Powers Whiskey are set to release a Powers Ready to Drink Cocktail (a category known as RTD’s) to appeal to younger generations of whiskey consumers.
The announcement was made by Powers’ Global Whiskey Ambassador, Michael Carr, at a recent Whiskey Press engagement in the city of the tribes, Galway. Michael welcomed his guests to begin their night with the new Powers’ Old Fashioned RTD cocktail, which is comprised of three simple ingredients; Powers Gold Label Whiskey, bitters and sugar syrup.
The Powers Ready to Drink cocktail is aimed to encourage younger whiskey consumers to experience the versatility of the Powers brand. Powers, which until about a decade ago, was the top selling whiskey on the island of Ireland, has been experiencing slower growth than its sister brand Jameson, who overtook Powers as #1 brand in Ireland circa 2007. The Powers team attribute their slower growth to an older demographic of consumer, an issue that the IDL team are apparently set to challenge with this new RTD.
Ready to Drink Cocktails are a growing market in Ireland with prepaged Gin & Tonic leading the charge in the RTD space at the moment. International players such as Gordons and Smirnoff are focusing on offering the Irish consumer with a number of RTD offerings, although, there are some Irish companies challenging the international competition. Altech’s Míl Gin, a brand from the Pearse Lyons Distillery stable, has recently released a “Míl Gin Spritz” and are set to release a Pink version in the coming weeks. Similarly, Drogheda based drinks company, Na Cuana, have released an RTD range under the “Glassbox Spirits” range; these offer a G&T, Pink G&T as well as a Vodka Soda Cranberry.
Powers are now set to enter this off-trade realm, with their prepackaged 500ml glass bottle, Powers Old Fashioned, that will come in at a beefy 32% ABV (64 Proof), which will put it in an entirely different category to the aforementioned RTD’s which sit between 4 and 5% ABV.
There is no official release date for the RTD, although, we are expecting to see it before the year. This product will initially only be available in Ireland, for the initial trial run. Irish Distillers have used Ireland as an incubator and test market for a number of their products in the past, such as; Caskmates as well as the recent Jameson Coffee Liqueur.
Stay tuned for further information as it becomes available.
Sláinte.
*Title Image Rights: Powers Irish Whiskey – Irish Distillers – Pernod Ricard*
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