Powers is a brand of Irish whiskey produced by Irish Distillers, a subsidiary of Pernod Ricard. Historically a single pot still whiskey, its flagship expression, Powers Gold Label, was the first Irish whiskey ever to be bottled and was once the best-selling whiskey in Ireland.
History
The brand traces its origins to 1791, when James Power, a Dublin innkeeper, established a small distillery at his public house at 109 Thomas Street, Dublin. Initially trading as James Power and Son, the business had an output of about 6,000 gallons in its first year. By 1822, it had become John Power & Son and moved to a new premises on John's Lane, off Thomas Street.
Following reform of distilling laws in 1823, the distillery expanded rapidly. Production grew from 160,270 gallons in 1827 to 300,000 gallons per annum by 1833, and eventually reached about 900,000 gallons per annum in the 1880s. At its peak, the distillery covered over six acres of central Dublin and employed about 300 people.
In 1886, John Power & Son became the first Dublin distillery to bottle its own whiskey, departing from the common practice of selling whiskey to merchants who would bottle it themselves. A gold label adorned each bottle, giving rise to the name Powers Gold Label.
During the 19th century, John Power & Son was one of the "Big Four" Dublin whiskey distilleries, alongside John Jameson, William Jameson, and George Roe.
In 1966, John Power & Son merged with the Cork Distilleries Company and John Jameson & Son to form Irish Distillers. Production was consolidated at a new facility in Midleton, County Cork, which opened in 1975. The original John's Lane Distillery closed the following year. In 1989, Irish Distillers became a subsidiary of Pernod Ricard.
Current Variants
- Powers Gold Label – 43% ABV, triple-distilled blend of pot still and grain whiskey, matured in ex-bourbon American oak casks, non-chill filtered
- Powers 12-Year-Old Special Reserve – 40% ABV, a blend of 12-to-21-year-old whiskeys with a high pot still content
- Powers Three Swallow Release – 43.2% ABV, single pot still
- Powers Signature Release – 46% ABV, single pot still
- Powers John's Lane Release – 46% ABV, 12-year-old single pot still
- Powers Irish Rye – 43.2% ABV, triple-distilled column still, the first 100% Irish rye whiskey
Accolades
In the 2012 edition of the Whisky Bible, whiskey writer Jim Murray named Powers John's Lane Release Irish Whiskey of the Year and described it as "certainly one of the top five world whiskies of the year." In 2015, Powers Signature Release won a gold medal in the Irish Single Pot Still Whiskey category at the Irish Whiskey Awards.
