Powers John's Lane 12 Year Old Single Pot Still

I've come to enjoy the taste of pot still Irish quite a lot but it's not something I often turn to. I really should rectify that as, whilst I don't always find them to be completely absorbing, they are always very drinkable and enjoyable. So how does this bottling of Midleton distillate fare . . .

Bottle is about half full and been open a few months now. Review is from a 35 ml neat pour that's sat for about 30 minutes.

Nose - Creamy and buttery with toffee and honeycomb. Fruity - dried apricots and sultanas. Rye like spices of clove, pepper and cinnamon with a touch of baker's ginger as well as a prominent varnish note Some old leather and fresh oak. Very appealing and with some complexity, but that slight alcoholic twang is a little to its detriment - shame.

Taste - Lovely creamy mouthfeel with hints of linseed oil and that pot still, metallic barley note. Sweet with some tart fruits but then the spices really attack the tongue - pepper and cinnamon mainly. That varnish note lingers.

Finish - Medium - long with buttery spiced biscuits and drying oak. A little bitterness.

I've tried this with water and it does tame the 'nip' a little but it then loses some of the creamy mouthfeel that is perhaps this whiskeys best feature.

I've been really patient with this and have kept faith that air will help settle it down but it just hasn't really happened. It has improved some though - time in the glass helps, and in fairness, once your half way through, or better yet, onto a second it isn't as noticeable. Still, I am enjoying this and it's a decent representative of this style of whiskey. It's also very easy to drink - once you get going.

The Powers John's Lane 12-year old is named after the street in Dublin where the Powers distillery was located between 1822 and when it was closed in 1974. Nowadays, Powers is produced at the (new) Midleton distillery in County Cork. It is a 'Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey', meaning that it is made from a mash of malted and unmalted barley. It was triple distilled and then matured in a combination of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks.

The nose is rich and sweet with distinct notes of caramel and fudge. Later on I got flavours of banana and orange peel, followed by mint and a hint of cinnamon.

The palate is medium-bodied and just a little bit spicy. Vanilla flavours take centre stage, followed by notes of nougat, oranges (replacing the orange peel notes from the nose), and apricots.

The finish is quite long and malty. Vanilla and cinnamon flavours last to the very end.

From time to time I do enjoy some single pot still Irish whiskey, especially with the current hot summer weather. So far, Redbreast was my go-to-whiskey in this regard, however this Powers expression is very nice too. Not overly complex but very refreshing abd drinkable. I might have to revisit this one soon.

Power’s is an Irish Single Pot Still. This means that the mashbill consists of both malted and unmalted barley. This release is in honor of the John’s Lane Distillery that was operational in Thomas Street in Dublin from 1791 to 1974. Today, nothing is left of the distillery. The production moved to the Old Midleton Distilly in southern Ireland. It matured on both American and Iberia oak.

The nose is very light and fruity on banana, apricots, pineapple and sultanas. Some melon. Loads of caramel and honey and even a whiff of diesel oil (not an off-note). Freshly sawn planks and some wood glue. Mint! Very fresh and nice.

The body is rather weak, but the taste is ok. Sultanas and rum raisins, apricots and oranges and even some kiwi. Add some allspice and a touch of oak for a slight bitterness. Good continuation of the nose. Far from complex, but very tasty.

The finish is surprisingly long. The fruit turns candied, while the spices linger.

One of the better standard bottlings of Irish pot still. Around 55 EUR (although I recently saw it in Germany for less than 40 EUR). It’s worth it.

I wanted to try a good quality Irish whisky, since I'd only tired the standard Jameson, as well as Bushmills (black, and original). I was really pleased with the black Bushmills - that was a yummy whisky.

NOSE: caramel, toffee, sherry, pastry, vanilla, dark fruits, a touch of floral. With time you get some aged rum notes as well. Not bad at all. 20/25

TASTE: a hint of toffee, milk chocolate with a hint of cappuccino, caramel syrup. The milky mouthfeel is something that I don't really like about this whisky. It even reminds a little bit of soy milk which is the nastiest thing I know. Dried fruits, a hint of mint and black pepper. 21/25

FINISH: milky, milk chocolate, a little bit oily. 20/25

BALANCE: 23/25

OVERALL IMPRESSION: I don't really understand why people like it so much. It's a nice whisky, but it's definitely not a sipper that will keep you busy all day.

Powers John's Lane is 12 years aged pot still whiskey. Pot still Irish whiskey is made with a combination of both unmalted and malted barley. The reviewed bottle's bottle code is L301731004, and has been open for two months

This review will use 2 formats

Nose: strong very pointed flavours of barley grain; honey and caramel, black licorice. Score 21/25 points

Taste: very sharp barley grain, some honey, and some sharp licorice. Score: 22/25 points

Finish: long finish, with very strong flavours, in good balance. Score 22/25 points

Balance: there is lots of flavour here. The overall balance of sweet, sour, and bitter, is good. I found the black licorice flavours a little distracting and would have liked more nuance from the barley. Score 21/25 points

Water added: 1) raised the pitch and melded the flavours in the nose, 2) muted and homogenised the flavours in the mouth, while increasing the licorice flavours and the sweetness, and 3) muted and sweetened the finish

Bottom line: if you like strong sharp pointed barley flavours, you'll like Powers John's Lane 12 YO

Total Sequential Review Score: 86 points

Strength: the flavours are strong and vibrant. Score 24/25 points

Quality: very good quality of the various component flavours. Score 22/25 points

Variety: adequate variety of flavours available. Score 21/25 points

Harmony: the flavours exhibit decent but not outstanding harmony, taken together. Score 21/25 points

Total Non-Sequential Review Score: 88 points

The scores were averaged out for a composite review score of 87 points

This is a single pot still release matured in bourbon and oloroso sherry casks.

Nose: sweet honeyed cereal. Vanilla, wood and old leather.

Palate: sweetness, vanilla, warming spices, glacé cherries and raisins.

Finish: vanilla, a warming peppery spiced tang. Medium finish but extremely moreish.

This is a smooth, well balanced whiskey. I can see why it is so highly rated. Jim Murray had it as his Irish Whisky of the year 2014 as well as liquid gold 2014.

Definitely one for the collection.

Nose: This baby has a wonderful nose:. Porridge, Sweet cereals with a hint of nutmeg, then vanilla and buttered sweet brioche. Can you say Yumm!?

Palate: The palate is spicy and peppery on entry then gets sweeter with sugared cereals,vanilla and some creamy espresso, then some more fruit.

Finish: Medium length with bitter espresso wood and burnt buttered toast.