On-trade

6 Dublin bars tell Powers Quarter story

Powers Irish Whiskey has launched the ‘Powers Quarter’ in a collaboration between six Dublin pubs.

Each tells a different chapter of Powers’ Bold Character and its Dublin whiskey history since 1791.

All six bars lie within walking distance of the old John’s Lane distillery and original Powers bottling hall on Drury Street. The initiative aims to celebrate the historic Powers neighbourhood by bringing to life the bars’ historic links to the brand through Powers-educated bartenders, Point-Of-Sale and Signature Serves.

The promotion has tied up with Thomas House – a stone’s throw from John’s Lane, this modern-day ‘dive bar’ is where many workers from the distillery would have dropped into for a whiskey after work; the Market Bar – one of Dublin’s most popular gastropubs – on the site of the original Powers bottling hall which was built in 1889 and shipped Powers Irish Whiskey around the world; The Oak – the bar at this cosy pub in the bustling Temple Bar area has been fitted out with panels from the luxury liner ‘Mauretania’ which used to cross the Atlantic and where Powers was the drink of choice – you could even have a glass delivered to your cabin; The Swan  – a family-run pub that has supplied the locals with Powers for more than 100  years – some of the historic Powers barrelheads can still be seen inside the bar counter; Idlewild – a friendly neighbourhood bar and the site on which the first-ever miniature spirit bottle in the world was invented by Powers back in 1889 and John Fallon’s The Capstan Bar – a Dublin institution, where workers from the John’s Lane distillery could enjoy a whiskey a Century ago. Its original Victorian fixtures and Powers mirror still reflect the area’s rich history today.

The promotion is supported by social media, PR and a dedicated website on which whiskey fans can download a map and take a virtual tour. The journey is free to participate in for Irish whiskey fans and will also be used by Powers for educational visits with the trade, bartenders and distributors from around the world and within the Pernod Ricard network. There’s also an option to do a guided tour with the Powers Global Ambassador Michael Carr for €60.

“For generations, the Powers distillery at John’s Lane shaped the development of the area around it through the direct employment of families, provision of houses for workers and even the maintenance of the local streets,” commented Carol Quinn, Archivist at Irish Distillers, “In fact, Powers’ founder James Powers was a publican himself and his pub on John’s Lane stayed within the family until the closure of the distillery in the 1970s, so it only seems right that we honour the legacy of Powers and bring more of its Dublin history to light through six bars and put Powers firmly back on the whiskey map of Dublin.”

She added, “With whiskey tourism in Dublin booming to almost 400,000 visitors last year, we’re confident that the Powers Quarter will enchant a whole new generation of whiskey fans”.

 

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