Powers Irish Whiskey Takes on American Rye with Tongue in Cheek Campaign

Irish Distillers owned Powers Irish Whiskey earlier this week announced the launch of the world’s first 100% Irish rye whiskey, supported by a campaign launching in the USA created by their lead creative agency, The Public House. 

The campaign, consisting of large format out of home in key cities across USA, has fun with launching an Irish based Rye in a country, and category, where American rye dominates. The campaign changes up the iconic Powers red diamond - one of Ireland’s original trademarks - to an unmistakably Irish green, accompanied by playful yet self assured headlines. 

Speaking about the campaign, Colin Hart, executive creative director, The Public House, said, “The whiskey category in the States seem to have a macho approach to their ads, so we thought we’d come at it with a bit of classic Irish attitude and wit with the line ‘Bye Bye American Rye’ to challenge the perception that the Americans do it better’. 

The launch is very much rooted in the brand’s heritage. Carol Quinn, an archivist at Irish Distillers found by studying old mash bills and recipes that Powers experimented with rye often throughout its history. “Throughout the history of the famous Powers John’s Lane Distillery there was a willingness to challenge the old ways of doing things and experiment with new ideas, from urban farming on the distillery roof in the 1940s, to bottling in-house and the introduction of the world’s first miniature Irish whiskey, the ‘baby Power,’” Carol said, per Irish Whiskey Magazine. “This has fed very much into the DNA of Powers Irish Rye today, both in the use of rye and in the method of distillation.” 

The Public House is Ireland’s most awarded creative agency of 2022, driven by the philosophy that ‘Boring Doesn’t Sell’. Their roster of clients is made up of ambitious Irish brands including FBD Insurance, Irish Independent, Dunnes Stores, EPIC: The Irish Emigration Museum and Barnardos.