Chapter 26
My first Waterford Whisky
Following Leo’s interview with Mark Reynier (Leo’s Chapter 27), we had the opportunity to try some of the latest products from the Waterford line-up.
I’ve seen them around more than once in bars and whisky events. In some cases, with their blue presence, you would say they’re almost hyped.
My real question was, does all this terroir story make a difference in whisky?
Let’s find out…my first Waterford whisky.
Waterford Hook Head: Edition 1.2 - 50% abv
On the Nose: newmakey, bakery. Pizza bianca (one of my favourite afternoon snacks as a kid), cereal notes. oat cakes.
Palate: potato starch, herbaceous, capers.
Finish: quite long. anchovies. SPAM.
Overall: interesting concept. Young. Not yet fully developed. £67 in the UK. Probably a bit too much.
Waterford Ratheadon: Edition 1.2 - 50% abv
On the Nose: I tried in many ways to spot the difference from the previous one. Another glass. Water. Close comparison. Let it rest a wee bit. I failed.
Palate: a bit more chlorophyll. Cut grass.
Finish: same as the hooked. I struggled to find differences.
Overall: this is where I started to doubt about my ability to appreciate the nuances of these products. I’ve seen some peculiar prices around for this. I struggled even more.
Waterford Gaia: Edition 2.1 - 50% abv
On the Nose: maybe a bit more cheesy notes. Still similar to the past two products.
Finish a bit of nori seaweed but still very tiny difference
Overall: I’ll skip the byodinum – luna and the cuvee… as I’m quite struggling here.
Waterford Woodbrook peated - 50% abv
On the Nose: few different notes of candle wax and church. Still newmakey but a bit hidden which helps.
Palate: a bit more sugary. Still vegetal notes.
Finish: herbaceous. Not too long. Burning fresh grass.
Overall: This takes the badge and makes me think. I’m an absolutely average customer. I understand nothing. I can see Waterford is spending a lot of effort differentiating with fancy bottle styles and all this terroir concept. My question is: is it the right choice? Luckily enough, what I say, doesn’t matter :-).
Overall
My suggestion as a customer would be a slight pivot. That concept works great with wine. And for a reason. I think whisky is made mainly with time and by the cask. I would suggest spending less on fancy bottles and start spending on fancy casks, extending maturation times. You can still keep some terroir character like Kilchoman and Springbank do with 100% Islay and local barley releases.
Don’t get me wrong, given the age, what we tasted was still pretty good whisky. I’m really trying to be constructive here.
Just a humble suggestion by a very average customer. If business is going well and other customers appreciate the terroir strategy, happy days. But still please change the bottle cap 🙂 !
Drams
and more...
Today's drams
- Waterford Hook Head: Edition 1.2 – 50% abv
- Waterford Ratheadon: Edition 1.2 – 50% abv
- Waterford Gaia: Edition 2.1 – 50% abv
- Waterford Woodbrook peated – 50% abv