‘A Worthy Endeavor’: The World’s 1st Whiskey Made From 100% Irish Rye Is Here

Powers Irish Rye Whiskey is the first whiskey made with 100% Irish rye. (Photo: Powers Irish Whiskey)

For the first time, a whiskey made from 100% Irish rye has launched, courtesy of Powers Irish Whiskey.

“We attribute the success of this whiskey firstly to the extended team at Midleton Distillery, yet also to the generations of Powers distillers who considered rye grain to be a unique component of their craft,” Powers distiller Eric Ryan said, according to Irish Whiskey Magazine. “From our commitment to farming a difficult crop, to reduced brewhouse throughput, to longer fermentation times, and considering the exceptional cask profile; if it was only about efficiency, we would never have used rye! But it proved a worthy endeavor.”

The launch, Powers says, is rooted in the brand’s heritage. Carol Quinn, an archivist at Irish Distillers found by studying old mash bills and recipes that Powers experimented with rye often throughout its history.

“Throughout the history of the famous Powers John’s Lane Distillery there was a willingness to challenge the old ways of doing things and experiment with new ideas, from urban farming on the distillery roof in the 1940s, to bottling in-house and the introduction of the world’s first miniature Irish whiskey, the ‘baby Power,’” Quinn said, per Irish Whiskey Magazine. “This has fed very much into the DNA of Powers Irish Rye today, both in the use of rye and in the method of distillation.”

Per Powers, finding a supplier of Irish rye was difficult because “commercial rye farming in Ireland ad all but disappeared.” Nevertheless, Powers was able to source 100% of the rye from the Cooney Furlong Farm in County Wexford.

Bottled at 86.4 proof, Powers Irish Rye Whiskey will be available beginning Feb. 20. at a suggested retail price of €40 ($43).

the whiskey will be available in the U.S., Ireland, Northern Ireland, Dublin Airport and online at PowersWhiskey.com, according to Irish Whiskey Magazine. It will also be available via The Whisky Exchange in the UK in the coming months.

In 2018, Kilbeggan released the world’s first Irish rye-based whiskey. That whiskey, however, only contained 30% rye, far from the 100% content of Powers.

Powers Irish Rye Whiskey Tasting Notes, Via the Brand

Nose: Burnt orange, maraschino cherries, and toffee banana with rich warming notes of freshly baked rye bread, buttered croissants and charred oak. Robust spices of clove, white pepper and ginger are met with sweet vanilla and earthy sugar cane aromas.

Taste: Candied ginger with orange peel, clove spice and peppermint. Caramelized apples with brown sugar, sweet cereal and red liquorice notes build while the vanilla and charred oak influences work in balance with the rye signature spices.

Finish: Satisfyingly long, with a prickle of chili oil that continues to linger for a time in the company of honey glazed fruits and hardy cereal undertones.

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