Powers Gold Label

I ran out of Irish whiskey a while back, and for whatever reason (mostly Scotch...) I've dragged my feet on replacing a bottle in my stocks. I absolutely ADORE Redbreast 12, but for whatever reason the $60 price point has been a turn off recently. Not sure why since I'm perfectly willing to drop more than that on good Scotch...anyhoo, I was wandering around at Total Wine and saw this for $30 in a sleek new bottle (yes, packing works on me. Commence pointing and laughing) and made an impulse buy. I tried the Powers 12 Year John's Lane a while back and found it a bit harsh, so I had low expectations, but wow! This wins the slugfest for best budget Irish by a longshot! Nose has all the expected buttery, shortbread notes with some of that pot still spice poking through. Taste follows suit. Lots of buttery, vanilla notes. Don't detect any sherry cask but honestly I feel like it's not necessary. There's a long, spicy finish that entices me back for more until I realize that my glass is empty. Even though this is a blend, I don't get any harsh, metallic grain notes like on Black Bush or Jameson, and I like the higher ABV. Seems like they were going for a quality product over mass production (though I suspect there's that too). There's clearly a high proportion of that Powers aggressive house pot still style in this, but it's rounded off by the grain, and I actually find myself enjoying it more than the John's Lane. Whoda thunk?! This gets to stay. This is my new favorite affordable Irish. I still love the Redbreast, and I'm sure it'll be back, but for now, this is a fine, everyday placeholder. Cheers!

Nose is cinnamon and apple with faint banana. Taste is overwhelming cinnamon and decidedly single noted. Decent whiskey for a highball.

For a $30 price point (Oregon) this is a damned solid value! It definitely punches above its weight...I think it’s nearly as good as Tullamore 12. NEARLY. This has a lot of the rich sherry notes in it which suggests a high content of single malt in the blend.

Vanilla, pastry, light herbs, oak, slight bitterness on the finish. 74/100

Sweet and very easy drinking. Flavors of honey, clove, and a hint of orange

This is, in my opinion, the best of the basic Irish Whiskeys. These are Bushmills, Tullamore Dew, Jameson, and Powers. I know there are a lot of other Irish whiskeys out there but I find these four in every liquor store I go into. I have had all of these either at friends or for my own bar and the Gold Label Powers is by far the best of the group. It has a fuller flavor with light vanilla and caramel(maybe) notes on the nose. It is an Irish whiskey so it is smooth and lighter flavored but it is so much better than its competition it even has more flavor than most Canadian whiskeys as well. It is a fine everyday drinker and if you want to mix it feel free to. It is an introductory whiskey in the line play with it. It is $28 around where I live which puts it right in the wheelhouse of all of the Irish whiskeys. I really like this even though it does not have the depth older whiskeys or bourbon it is still good. Enjoy.