Powers Gold Label

Among the blended Irish whiskeys I've tried, this one is notable for its combination of flavor and value, but the latter may be an artifact of an unusually good deal I got. It has a nice aroma of hearty grain that I associate with Irish whiskey. There's also lemon, honey, and maybe sourdough bread. It's not a super complex nose as most of the elements are kind of pointing in the same direction, but it's undeniably warm and enticing. The taste is rich and full, with more thick, hearty fresh-baked-bread, and more honey. In the finish there is a hint of that sourdough tang and perhaps a whiff of cinnamon spice. Again, it's not very complex, but for a basic budget whiskey this is remarkably satisfying. It has substantial body and hearty flavor. I got a liter bottle for $22. I naively assumed I would be able to buy at this price again, and looked forward to it. At that price this is an absolute steal that blows stuff like Jameson out of the water and comes tantalizingly close to being the Evan Williams Bottled-in-bond of Irish whiskey. If I could get a liter for $22 on the regular I would probably never let myself run out of this. Unfortunately it appears I was just lucky with the deal I got. The typical price is more like $28 for a 750ml bottle, which is considerably more expensive. At that price it's still worth buying, and I will probably get it again at some point, but it's a tougher call because it's now in competition with stuff like The Busker, which has a single pot still for about the same price. In any case, a tip of the hat to Powers for making such a solid whiskey in the budget blended category.

Nose: Honeyed oak, shortbread buscuits, a hint of green apples, Bartlett pears, candied lemon peel, buttered toast drizzled with honey, a touch of butterscotch, some fresh caramel, a hint of toffee, green apple hard candies, a touch of rye and oak spice from the fresh ex bourbon casks, dusty Canadian grain note, vanilla icing, a hint of floral (lilac) and vanilla infused sandalwood, a hint of green and sweet sapiness/vegetal note, some red berries (cranberries, strawberries, raspberries), spearmint infused cream, slight tar and char note, white chocolate Palate: Toast covered in treacle, white pepper, green apple flavoured hard candies, strawberry hard candies, chalky powdered sugar, limoncello (Italian lemon liquor), fresh caramel, old oak, a touch of spearmint snd cream, bittersweet cocoa, rye spice, a touch of cinnamon, sweet green herbal note, honey covered apple slices Finish: A touch of white pepper, some sweet oakiness, apple skins, white chocolate and remnants of honey covered orchard fruits

Midleton Distillery post-tour tasting, 20 May 2024, whisky #2 Nose: Butter, honeydew melon, plaintain, vanilla, there is a metallic aroma like water from old plumbing. Palate: Sweetish vegetal, green apple and cereal flavours veering towards papery grain notes as it develops. The texture is OK. Finish: Medium/Short. Overbrewed tea, cardboard, oak. This is clearly identifiable as Midleton distillate but it is just as clearly overshadowed by almost everything else in the Midleton range. To be fair it is a blended whisky and, apart from the Jameson range, everything else made at Midleton is pot still or single malt so maybe that's an unfair comparison. The thing is, here in Australia for $20 more you can get Green Spot, which is a much tastier pure pot still whisky and better value overall, and at the other end of the scale Jameson is $20 cheaper and just about as good, so you can't help but wonder - why bother with Gold Label? "Average" : 79/100 (2.75 stars)

Simple, sweet fragrance highlighting notes of vanilla, white clover, honied cereal, a hint of Pink Lady apple, and a touch of orangey citrus with a light caramel glaze. You have to do quite a lot of digging with your sniffer to pull these out though. Sweet on the tongue with just a bit of peppery spice, citrus tang, and a metallic quality. Initially, angel food cake appears, quickly followed by pink pepper, then a little baked Bosc pear and apples with the skins on in a buttery crust, plus some pecans, and a suggestion of copper. The body is velvety, even pillowy. No legs to speak of however, appearing momentarily in the sheets that quickly fall from the glass walls to leave behind a contingency of side streaking droplets of various sizes. The finish is somewhat underwhelming, with the slightest oak barrel spice influence, astringent red apple skin tannins, and an inkling of honey sweetness. Aroma: 7 Taste: 8 Body: 8 Finnish: 6

The aroma is subtle, but has notes of apple, banana, buttery cookie, caramel, and a hint of smoke. Upon tasting, it opens with apple, malt, grass, butter, and smoke. The malt then starts to shine through a bit more in the middle. As it finishes, it becomes a bit more of a sweet alcohol taste with a more subtle caramel, malt, grass, and smoke. The mouthfeel is slightly lighter than Powers Irish Rye and very light compared to Powers John’s Lane, but it still has the mouth coating finish that the other Powers whiskey has. Overall, I think the Irish Rye is more flavorful for the same or chraper price, but Gold Label still is a whiskey I think is worth the price for an occasional buy.

Flaviar advent calendar day #16 forgot to take a picture, but the color on this was deep bright Amber. I don't think I've seen a whiskey this color before, it looked unnatural, though it does not taste that way! Nose: cinnamon, clove, orange zest, white pepper, caramel, and oak. The slightest hint of pot still shortbread Palate: sweet. Honey, grain whiskey, butterscotch. It is a tiny bit thin at parts. Very mild oak and a bit of stewed apple. A touch of milk chocolate? Strong vanilla throughout. Cinnamon and wood spice as it transitions to finish Finish: woody. A hint of malt, a bit of metallic astringency, slight honey.