What Whisky/Whiskey are we drinking this month?

Mellor

SM35 wrote: »

I am more into wine TBH - although have enjoyed some interesting scotch whisky over the years as I lived there and had an uncle in the business. Would gladly swop the bottle of Midleton Very Rare for a couple half bottles of Ch Yquem!!
BTW - will the Midleton Very Rare improve over time in the bottle?

No it’s more or less the same as when it was bottled. The jump in price compared to the retail is down to rarity.

beardybrewer

The Nal wrote: »

Picked up a bottle of Lustau yesterday. Really tasty stuff.

My Dunnes vouchers take the sting out of the €20 for the Redbreast Trinity Collection. I like Redbreast 12 quite a bit, but value-wise I would spend my money on other bottles for the price. Similar to the Teeling tasting I did last week I'm apparently a sucker for charred sherry casks. They really add that whack of wood and spice. All lovely in their own right and a fun little sampler. Compared to pub prices, it's worth the punt for the 3x 50ml samples. Just enough the spread a sampling over two impressions.

Hogzy

Opinions on the new Powers bottle redesign. I personally dont like it. I think it looks quite cheap and unremarkable. Who thought that it was a good idea for Powers Gold Label to have a red label?

L1011

Johns Lane was reddish before and is now gold? Bit nuts.

Hogzy

I dont understand some companies keeness to remove the product detail from the front of the bottle. Take a look at the (now) old design Powers bottles I think the writing on the front of the bottle (below the logo) sort of gives the impression that this is a unique product and the bottle is telling you why. I think detail like that is especially more important to the likes of Johns Lane and Three Swallows which are most certainly not unremarkable whiskeys in any shape or form.

Maybe im just being overly pedantic but I really think this is a step in the wrong direction.

odyssey06

Oh dear, how can you have a product called Gold Label and give it a red label?
Can't fathom it... the old layout was classic and timeless.

ZV Yoda

I actually like the new bottles, but I agree the labelling is all wrong.

I can see what they're trying to do with the branding - i.e. create a more contemporary new parent brand and sub-brands, but the labels look like something you'd see on a craft beer.

It's a tricky balance - preserving the heritage / familiarity while bringing the branding into the 21st century.

I think Irish Distillers did a good job with the recent refresh of Redbreast bottles & labels. They look crisper than the older ones, but still retain a lot of the old character.

Quackster

ZV Yoda wrote: »

I actually like the new bottles, but I agree the labelling is all wrong.

I can see what they're trying to do with the branding - i.e. create a more contemporary new parent brand and sub-brands, but the labels look like something you'd see on a craft beer.

It's a tricky balance - preserving the heritage / familiarity while bringing the branding into the 21st century.

I think Irish Distillers did a good job with the recent refresh of Redbreast bottles & labels. They look crisper than the older ones, but still retain a lot of the old character.

Yep, they're trying to further take Powers out from under the Jameson shadow. I too like the contemporary design but agree that having a red label for Gold Label is pretty bonkers.

What I think they really should be looking at to further develop Powers is re-establish a tangible link with its historic home with a Roe & Co style boutique distillery in Dublin 8.

beardybrewer

The new bottle looks better suited for a new hipster gin.

At the end of the day we're probably just a small part of their overall market. Must have tested well somewhere possibly in 'merica where Powers isn't as well known as it should be.

mik_da_man

As far as I know that new design is for the US only where powers is quite low down on the popularity scale.
The design here is not changing

CosmicFool

They look cheap

Useful.Idiot

mik_da_man wrote: »

As far as I know that new design is for the US only where powers is quite low down on the popularity scale.
The design here is not changing

This would make more sense.

Mellor

Quackster wrote: »

What I think they really should be looking at to further develop Powers is re-establish a tangible link with its historic home with a Roe & Co style boutique distillery in Dublin 8.

IDL have a massive facility in Cork. I doubt they are any where near capacity.
Building a small working distillery purely for marketing would be a massive waste of money imo. The Roe situation was very different.
Besides, the original site is now the NCAD complex AFAIK.

EugeC90

mik_da_man wrote: »

As far as I know that new design is for the US only where powers is quite low down on the popularity scale.
The design here is not changing

I read online that the new Johns Lane and Three Swallows bottles will be launched in Ireland March 2020 with the Gold Label to be reviewed. Irish distillers probably realised that changing Gold Label in Ireland would be a harder sell.



https://potstilled.com/2020/01/08/powers-whiskeys-bold-new-rebrand/#more-4611

odyssey06

I'm guessing this is part of the marketing push. Spotted it on Eventbrite:
Tasting event-Ha'Penny Bridge Inn Join us in the iconic Ha'Penny Bridge Inn for an afternoon of the original Dublin whiskey- POWERS.
https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/powers-whiskey-tasting-tickets-88925060249?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

Twee.

Mellor wrote: »

IDL have a massive facility in Cork. I doubt they are any where near capacity.
Building a small working distillery purely for marketing would be a massive waste of money imo. The Roe situation was very different.
Besides, the original site is now the NCAD complex AFAIK.

There's a self-guided walk around NCAD about Powers, you can just walk in any time the gates are open. The pot still is still there in the main square of the campus.

I don't like the bottle shape on the rebranding or most of the label tbh, but I do like the prominence of the Diamond P, that goes way back in the history of branding. The brand does need some love, and there has been an effort over the last 4-5 years to do so in the Irish market, obviously the rebrand is a lot more noticeable and out there for the general consumer, but they've been ticking away at the marketing in a more concentrated way over the last few years, and now it seems they're ramping up.

Quackster

mik_da_man wrote: »

As far as I know that new design is for the US only where powers is quite low down on the popularity scale.
The design here is not changing

From what I've heard, the intention is to roll out the new design across all markets over the course of the year, starting with North America.

Quackster

Mellor wrote: »

IDL have a massive facility in Cork. I doubt they are any where near capacity.
Building a small working distillery purely for marketing would be a massive waste of money imo. The Roe situation was very different.
Besides, the original site is now the NCAD complex AFAIK.

Yep, it mightn't make economic sense but it's a pity the quintessential Dublin whiskey no longer has any tangible links with the city.

There was rumour not so long ago that IDL was planning a new distillery in east Cork or Waterford in the coming years due to Midleton approaching capacity.

Mellor

Quackster wrote: »

Yep, it mightn't make economic sense but it's a pity the quintessential Dublin whiskey no longer has any tangible links with the city.

Personally I’d more-so associate Jameson with Dublin. With less people knowing about Johns Lane. But possibly due to the Bow presence in the city.

There was rumour not so long ago that IDL was planning a new distillery in east Cork or Waterford in the coming years due to Midleton approaching capacity.

I’m sure they’d considered the option if the time cane was Midleton was maxed out.

the beer revolu

Mellor wrote: »

IDL have a massive facility in Cork. I doubt they are any where near capacity.
Building a small working distillery purely for marketing would be a massive waste of money imo. The Roe situation was very different..

The Roe and Co distillery is just a marketing facility. Yes, it produces whiskey but the majority of the liquid is sourced.
Building that distillery to produce whiskey makes no economic sense.
It's a shopfront.

Mellor

the beer revolu wrote: »

The Roe and Co distillery is just a marketing facility. Yes, it produces whiskey but the majority of the liquid is sourced.
Building that distillery to produce whiskey makes no economic sense.
It's a shopfront.

The entirety of of the bottles currently on sale are sourced, obviously. But it’s a fully functioning distillery. As that spirit ages, they’ll transition to using their own stock and eventually be 100% their own product.
Teelings did/are doing the exact same thing. I don’t think anyone would call their distillery a front.

There’s a difference between a location being a marketing benefit. And location being just for marketing.

the beer revolu

Mellor wrote: »

. But it’s a fully functioning distillery. As that spirit ages, they’ll transition to using their own stock and eventually be 100% their own product.
.

This is the bit I don't for a second believe.

I suspect that there will only ever be a small proportion of the liquid will ever come from that distillery.

A quick back of an envelope calculation tells me that the distillery could produce around 130 000 cases of 43% whiskey.
Jameson sold 7.3 million cases is 2018.

irish_goat

the beer revolu wrote: »

This is the bit I don't for a second believe.

I suspect that there will only ever be a small proportion of the liquid will ever come from that distillery.

A quick back of an envelope calculation tells me that the distillery could produce around 130 000 cases of 43% whiskey.
Jameson sold 7.3 million cases is 2018.

I'd agreed with you, but Roe&Co will surely not be hitting Jameson levels of sales anytime soon though.

the beer revolu

irish_goat wrote: »

I'd agreed with you, but Roe&Co will surely not be hitting Jameson levels of sales anytime soon though.

No, I cant's see anyone hitting Jameson sales in a hurry but I can't imagine Diagio being happy with having sales at one fiftysixth of Jameson's, either.

Cazale

Waterford distillery to release its first whiskey in April or May.

Mellor

the beer revolu wrote: »

No, I cant's see anyone hitting Jameson sales in a hurry but I can't imagine Diagio being happy with having sales at one fiftysixth of Jameson's, either.

I'm not going to disgree with your numbers. I've no idea what the limiting factors are tbh. (How did you come up with it out of curiosity). But it's a bit disingenuous using Jameson/Midleton as the benchmark imo. Roe and Co are not going going to be taking on Jameson.

Diageo previously had a decent stake in the Irish market with Bushmills, but walked away. They'll surely realise the the potential is much lower this time around. It's a boutique brand and will be for a while.

Wailin

Cazale wrote: »

Waterford distillery to release its first whiskey in April or May.

Very interested to see what they come up with after all the hype. Plus hometown pride and all that:D

Mellor

Wailin wrote: »

Very interested to see what they come up with after all the hype. Plus hometown pride and all that:D

It’s a pretty interesting project.
Terroir has a HUGE impact on wine. Even two fields beside each other could have a different effect. I’m sure they turn up something. But if they blend it together, does anyone ever get to see for themselves.
Hopefully they release single terroir to highlight it.

the beer revolu

Mellor wrote: »

I'm not going to disgree with your numbers. I've no idea what the limiting factors are tbh. (How did you come up with it out of curiosity).

An article mentioned 500, 000 litres of alcohol per year.
I assumed that to be pure alcohol and extrapolated it into cases at 43%.

I used Jameson as an example because it was the only product I could find sales figures for. I did say that I didn't expect anyone to be hitting Jameson levels but it still gives an idea of the scale.

There is no doubt in my mind that sales of Roe and Co whiskey will (or already does) massively outstrip the capacity of that distillery.
It's a shop front marketing project - like the Pierce Lyon's distillery.

Diagio didn't spent that kind of money to sell 30 000 cases of whiskey a year.

Cazale

Midleton Dair Ghaelach Knockrath Forest to be released in the next month. Will retail for €310.