coming through, and of course that nice light Irish Whiskey spice There is a very pleasant burnt sugar / bruleed pastry scent to it, but it’s no one sniff pony. If you’ve tried this particular whiskey add your own tasting notes in the comments below.

Overall this is one hell of a value and worth every penny. I highly recommend that you keep a bottle on hand at all times in your home bar. It has enough flavor and character to drink it on the rocks, holds up on ice and is phenomenal to make cocktails with.

Made in the same distillery as Jameson it’s as versatile as you can get in a whiskey. It’s actually quite good and is the #1 selling whiskey in Ireland. You expect it to taste like the runoff from the Midleton distillery… but it doesn’t. It looks cheap, it is cheap, and it’s got a screw top. Here’s the thing about Powers Gold… it’s so damn misleading.

Powers irish whiskey