Powers Irish Whiskey has today (Tuesday, January 31) unveiled the world’s first 100% Irish rye whiskey.
According to the brand, the ground-breaking release, Powers Irish Rye, uses 100% Irish rye for the first time ever.
Born from trials at Irish Distillers’ renowned Midleton Distillery in Co. Cork, the company has said that Powers Irish Rye balances the trademark earthy, peppery character of rye with the sweet flavour profile imparted from maturation in American oak-virgin oak, first fill and refills in the cask mix.
100% Irish Rye
The launch of Powers Irish Rye is grounded in the heritage of the whiskey brand, according to Carol Quinn, archivist at Irish Distillers.
Old mash bills and recipes reveal that Powers experimented with rye over its history, while as the scientific knowledge of distilling expanded throughout the 19th century, the company continually strove to innovate with 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 explained.
“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.”
The company admits that finding an Irish supplier was a challenge, since commercial rye farming in Ireland had all but disappeared.
But Powers went on to commission the planting of rye crops exclusively for this Irish whiskey.
Wexford supplier
With a commitment to sustainable farming, the Cooney Furlong farm in Co. Wexford supplies 100% of the rye used in Powers Irish Rye.
Located just a short distance from Edermine House, the ancestral home of the Powers family, the farm ensures an ongoing Irish rye supply to Powers.
Celebrating the launch of Powers Irish Rye, Eric Ryan, Powers Distiller commented: “We attribute the success of this whiskey firstly to the extended team at Midleton Distillery, yet 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.
“But it proved a worthy endeavour. In an interview conducted by Royal Commission on whiskey back in 1908, the Powers ethos was best described by James Talbot Power, ‘at Powers, we are producers of flavours, not of spirits’, and we are proud to continue this Powers legacy in 2023,” Ryan added.
Bottled at 43.2% ABV, Powers Irish Rye is due to be released from February 20, 2023 in the US, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Dublin Airport and online.