Powers John's Lane 12 Year Old
Pernod Ricard (Irish Distillers) · Midleton Distillery, Midleton, County Cork, Ireland
Nose
Creamy and lingering with black pepper arriving late, a slow warming sensation, and fading notes of dark chocolate and dried fruit
Palate
Vanilla, Honey, Dried Fruit, Clove Spice, Woody, Earthy
Finish
Powers John's Lane is the Irish whiskey that makes you rethink everything you thought you knew about the category.
- Distillation
- Rich amber gold
- Maturation
- $60–$75
Cocktail Suggestion
The John's Lane Flip: 2 oz Powers John's Lane · 1/2 oz demerara syrup · 1 whole egg · 2 dashes Angostura bitters · Dry shake vigorously, then shake with ice, strain into a coupe, grate fresh nutmeg on top.
Food Pairing
Dark chocolate truffles dusted with cocoa powder — the earthy, chocolatey depth of both creates a decadent match.
Be the first to comment.
Leave a comment
Jameson Black Barrel
Irish Distillers (Pernod Ricard; Jameson, est. 1780)
Jameson Black Barrel is what happens when the world's most approachable Irish whiskey gets a lesson in patience. The key difference from standard Jameson is the double-charred bourbon barrels — a process where spent barrels are re-charred before the whiskey goes in, reactivating the wood's sugars and deepening the flavor extraction. It's an extra step that takes extra time, and the result is a whiskey with noticeably more weight, complexity, and character. The pot still component adds a creamy, spicy backbone that the grain whiskey alone couldn't provide, and the char gives everything a toasty, caramelized edge. At its price point, Black Barrel may be the best value in Irish whiskey — complex enough to sip neat, versatile enough for cocktails, and proof that patience in the cooperage pays dividends in the glass.
Redbreast 12 Year Old
Pernod Ricard (Irish Distillers)
Redbreast 12 is the definitive pot still Irish whiskey — the one that shows you what the fuss is about. The 50/50 split of malted and unmalted barley creates a texture that’s impossible to achieve with malt alone: creamy, spicy, and full-bodied in a way that triple distillation normally smooths out. The combination of ex-bourbon honey and sherry dried fruit is seamless. The name comes from a bird-loving Gilbeys chairman in 1912, but the whiskey itself has roots stretching back much further — it’s one of only two single pot still brands produced nearly continuously since the early 1900s.
Waterford Sheestown Edition 8.1 Single Malt Irish Whiskey
Waterford
Waterford's single farm origin concept makes the barrel's influence a controlled variable, letting the barley itself speak. This Sheestown edition shows how terroir and restrained oak maturation can produce a whiskey of elegant precision. It's intellectual without being austere.
Midleton Dair Ghaelach Bluebell Forest Tree No. 4
Midleton
Midleton's Dair Ghaelach series is a masterclass in how maturation vessel transforms spirit. Tree No. 4 from Bluebell Forest showcases the furnace-like intensity of virgin Irish oak tamed by the decades-long patience of pot still maturation. At cask strength, it's a riveting study in heat shaped by time—bold, complex, and unmistakably Irish.
Teeling Blackpitts Peated Single Malt Irish Whiskey
Teeling
Teeling's Blackpitts is a reminder that Irish whiskey and peat were once inseparable. The triple-distilled spirit softens the smoke into something nuanced and approachable. Named after the area of Dublin where malt was historically dried over peat fires, this is a history lesson in a glass.
Writers' Tears Marsala Cask Finish
Writers' Tears
This Marsala Cask Finish demonstrates what a well-chosen cask can do when the base spirit already has structure. The pot still component provides enough backbone that the finishing cask flatters rather than masks. A distinctive Irish whiskey that rewards slow sipping.