Waterford Bannow Island 1.1

As soon as I heard about Waterford I was beyond excited. Needless to say, when I was able to snag a bottle when it released I was stoked. I really like how they’re experimenting with how the barley affects the whisky. I’m very keen on seeing how the different batches differ from one another, as well as following how one batch of the same farm compares to another. Second to none transparency, nice bottling ABV, super long fermentation time, there’s nothing about this distillery that has me wishing it were different. I’d really love to see similar terroir experiments done with peat, but you can’t effectively test multiple variables at once and they’re focusing on the barley for the foreseeable future. I’ve read Lagg will be doing something like that though, as if I wasn’t already looking forward to them, so I’ve got that at least. Also really like the bottle. The glass cork is an interesting choice I don’t quite understand, but it works.

Waterford Bannow Island 1.1, Ireland Single Malt, 50% ABV

Minutia: Distilled using barley from Bannow Island farm in 2016 and bottled in 2020, with an age statement of 3 years. It spent that time in American oak, virgin American oak, French oak, and Vin Doux Naturel casks. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn.

Color: Burnished, 1.1.

Nose: Doughy, butter. Cookie/sweet bread. Tropical fruit.

Taste: Strong banana, tropical fruit, malty.

Finish: Malt, chocolate. Bit of fruit late, and cut grass. Medium.

With expectations as high as mine were for this, I was very worried I’d be let down, particularly worried they were antsy and might have bottled this too soon. Those fears were unfounded. It’s not like they managed to make a super mature-tasting whisky at under 4 years old, but they did manage a good one. It’s actually one of the more unique whiskies I’ve tried and I’m more eager than before to see how these change over time. I managed to get a sample of 1.2 (as well as a handful of others), so I’ll be comparing that to this soon. I’m not expecting much difference on that particular one as it’s not much older, but it should still be interesting. That doughy quality reminds me of Kilkerran Heavily Peated, though without the peat. That makes me really want Waterford to play around with peat in the future.

Score: 84

Musical Evocation: Týr – “Mare of My Night”