Powers John's Lane 12 Year Old Single Pot Still

@cricklewood - nice to know the quality is still high after the rebrand. Also nice to see you back in the reviewing 'saddle' . I've tended to find most pot still whiskey gets much better with air - there's usually a wee alcoholic nip to begin with, which always surprises me being triple distilled.

Although this was a sample I agree much like bourbon, the Irish pot still seems to do really well with after the fill level has dropped a bit...despite what the science naysayers have to say about that kind of theory.

Thanks it'll be another 2 weeks before I'm medically allowed to get in "a saddle" but I suppose for reviews it's ok.

I largely preferred this Power's over Redbreast 12 or even Yellow Spot (which I enjoyed quite a bit). I felt like the rustic touch along with a nice clean creamy sherry was a winning combo.

It is indeed a shame that this isn't more widely available in the Great White North, eh?! Your review gives me some serious Pot Still envy. I've soured a bit on Redbreast in the last year or two. Their 12 Year CS has been completely unavailable for awhile and the last time it was around the LCBO botched the release in the most spectacular way, even by LCBO's very low standards. I've tasted the standard RB 12 from a few bottles that weren't mine in the last year and I've found it a bit more "alcohol nippy" than before. This Powers release sounds like it's got a bit better quality control happening. Thanks for the review.

@OdysseusUnbound we can expect the LCBO to botch any rollout they have to do for a product, incompetence and apathy meet.

I have never been able to secure a bottle of RB Cask Strength for myself, I have tried it through the generosity of samples and I like it quite a bit, some batches seem much better. I know Midleton has started to roll out a series of Cask Strength versions for the US market, there was a 10yr special edition and some "small batch" products, I won't hold my breath for any of that to come our way.

I have yet to notice this down here in the states but I will keep my eye out now!

As @casualtorture notes Powers' John's Lane 12 yo is NOT a common whiskey to find in many parts of the USA. When Jim Murray rated it 95 points and named it Irish Whiskey of the Year about 10 years ago I continuously had my eye out to get some. My sister got a bottle in Baltimore in about 2013, and I was able to get a bottle, also in Baltimore, about a year later. In both cases those were the only bottles offered for sale, and in the last 10 years those were the only bottles of this whiskey I have seen on any store shelves in the DC and Baltimore regions.

Her bottle was opened right away and I found it very disappointing at first. 2 years' air later it became great, and stayed that way until its end, about 4 years ago. My bottle hasn't been opened yet, but I expect it to be stiff at first in all likelihood, as both my sister's bottle, and @RianC's bottles were. After a waiting period I expect it to be Mr. Murray's 95 class whiskey.

@cricklewood as to the science naysayers: I know we can't scientifically explain it for now but most of us have had the experience of a whisky changing over time. It isn't always us or our senses. I did the experiment myself a few months ago with a fresh Highland Park 12 and a sample a friend gave me from an older bottling that had been opened over a year at the time he bottled the sample. Ok, I admit that batch variation plays a role here too, but wow what a difference ! The newer one had almost no peat or smoke to speak of. The older HP12 had that nice, gentle heathery peat and smoke that was present but not dominant.

@OdysseusUnbound I do not doubt what you say about the bottles you have experienced, but I can testify that my HP12 bottle purchased 11 years ago had ZERO noticeable peat, smoke, or sherry. It was just barley to taste, and almost none of that until it took 5 months of air time.