The Powerscourt Distillery Celebrates Six Major Accolades. Latest on Cork Whiskey Fest 2023!

press release 

The Powerscourt Distillery Celebrates Six Major Accolades already for 2023!

 

There were two wins in the World Whiskies Awards Irish Category, 

  as well as further Highly Commended awards in the Icons of Whiskey Ireland.

2023 WORLD WHISKIES AWARDS – IRISH CATEGORY

Estate Series 2: The Italian Gardens:  Gold Medal and Category winner

Distillery Select:  Gold Medal and Category winner

Irish Whiskey Brand Ambassador of the Year - Highly Commended Alan Malone

Paul Corbett takes home Master Distiller/Master Blender

The Powerscourt Distillery Visitor Centre wins Best Visitor Attraction

Santina Kennedy is Highly Commended for Campaign Innovator

        

Wicklow’s Powerscourt Distillery, a leading producer of premium whiskey, is proud to announce that it has won six major awards already for 2023. At the 2023 World Whiskies Awards, they took home two Irish category wins, while at the 2023 Icons of Whiskey Ireland Awards, they also received another “Highly Commended” award for “Irish Whiskey category Brand ambassador 2023” going to Alan Malone (European Sales Manager for the Distillery). These prestigious awards recognise the distillery’s commitment to producing top-quality spirits that are crafted with care and attention to detail.

 

“We are delighted with these awards that reflect the hard work and dedication of the team since we started in 2018. Two whiskeys that reflect the best of our home, County Wicklow, both in concept and collaboration. We look forward to these whiskeys taking their deserved place in the World’s best whiskey competition at the end of March.” John Cashman said Head of NPD & Brand at The Powerscourt Distillery.

 

These recent accolades add to the hat trick of awards at won National level last November for the – Powerscourt Distillery Visitor Centre  - Best Visitor Attraction accepted by Gerry Ginty COO, Paul Corbett as Master Distiller/Master Blender, and a Highly Commended for Campaign Innovator accepted by Santina Kennedy – Food & Beverage Specialist at Powerscourt Distillery.

 

The Powerscourt Distillery awards come as no surprise to those in the industry who have long recognised the distillery’s commitment to excellence. The Distillery is looking forward to an exciting year ahead in 2023!

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Cork Whiskey Fest 2023.      

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Mitchell & Son In Cork Whiskey Fest "Spot"light. Fercullen Now In USA!

Mitchell & Son 

In Cork Whiskey Fest "Spot"light 

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Fercullen Now In USA!

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The famous Mitchell & Son bottles will be the subject of a masterclass during the Cork Whiskey Fest in March. Details below but first we sample the original Green Spot, the current fill in my Bradley's Hip Flask.

Mitchell & Son Green Spot Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey, 40% ABV

Widely available at c. €65.00

Fresh and gentle aromatics, apple and elderflower plus honey notes. Light fruit notes on the mellow palate, exotic such as mango and pineapple, more closer to home like apple, and honey too.  Mellow yes but quite full bodied with a light spicy and lingering finish from this gorgeous pale-gold coloured whiskey, the original Green Spot.

This is now produced in Midleton. That was not always the case: The Green Spot name originated from the Mitchell family’s practice (started around 1900) of marking casks of different ages with a daub of coloured paint. Originally there was a ‘Blue Spot’, ‘Red Spot’ and even a ‘Yellow Spot’, but Green Spot emerged as their most popular whiskey and is one of the few “whiskey bonder brands” to survive to modern day.

Single Pot Still whiskey is unique to Ireland in general and to the Midleton Distillery, Co. Cork, in particular, and is regarded as the quintessential style of Irish whiskey. Made from a mash of malted and unmalted barley and then triple distilled in traditional copper pot stills, Pot Still whiskeys are characterised by full, complex flavours and a wonderful, creamy mouthfeel.

Cork Whiskey Fest. I've reserved my ticket for the Spot Masterclass, details.....

You can learn more, much more, about the Spots and whiskey in general at Cork Whiskey Fest 2023. 

On the Saturday (Mar 25th), Midleton legend Ger Garland and Brand Ambassador Matthew Smith guide you through a selection of Spot whiskey along with their finishing wines, for this stellar masterclass. Mitchell and Sons Wine & Spirits Merchants are the sole remaining licenced bonder with Irish Distillers. Their wine finished single pot still Irish whiskeys are a pillar in Irish Whiskey. 

The festival will take place from 24th – 26th March across Cork City’s historic Victorian Quarter. Centred on MacCurtain St, CWF 2023 will concentrate whiskey fans on 1 street, for 3 days for plenty of craic and fantastic whiskey experiences. You will be hosted by many Festival Friends, in the many bars and rooms of The VQ, that will make Cork the epicentre of Irish Whiskey for one weekend. Come join the many masterclasses and events that CWF 2023 has to offer, on the tickets page.

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Fercullen Now In USA!

 

 Powerscourt Distillery is delighted to announce that the US arm of Zamora Company will import, sell, and market Fercullen in the market, effective immediately.

“We at the Powerscourt Distillery have waited until the right time and crucially finding the right partner before we launched Fercullen Irish Whiskey into the US market and we are in a great position to appoint Zamora Company USA as our national importers,” Ryan Stapleton, Powerscourt Distillery's global head of sales.

Fercullen Falls, Fercullen Single Malt, 15 Year Old Fercullen Whiskey, and limited edition Fercullen 21 Year Old, will be available in the States.

“As we continue to grow our world-class spirits and wines in the US, Irish whiskey has long been at the top of our list of categories to strengthen our portfolio, and Fercullen from the Powerscourt Distillery has always been our top choice,” said Andrew Stewart, global brand manager at Zamora Company USA.

We look forward to bringing our core Fercullen and limited release Irish whiskeys to the US in 2023 and to working closely with the excellent team at Zamora Company USA in the years to come.

The Irishman Whiskey review. Plus news from Jameson & Fercullen.

The Irishman Whiskey review. Plus news from Jameson.

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The Irishman Single Malt 40% ABV

This Walsh Whiskey single malt has been raised in Bourbon and Sherry casks and, on first glance, you can detect a little extra colour. And there are also some hints in the aromas with a soft sweetness of dried fruits, in with the richness of the malt, plus vanilla notes along with floral notes.

It’s a good start and the palate doesn’t disappoint either. Excellent flavour and complexity and a lingering finish with a light maltiness and sweet oak. Toothsome fruit stays the course right through to the finalé where the honeyed malt and the oak reassert themselves with an elegant subtlety. Really superbly balanced and very satisfactory all round. 

Bernard Walsh has earned a lot of credit for his choices in the production and the whiskey itself has picked up a string of awards including a gold at “The World Spirits Competition” in San Francisco and again in ISW Germany. Not to be sniffed at.

Produced by Walsh Whiskey using Bourbon and Sherry Casks. The triple distilled malt was sourced from the Bushmills distillery in County Antrim.

Enjoyed this one very much indeed. So I’ll be keeping an eye on the Irishman. Next “job” for me is to check out the distillery’s flavour wheel. Would you like to see which Irishman suits you? Click here 

The Irishman is widely available around the €52 mark. I didn’t buy a bottle but, as a member of the Hip Flask Club, I got mine filled with close to 180mls (6 ozs) at Bradley’s, North Main St, Cork.

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press release

Introducing Jameson Single Pot Still

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press release

Powerscourt Distillery Unveils a Very Special Limited Edition Fercullen 21-Year-Old Single Malt

RRP for this edition, limited to just 8,000 bottles, is €225 and available now

The Powerscourt Distillery announces its latest launch, its oldest release of Fercullen whiskey to date. The inaugural 2022 release is a marriage of 21-Year-old Single Malt whiskey matured in ex-bourbon barrels, with a selection of Oloroso Sherry and Pedro Ximénez finished whiskeys.

 

The collaboration of blending from Head of Whiskey John Cashman and Head Distiller and Blender Paul Corbett was inspired by the atmospheric bodegas of the Andalusian region of Spain. The finished whiskey combines the region's distinctive dark fruit sherried flavours with the soft elegance of 21-year bourbon matured malt whiskey.

 

John Cashman, Head of Whiskey for Powerscourt Distillery, said, “This is the oldest whiskey expression released by Powerscourt Distillery to date, “this aged single malt will become an exclusive annual release, with the vintage year prominent on the label. I believe this Single Malt is destined to become one of the great Irish whiskeys of the modern era”.  

Paul Corbett, Head Distiller and Blender, said, “This blend was a marriage of 70% bourbon, 20% Oloroso and 10% PX sherry casks. The sherry component was first matured in bourbon barrels before finishing for a further two years in European oak.  21 years in bourbon barrels imparted a beautiful vanilla sweetness to the whiskey when combined with the dried fruits from the sherry casks and drying spice/structure from the European oak we created a single malt with an amazing depth of flavour and complexity.”

Bottled at 46% ABV, non-chill filled, Fercullen 21-year-old Single Malt will be available online at www. PowerscourtDistillery.com  from the 30th of September and selected off-licences around the country.

Official tasting notes:

Nose: Honeydew melon, lychee, rich vanilla fudge, pe ar drops and soft leather.

Palate: Vanilla fudge with dried fruits, dark chocolate with orange oil, and cracked hazelnuts.

Finish: Sweet fudge, candied cherries, fruit cake and drying spices.

Powerscourt Distillery Unveils Their Brand New Small Batch Irish Whiskey “Fercullen Falls”

Powerscourt Distillery Unveils Their Brand New

Small Batch Irish Whiskey

“Fercullen Falls”

Launched this week, Powerscourt Distillery is delighted to announce its brand new release, Fercullen Falls, which is a blend of malt and grain whiskeys. Fercullen Falls has a high malt content highlighting the unique style of the Powerscourt Distillery. The malt whiskey has matured in first-fill ex-bourbon barrels, and the grain is in a combination of ex-bourbon and new heavy char oak casks, making it an excellent 50/50 blend. RRP for Fercullen Falls is €38 and is available nationwide.

 

Head of Whiskey for the Distillery, John Cashman, said:

“With this release, The Powerscourt Distillery is heralding the start of a new era for the Distillery with the inclusion of malt whiskey distilled right here in Powerscourt. As a proud Wicklow man, it is wonderful to be part of the first (legal!) whiskey distilled in Wicklow in over a hundred years. The team has worked very hard to develop and deliver Fercullen Falls Blended Irish Whiskey and we are very pleased with the results.”

“The 50 % Malt content in the blend adds to the complexity and depth of flavour, which is very different to what other blended Irish whiskeys are offering”.

Said Powerscourt Distillery’s Paul Corbett, Head Distiller and Blender.

 

Drawing from its unique location, the name refers to the Powerscourt waterfall, Ireland's highest waterfall at 121 metres. Its contemporary design evokes thoughts of whiskey falling into a glass and shared amongst friends.

 

Caroline Gardiner, Head of Marketing, said:

“This new core expression from Powerscourt Distillery will ensure our whiskey is relevant to a new generation. A consumer audience which is driving the growth of Irish whiskey, seeking quality, not quantity. ”

 

The whiskey is bottled at 43% ABV, and with its higher than standard malt whiskey blend, it’s perfect for enjoying straight or as a base for your favourite cocktail.

 

Enjoy it your way!

 

Fercullen Falls Blended Irish Whiskey – is in store now. RRP€38

Press release

Two Stacks Whiskey in a Can and, Wicklow on the Double, a new Stout Infused Fercullen

Two Stacks Irish Whiskey Dram in a Can 86 proof or 43% ABV, 100ml can, €7.00 O’Donovan’s Off Licence

Just last year, Two Stacks Whiskey and myself got off on the right foot. Their neighbouring brewery used a Two Stacks Whiskey cask to brew Brehon Brewhouse Oak & Mirrors Two Stacks Whiskey Cask Aged Imperial Porter (7.5%) and that very beer was my Beer of the Year for 2021. So, I had more than a little confidence when I paid seven euro for this “Dram in a Can” at my local O’’Donovan’s Off Licence.

But whiskey in a can? I’m still a bit doubtful as I pull the tab. And then there’s that inviting gold colour in the glass and as the liquid seeps across the palate the doubt folds and the robust yet, as the fantastic stone fruit flavours take hold in this sweet and spicy whiskey, rounded pleasure unfolds. The aromatics had been somewhat on the modest side giving just only a slender indication of the toasted wood, vanilla and fruit flavours (nectarine, apricot) to follow. A complex whiskey indeed but a very smooth and approachable  drink.

Two Stacks tell us that over 500,000 cans have been sold globally since the Dram in a Can was launched in March 2021. It is “serving the same great flavour profile and focus on quality spirit as the rest of our blended range. Perfect for on the move, out with friends or even just a solo dram in the great outdoors.” On the move includes inflight.

I bought mine as a single can but a four-pack of Dram in a Can is also available and is meant to be enjoyed at a dinner party, on a camping trip, after a hike, golfing or skiing. The whiskey in the can is also available as a 700ml bottle, called Two Stacks Blended Whiskey.

Geek Bits:

40% dark grain - aged in Virgin oak casks.

40%  light grain - aged in bourbon casks

8% pot still - aged in Oloroso sherry casks

10% double malt - aged in Bourbon casks

2% peated malt - aged in Bourbon casks.

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Wicklow on the double!

In this press release, Powerscourt Distillery announce a special Distillery Select Release with casks from fellow county craft brewers The Wicklow Brewery.

Fercullen Single Grain finished in an Imperial Stout infused cask from The Wicklow Brewery

This special bottling of Fercullen Irish whiskey is the first of a ‘Distillery Select’ series hand- chosen by the team at the distillery and is exclusively available online from their website and in store at the Distillery shop.

• A 10-year-old single grain Irish whiskey which has finished for one and a half years in 2 barrels which previously held 12.12.20 Imperial Stout from The Wicklow Brewery in Redcross, Co. Wicklow.

• 49% ABV

• This Distillery exclusive release is limited to just 552 bottles and is priced at €95.00.

• Strictly 1 bottle per person

Nose :

Freshly whipped cream, latte coffee, sticky toffee pudding with a hint of Orange bitters.

Taste:

Mouth-coating oils and cream with forest fruits and a malty biscuit note as the stout influence becomes more apparent.

Finish:

Mouth-coating and sweet with warming fruity spice.

More info here.

A couple of Irish whiskey gems: Fercullen 14-year old and Killowen 6-year old

A couple of Irish whiskey gems: 

Fercullen 14-year old and Killowen 6-year old

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Fercullen 14 year old Single Malt 46% ABV

Carefully selected from rare stocks of aged Irish whiskey, this Irish Single Malt by Fercullen was matured exclusively in ex-Bourbon barrels by Master Distiller Noel Sweeney in his time as Master Distiller at the Powerscourt Distillery.

Note the light gold colour and also the slow slow legs. The nose is quite complex, honey and spice, sweet from the malt. Complex yet smooth and harmonious on the palate, layer after layer of different flavours, silky and sweet, the oak crisp, the whiskey fresh and spicy. And the finish follows much the same pattern: complex, fruity, with that amazing sweet spice. Memorable. The 14 years haven’t been wasted. On the contrary!

“This is a truly remarkable whiskey, smooth, satisfying, perfectly balanced, and easy to drink…” said Noel Sweeney. “Exclusively matured in fresh Bourbon barrels for over 14 years, it has married oak and bourbon with a fruity clean malty spirit to deliver a classic with a maturity beyond its years.”

So smooth, so harmonious on the palate, sweet and silky and fresh from start to finish. Gather up this Single Malt. Keep one for every one you drink now! 

The Powerscourt Distillery was founded in 2018 but the history of the Powerscourt Estate can be traced back to the 9th century to a territory that stretches across fertile plains and rugged mountainous land.

Known in native Gaelic tongue as “FeraCulann” or Fercullen, it is located in the foothills of the Wicklow mountains, close to Dublin. Ownership has been claimed by many over the centuries, from the native Clans of O’Toole and O’Byrne, to the Norman house of LePoer (who built a castle here and from whom the estate takes its name.)

The whiskey is generally priced at €92.95 and is available at Irish Malts and Celtic Whiskey. Mine came via Bradley’s Hip Flask service, a very popular service by the way; a full bottle here is keenly priced at €89.95.

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Killowen Signature Rum & Raisin 6-Year Old Single Malt Whiskey 55% abv, 50ml bottle. Batch #4.

Colour, as you might expect, is a shade or two darker than the usual. You can’t always judge a whiskey by its colour and here it is the aromas, rounded and rich, that are making the promise, a promise that will be amply fulfilled. And indeed, it is smooth and rich and long, no extremes at all other than being extremely well executed. Waves of flavour, delicious dried fruit notes from the sweet sherry butts melding superbly with Caribbean rum inputs of molasses and vanilla. 

With an ABV of 55%, a drop or two of water is advised. I took my own advice here and that tiny input of H2O makes it even smoother without impacting negatively on any of its other qualities.

To make this single malt Irish whiskey, Newry’s Killowen firstly aged the spirit for 5 years in Bourbon casks and then expertly balanced the PX sherry and dark Rum finishes “for the perfect flavour of the Caribbean with coconut and vanilla, figs, prunes and raisins…. The County Louth malt is the perfect compliment to the marriage”.

Just 995 bottles were produced. My Killowen came via Bradley’s Hip Flask service, a very popular service by the way, and my flask was filled from bottle #140. Full bottles (50cl) are priced at  €64.95 in Celtic Whiskey; €62.95 in Irish Malts (Batch #5). 

Founded by distiller Brendan Carty, Killowen’s team brings together a rogues gallery of whiskey experts and enthusiasts, all driven by one thing; bringing back the character and tradition of real Irish whiskey. Brendan is active and influential in the Irish distilling world, and is obsessed with the revival of forgotten styles of native distilling.

Media release - Killowen's Double Release:

Pic via Killowen Facebook

KILLOWEN BELGROVE OAT & RYE RELEASES
BONDED INTERNATIONAL SERIES
PARTS 1 of 2

OAT ABV: 59.79% - RYE ABV 60.61%

"The two whiskeys we released on Monday July 11th are Independent bottlings of Belgove Rye (239 bottles) & Oat (222 bottles), these are also released in the true Killowen fashion: cask strength, no added colour, integrity bottlings, with full label transparency." 

The reason for celebrating another micro distillery’s spirit is because we love it. It has connections with Irish whiskey’s rich past and with its contemporary future. Most whiskeys need to be old - very, very few don’t, however, just like Killowen, Belgrove put the effort in at spirit production stage instead of relying on prolonged casking, the sacrifice is quantity but who needs quantity when our game plan, above all else is quality.

Killowen has played its part in spreading the Belgrove gospel throughout the Northern Hemisphere. We have a profound respect for Peter Bignell and his liquid. After purchasing some Belgrove from Peter last summer we felt right now is the perfect time in the Killowen journey to release it.

The Rye - 60.61%
239 bottles
Finished in Ex-Malt & Australian Pinot Noir Casks

The Oat - 59.79%
222 bottles
Finished in Ex-Malt & Australian Pinot Noir Casks

RRP: £94.95

For more, see Killowen's social media.