Powers Gold Label

[boss302]

I was just reading the newest Wine Enthusiast and the Q&A is with Denis Heffernan, a bartender at the Guinness Bar in the Cashel Palace Hotel. He's been tending bar for 40 years, 36 of which were at the Cashel. He recommends Powers by name for his signature Irish Coffee and says it works the best because "it's the only whiskey (sic) that has that wonderful peaty flavor of a fine whiskey (sic)." He goes on to recommend Jameson Red Breast as a good sipping whiskey "because it's not blended."

Wine Enthusiast March 2008 Page 14

I don't know what he's talking about-- I can't taste any peat in Irish whisky whatsoever.

Redbreast might not be a blend, but it is unclear whether or not it is only made in one distillery. Either way, it doesn't draw from the stocks of nearly as many distilleries as Jameson or Powers, so it is definitely more of a "small batch" whiskey...

[ILLfarmboy]

Peated Irishes are uncommon. One of the main distinguishing features of Irish whiskeys, that sets them apart from Scotch, is that they are
non-peated. To my knowledge "Connemara Single Malt" is the only peated Irish currently being made and "Redbreast" is indeed not a blend. I'm looking at the side of the box, it says: Unique among whiskeys, Redbreast is a 'single', unblended, pure pot still Irish whiskey which has been triple distilled and matured in oak casks for not less than twelve years.

How anyone with 40 years experience as a bar tender can taste peat in Powers Gold, is a mystery.

[jbaker]

I don't know what he's talking about-- I can't taste any peat in Irish whisky whatsoever.

Couldn't tell ya. I was just reporting. Furthermore, I think it's interesting that he says that it has the peaty-ness which is the sign of a good whisky. If you push that out philosophically, what he's saying is that most Irish whiskies are not good, and that most Scotch whiskies are good. Where do his sympathies lie, you wonder?

[Jono]

"a bartender at the Guinness Bar in the Cashel Palace Hotel. He's been tending bar for 40 years, 36 of which were at the Cashel."

His ignorance is stupendous....

[TNbourbon]

I suspect he's confusing peatiness with copper influence of the pot still -- which will vary depending on the state of the current cycle between re-coppering.
I've had some older Jameson 12yo which is quite different than a newer version, and I also originally credited it to 'peatiness'. But, I eventually came to realize that it was probably the difference between when each was made -- the older one was much more influenced by the still's copper than the newer one. It wasn't peat at all, of course.

[ILLfarmboy]

I suspect he's confusing peatiness with copper influence of the pot still -- which will vary depending on the state of the current cycle between re-coppering.
I've had some older Jameson 12yo which is quite different than a newer version, and I also originally credited it to 'peatiness'. But, I eventually came to realize that it was probably the difference between when each was made -- the older one was much more influenced by the still's copper than the newer one. It wasn't peat at all, of course.

When I first tried Knappogue Castle , the 1992, I thought I detected a whisper of peat, on the nose mostly. But tasting it side by side with JW Gold it became quite evident it wasn't peat I was detecting.

[HipFlask]

I like Powers whiskey. Jameson is ok. But I just don't seem to like anything Bushmills. I've given them all a shot except the most expensive one. If I have to drink Irish I buy Powers. Um...Peat is in the lowland scotches not in the Irish whiskeys.

[boss302]

I like Powers whiskey. Jameson is ok. But I just don't seem to like anything Bushmills. I've given them all a shot except the most expensive one. If I have to drink Irish I buy Powers. Um...Peat is in the lowland scotches not in the Irish whiskeys.

Actually, peat is most commonly found in whiskies from the Scottish islands, like the Orkney isles, Islay, Skye, and Jura, to name a few-- but Islay has the most peat-heavy style.

Lowland malts are always un-peated, though only 3 lowland distilleries remain, one of which was just resurrected (that being Bladnoch).

[boss302]

I don't know what he's talking about-- I can't taste any peat in Irish whisky whatsoever.

My apologies-- I forgot about Connemara, which is *very* heavily-peated.

As for bartenders-- I happen to be one. I am the only one in my area (that I know of) who knows that Jack Daniels is NOT a bourbon!

[boss302]

Couldn't tell ya. I was just reporting. Furthermore, I think it's interesting that he says that it has the peaty-ness which is the sign of a good whisky. If you push that out philosophically, what he's saying is that most Irish whiskies are not good, and that most Scotch whiskies are good. Where do his sympathies lie, you wonder?

In all fairness, the VAST majority of Scotch whisky, is un-peated. The smokiness you find in blended Scotch whiskies, like Johnnie Walker, come form the small portions of island malts.

For example, if I remember right, I think Talisker used to be a MAJOR component of Dewar's...

Either way, the most popular distilleries, usually the Highlands (Glenmorangie, Dalwhinnie, etc) and Speysides (Glenlivet, Glenfiddich, etc), use either very little, or no, peat smoke in their malted barley.