Powers Irish Whiskey recently unveiled their 100-percent Irish rye whiskey, which is the fruit of many trials at Irish Distillers’ renowned Midleton Distillery in County Cork, Ireland.
A statement from the brand notes that Powers Irish Rye balances the earthy, peppery character of rye with the sweet flavor profile of a full maturation in American oak – with virgin oak, first fill and refills in the cask mix.
The tasting notes show the Irish rye to feature maraschino cherry, orange peel and toffee banana combined with the earthy taste of candied ginger and spicy character of clove, burnt orange and peppermint.
The long finish has a distinctive hint of chili oil that lingers for a time with that of honey glazed fruit notes.
Carol Quinn, archivist at Irish Distillers, found that this launch of Powers Irish Rye is actually grounded in the heritage of the whiskey brand.
Old mash bills and recipes showed that Powers experimented with rye over the brand’s history, while as the scientific knowledge of distilling expanded throughout the 19th century, the whiskey maker continued to innovate, finding new techniques and processes.
“Throughout the history of the famous Powers John’s Lane Distillery, there was a willingness to challenge the old ways of doing things and experiment with new ideas, from urban farming on the distillery roof in the 1940s, to bottling in-house and the introduction of the world’s first miniature Irish whiskey, the ‘baby Power,’” Quinn said.
“This has fed very much into the DNA of Powers Irish Rye today, both in the use of rye and in the method of distillation.”
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Finding an Irish supplier was a challenge, since commercial rye farming in Ireland had all but disappeared. So Powers commissioned the planting of rye crops exclusively for this Irish whiskey.
Now, the Cooney Furlong Farm in County Wexford supplies 100 percent of the rye used in Powers Irish Rye, and the farm is located just a short distance from Edermine House, the ancestral home of the Powers family.
Eric Ryan, distiller for Powers, said they attribute the success of this whiskey to the extended team at Midleton Distillery, and also to the generations of Powers distillers who considered rye grain to be a unique component of their craft.
“From our commitment to farming a difficult crop, to reduced brewhouse throughput, to longer fermentation times, and considering the exceptional cask profile; if it was only about efficiency, we would never have used rye,” Ryan said. “But it proved a worthy endeavor.”
Powers Irish Rye clocks in at 43.2% ABV, and is set to release on Feb. 20th in the US, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Dublin Airport and online at www.powerswhiskey.com, and via The Whisky Exchange in the UK in the coming months. It has a suggested retail price of $32,€40,£32.
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