One of the things I was looking forward to with Waterford is comparing the farms against one another and against future harvests/bottlings. I’m not bothering with a side by side on this one since it was really just a second issue of 1.1 due to unanticipated demand. But, here are my notes about this on its own.
Minutia: Distilled on June 23, 2016 from Overture barley from Bannow Island farm - sown on March 23, 2015 and harvested September 7, 2015 - fermented with Mauri distiller’s yeast for 136.2 hours and matured in 1st fill and virgin American oak, French oak, and Vin Doux Naturel casks for 3 years, 10 months, and 22 days before bottling on July 8, 2020 producing 9,000 bottles. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn.
Color: Burnished, 1.1.
Nose: Doughy, malty, floral, hint of tropical fruit.
Taste: Banana/bread, malty, light tropical fruit (the lighter variety, not lightly present).
Finish: Malty chocolate, vegetal/grassy. Medium.
Much like the 1.1, this is pretty good but young. My notes are more or less the same (different words, but about the same flavors), as expected. I liked this one a bit more on the finish, the 1.1 didn’t have as much of an earthy quality to it. If Waterford was only ever going to be releasing 3-4 year old expressions, I’d be content with what I’ve tried already, but the outlook with some age on it is positive. I’ll be reviewing some other X.1 samples in the coming weeks, but really have my sights set on future, more aged Bannow Island expressions, and whatever standard releases Waterford might eventually put out.
Score: 85
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