JOHN S LANE DISTILLERY This is where it all started back in 1791. Right before your very eyes is where our founding father James Power created his world-famous Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey. Naturally, this makes it the perfect place to commence our tour. It was right here we made whiskey into a craft. An art form. It is no wonder that today this premise is now the National College of Art & Design campus. Before we go through the arch, it is worth saying we didn t just make whiskey here, we also made history. POWERS was the first distillery in Ireland to erect a steam engine for its motive-power. The very first dynamo for electric current in Dublin was housed right here on these grounds. We were also the first Irish whiskey to be bottled in a distillery in Dublin. And it was no small feat either when we invented the world s first whiskey miniature bottle, the Baby Powers. In fact, our old bottling hall is now a bar, on this very tour. But we ll come back to that later. Red Square Head straight, down the old cobble stone path, passing the Granary building on the left. Found yourself in an open courtyard? Those spectacular dome structures towering over the square are the original Pot Stills. The copper that once gleamed like burnished gold is now green with time. In these vast copper pot stills, the wash made from malted and unmalted barley was distilled not once or twice, but three times. More top and tail got discarded here than another Irish whiskey. A process of passion that still continues to this day. By the 1880 s, John s Lane Distillery was producing over 900,000 gallons of whiskey a year. And these stills were in constant use from 1888 until the relocation of the distillery in 1975. Engine House This was Engine House No. 5. There were 5 engine houses in the old distillery. Two have survived and this is the more notable. Take a look inside. You can see the 250 horsepower compound beam engine manufactured by the famous Messrs Turnbull, Grant and Jack of Glasgow in 1886. It was one of the beating hearts of the distillery, an engineering marvel of its time that was displayed through these specially constructed windows. Above in the wall, set in granite is the double-faced clock, visible day and night from inside and outside. An interesting fact. To make everything run like clockwork, the POWERS family had a full-time clockmaker on the books to ensure just that. DUBLIN CASTLE If you started at the Distillery, this is literally down the road. Back in the day this was the epicentre of Dublin, and very close to what is now The Oak bar, and only down the road from John s Lane, our original whiskey distillery. In fact, John Power held office in Dublin Castle as High Sheriff of Dublin in the 1850s. You could say as the stature of our whiskey rose, so too did our position in society. St. CATHERINE S CHURCH, MEATH ST. Cross the road from the Distillery and you re on Meath Street. You can t miss the towering spire. St. Catherine s church was a sacred place to our POWERS Staff who would have gone to mass here every Sunday. That s why the POWERS family donated money in the 19th century for renovations after a big blaze wreaked havoc. The Stained glass & pews have POWERS name on them to honour their donation. It s ok to pop in for a look around. You might not get a glass painted or stained in your honour but if you leave a donation on your way out, some good will come of it.
KEVIN ST. THE THOMAS HOUSE 86 Thomas St, Merchants Quay, Dublin 8 FALLON S 129 The Coombe, Merchants Quay, Dublin 8 This is a bar very close to our heart. Literally. Heart is often a term used for a distillate. And as our heart was cut just down this street, it s a great place to raise a glass to our history. In fact all around this area, we used to have lodgings for our workers. And pubs like The Thomas House were frequented by our staff who would drop in after work, for well, you know, a drop. Today, it s known as Dublin s alternative original music venue. And the bartenders here welcome new drinkers from far and wide. It s also not unusual to bump into a famous music head here. Now that could be a neat story. POWERS GOLD LABEL, NEAT. Old small stools. Wooden bar. Friendly toastie welcome from the bartenders. Over 100 years ago, workers from our distillery would ve lived and socialised in this area. And if you ask any of the bartenders they ll tell you they haven t changed much in this Liberties pub since. The original Victorian fittings are still all around you. And the POWERS Irish Whiskey window and mirrors still show our rich history. You can still, even today, ask for a toasted special, a worker s meal that we ve raised a glass to for years. Besides, you might be peckish with all this walking. POWERS THREE SWALLOW RELEASE, NEAT.
AUNGIER ST. THE SWAN BAR 58 York St, Dublin 2 THE OAK 1-3 Parliament St, Temple Bar, Dublin 2 Ok, now you re here, take a good look around. See that bartender? Yeah, the one in front of you. There s a good chance that the guy owns this place. You see this Victorian pub has been in the family for generations. Go back 100 years and his great-great-grandfather was one of our customers who bought barrels directly from our distillery where we started this tour. You can still see some of those same barrel heads inside the bar counter today. Unfortunately all the bottles from that era are gone. Fortunately for you, we ve always made our Irish whiskey the same way. So take one sip and be transported back in time. POWERS JOHN S LANE RELEASE, NEAT. A little bit of a detour, but we promise it will be worth it. Now, what has this bar got to do with POWERS Irish Whiskey we hear you say. Well, the side bar here at The Oak, has been fitted out with panelling from the Mauretania, one of the luxury liners that used to cross the Atlantic. And POWERS Irish Whiskey was the drink of choice onboard. In fact, you could have POWERS Gold Label delivered to your cabin. But the link goes further. The POWERS family held high office in local government, and they would ve been regular visitors to Dublin Castle across the road. You could say the big bold POWERS mirror behind the bar is a reflection of our rich history around these parts. POWERS GOLD LABEL IRISH COFFEE
GEORGE S ST. RIGHT NEXT DOOR IDLEWILD 14 Fade St, Dublin 2 THE MARKET BAR 14A Fade St, Dublin To cut a long story very short, right here where you re enjoying your drink (or about to) is where the first miniature spirit bottle in the world was produced way back in 1889. Christened the Baby Powers, it was a small yet great feat of innovation. This building obviously no longer bottles our famous virish whiskey but if you look hard enough, you might still find some of our bottles behind the bar. And our unique cocktail menu on it. If not, ask the bartender to fill you in (and up). THE POWERS UP. Where you are right now was once our old bottling hall. Yes, those red brick walls around you are the real deal. Our Foreign Export Hall was built in 1889 and bottles of POWERS Irish Whiskey were sent from this room all over the world. They were filled here, hand wrapped in tissue paper and put in wooden boxes for dispatch. But don t worry, we still stock some bottles behind the bar. That s it. The POWERS Quarter. A toast to our life around this fair city. Hope you enjoyed it and toured responsibly. Here s to whatever the future holds. Hopefully it s something neat. THE A. CREIGHTON AMARETTO SOUR TWIST