Irish Distillers boosts Powers’ on-trade presence with Dublin bar crawl

Irish Distillers has launched a new educational bar crawl in Dublin in an effort to promote the history of its Powers whiskey label.

ID, which owns Jameson, Powers and Redbreast whiskeys, has collaborated with six bars that are 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 inspired by the unique story of Powers,” said an emailed statement.

Irish Distillers employs historians at its Midleton distillery to research old documentation from its brands’ day-to-day operations in an effort to find unique stories and angles that can be used to market their products.

The Powers Quarter will include Dublin venues Thomas House, Market Bar, The Oak, The Swan, Idlewild and John Fallons The Capstan Bar.

The bar crawl itself is free to participate in, but there’s also an option to do a guided tour with the Powers global ambassador, Michael Carr, for €60.

Carol Quinn, Archivist at Irish Distillers, commented: “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. While Powers went on to become a global success story over the past two hundred years, its heart always remained in Dublin and its public houses over the years.”