Powers John's Lane Release 12 Year

I gave this a less than favorable rating a few years back. Couple things. I’m a much more seasoned drinker now (whether that’s a good thing is up for debate), the last review was a bar pour, and it was from the older edition of this. The Irish whiskey market has also changed in the last few years. Redbreast 12 is getting more expensive, harder to find, and has taken what I think is a dip in quality (something something Sherry casks…). Yellow Spot (another 12 year old Middleton offering) is $110 where I live. Powers 12 however, is still $60-70, 46% ABV, and non chill filtered. I’d say that deserves another look, wouldn’t you? If you’re a single pot still fan, you’re gonna love this. Nose is rich with aromatic baking spices, toffee apple, and tonight I’m even getting a touch of cardamom. Taste (with about 4 mL of water) is full of depth and richness, milk chocolate, Manuka honey, baked apples. It’s fall in a glass. Because it’s non chill filtered there’s a rich coating mouthfeel that extends the finish on for a minute or more. Awesome. If you’re having a hard time finding affordable Redbreast and don’t want to drop the coin for one of the upscale Spot series, give this one another look. It’s a relative sleeper for now produced in the same stills as those other drams, but for either better presentation or value. Cheers!

I gave this a less than favorable rating a few years back. Couple things. I’m a much more seasoned drinker now (whether that’s a good thing is up for debate), the last review was a bar pour, and it was from the older edition of this. The Irish whiskey market has also changed in the last few years. Redbreast 12 is getting more expensive, harder to find, and has taken what I think is a dip in quality (something something Sherry casks…). Yellow Spot (another 12 year old Middleton offering) is $110 where I live. Powers 12 however, is still $60-70, 46% ABV, and non chill filtered. I’d say that deserves another look, wouldn’t you? If you’re a single pot still fan, you’re gonna love this. Nose is rich with aromatic baking spices, toffee apple, and tonight I’m even getting a touch of cardamom. Taste (with about 4 mL of water) is full of depth and richness, milk chocolate, Manuka honey, baked apples. It’s fall in a glass. Because it’s non chill filtered there’s a rich coating mouthfeel that extends the finish on for a minute or more. Awesome. If you’re having a hard time finding affordable Redbreast and don’t want to drop the coin for one of the upscale Spot series, give this one another look. It’s a relative sleeper for now produced in the same stills as those other drams, but for either better presentation or value. Cheers!

Nose features vanilla cream, butterscotch, sweetbread, nutmeg, white pepper, and hint of generic citrus. There’s an herb in there which is hard to pin down, but at gunpoint I’d say sage. Wood presence is minimal to non-existent. Decent strength and completely ethanol free. Warm and inviting. Palate opens with more heavy vanilla cream, cereal grains, butter, poppyseed muffin, clover honey, chocolate malt, and golden raisin. A welcome mild linseed oil taste keeps things lively. Flavors are more robust than the proof would indicate. Medium length finish finds the butterscotch promised in the nose, along with cake icing, pineapple, and sweet subtle oak. Mouthfeel is slick and creamy. Wow, this stuff is good. One of those whiskies that if people knew how good it was, it would fly off the shelf. At $80 it is priced appropriately for a 12 yr product of this quality. Maybe a shade short of the best of the “Breast” and “Spot” whiskies, but very solid nonetheless. Rebuy status.

Open 3 months Nose - Honey crisp apples, caramel, stewed peaches, light raspberry, lemon bars, and light ethanol. Palate - Oily sweet malt, lemon custard, apple pie, wildflower honey, and dried berries. Finish is medium-long with drier, sharp malt and white pepper notes, Honey Nut Cheerios, red wine tannins, and a little ethanol kick. This is freaking delightful, especially the nose. Because it is only 92 proof, it's light and sweet on the palate. At least it has some heft compared to other Irish whiskeys, but I'd love to try this at cask strength. If you've ever watched a YouTube video or read a blog about trying nicer Irish whiskey, two that are almost always mentioned are Redbreast 12 and Green Spot. For some reason, this 12Y single malt from the same distiller in the same price range is rarely mentioned. Try this first, it's superior in every way.

Far from my first pour of this Irish beauty, so let's give it a rate. Nose is fruity - apples and melon come to the forefront with an unsurprising heavy honey note. Floral on the edges...it is on the sweet end of the spectrum, and unabashedly so. While I could just nose this pour and end the evening quite happy, the sip does not disappoint. More fruity (apple) notes spring up early and there remains plenty of sweet honey, but a hefty dose of vanilla comes in before long and holds its grip until the dying end. There's a bit more girth here than, say, a Redbreast 12, but it makes it a notably different whiskey, and not in a bad way. Finishes incredibly smooth with a long, yet graceful ending...this is probably my favorite offering from Powers (to date...)

I know I'm a sneaky big Irish Whiskey fan. This is a great addition to my collection. (suggested by Ralphy). Honey, vanilla, like cereal/grain notes and a confectionery sugar sweetness. Reminds me of Frosted Flakes a bit. I forget the other whiskey that had the same note for me. It's meant as a positive. Aroma is sweet and of the sugary cereal. Really enjoy this. If I'm being honest, I liked it so much that it never occurred to me to add some water. Having thought of it I did do and didn't like the result. Some heat came forward and that's about it. Just not worth it *** ***. I was wrong, it's 20 minutes later and the water settled in wonderfully. Richer with a longer finish. I increased my score to 4.25. Yes, really good with more vanilla