Side by side : Power's

Powers is one of the most iconic Irish Pot Still whiskey brands, it's now owned by Irish Distillers and distilled in Midleton.

In this blog I'm trying 3 of the range - Gold Label, Three Swallows and John's Lane

Dram	Gold Label	Three Swallow	John's Lane
Characteristics	40% ABV Blend of 70% Grain & 30% Single Pot Still	40% ABV Triple distilled Single Pot Still, ex bourbon Cask	46% ABV Single Pot Still
Distillery notes	POWERS GOLD LABEL is cut from the heart of the distillate. That means more top and tail gets thrown away than any other Irish whiskey. Left to mature in selected American oak casks, this is where the spicy, bold character takes hold. A complex and honeyed taste is yours for the taking. Nose : Cinnamon, clove oil and white pepper in balance with russet apples and ripe pears, on a background of charred oak. Taste : Cinnamon, green peppers and a touch of nutmeg combined with orchard fruits, vanilla and toasted oak. All laid upon a crisp barley core. Finish : Long Pot Still oils and spices slowly fade to rich barley, toasted wood and a wonderfully complex honey flavour.	Three Swallow Release is a modern expression of what the original POWERS Whiskey tasted like back in the days of our John’s Lane distillery. This quintessential style of whiskey, Single Pot Still is exclusive to Ireland, and is made from a mash of malted and unmalted barley, then triple distilled in traditional copper pot stills. Nose : Pot Still spice combines with crisp barley character. Delicate herbs give way to green banana and grapefruit while a nutty note of marzipan reflects the wood contribution of specially selected casks. Taste : In true Pot Still style, an initial taste delivers smooth mouth-coating barley followed by an eruption of green apple and citrus notes. Herbs and spicy avour are complemented by a touch of cedar wood for extra complexity. Finish : Spicy sweetness gives way to Pot Still barley character balanced with a hint of sherry and leading to a crisp cereal finish with toasted oak notes.	John's Lane Release is a celebration of the original style of Powers Whiskey and the quintessential Irish Single Pot Still distillate. Matured for 12 years, the result is an outstanding lingering robust taste that provides a perfect tribute to the spiritual home of one of Ireland’s most loved whiskeys. Nose : An abundance of earthy aromas, leather, tobacco with layers of charred wood, dark chocolate and treacle toffee. Taste : Full bodied spice front followed by vanilla, honey and dried apricot. Finish : Lingering honey sweetness on toasted oak.
My thoughts:
Appearance
	Dark gold in the glass, swirls cling and fall as slow thin legs.	Dark gold in the glass, swirls cling for a while before falling as slow thin legs.	Again dark gold in the glass, swirls cling for ages form beads as an inverted crown and eventually fall as slow thin legs.
Nose	Loads of sweet honey or golden syrup smothered over orchard fruit - apples and pears with a little hint of dry apricot. A little air and the spice starts to come through - cinnamon and brown sugar - almost a shortbread note - nice!	Oaky spice, barley, cereals and orchard fruit. This doesn't have the sweet note of the Gold Label and the spice isn't as strong on the nose - it's more fruit and complex. A little more air and there's an almond nuttiness alongside the fruit - maybe turning tropical? Some butterscotch notes and a little icing sugar.	Musty bookshop, leather, strawberry jam, tropical fruit notes. There's some dried fruit and dark chocolate notes too - nice! A little air and butterscotch notes come to the fore - sweet like the GL but this one seems thicker - if that's possible in a smell!!!!
Palate	Sweet arrival, watered syrup and spicy cinnamon. Vanilla and citrus note from the grain - must be quite different from when it was 100% Pot Still? The orchard fruit from the nose are there - pears and apples again but the drying note isn't. This is smooth sweet and spicy - a good entry level 40%er	Super smooth syrupy arrival, a little sweetness but not as much as the GL. Orchard fruit & citrus fight on the tongue - apples, pears , lemon & lime. A slightly drying effect and no real spice to talk about - Wow this is good - very pleasantly surprised!	Thick syrupy arrival, a huge hit of gingery spice and a little sweetness. I could almost swear there's a touch of smoke there too? The orchard fruit & citrus character of Powers is there but this is more complex adding dried fruit - sultanas, figs dates A few more sips and the honey sweetness is starting to show through more than the spice. A little tropical fruit now - dried pineapple covered in icing sugar?
Finish	Long warming cinnamon spice, a little syrupy sweetness and a touch of oak. Nice!	Long lingering orchard fruit, a little oak spice and the barley from the nose is back - Yummy!	Oaky / gingery spice with a drying powdered sugar note. The orchard fruit is there too. Nice!
Overall	Three nice drams, sweet, fruity and very smooth. Increasing in complexity as I went through but I think the Three Swallow in the middle hit the sweet spot for me. Well worth a bottle!

Many thanks to @thatsdramgood for the samples!