Waterford Heritage | Whisky Lady

Welcome to the world of Waterford Irish Whiskies… where things are clearly being done a bit differently.

After sampling the very salty Single Farm Origin “Hook Head” 1.1, we moved on to their Arcadian Farm concept – more precisely the Heritage Hunter expression:

Hunter, named after pioneering plant breeder Dr Herbert Hunter, was introduced in 1959 and was for almost two decades noted for its distinctive flavour. We now reintroduce this game-changing barley to a new era of single malt connoisseurs. Vanished from the Irish landscape since the late 1970s, superceded by more economically rewarding crosses, all that remained of Hunter was a 50 gram bag in the seed bank of the Irish Department of Agriculture, Food & the Marine.

Planted in greenhouse grow bags, this 50 grams grew to four kilograms, and the cycle went again and again over two years, until there was enough for ten acres at our partner Minch Malt’s test site in Athy. Test successful, Hunter was sown on a commercial scale on the lime-rich Elton series terroir of Donoughmore, yielding 25.5 tonnes of malting barley — enough to fill 50 casks. It is from that first pioneering distillation that this whisky has been drawn.

Now on to the whisky…

Waterford Arcadian Farm Origin Heritage Hunter 1.1 (23 Feb 2019 – Aug 2022) Terroir HE01E01-01 50% 9048 bottles. Worldwide distribution, sold out at Eur 100

Nose – Well well well… what have we here? For some, it began as caramel sweetness. For others, it was like walking into a chemistry lab! There was an organic agricultural quality. Then it shifted to different woods – particularly dry wood shavings, there was even a savoury side, which then was replaced with sweet
Palate – Deceptive as it began with sweet then the spice kicks in! Young, quite active. Think of an old peach pit. Another found dried prune seeds liquor. There is a vegetable earthy quality too. Yet sweet too… with a hint of dried orange
Finish – Lasts with a bit of burn, more peach pit with some bitter clove oil? Then salt
Water – A few drops opens it up a bit
Revisit – It sounds curious, yet for me it was spicier

If the Single Farm Origin “Hook Head” reminded me of the Bruichladdich Micro-Provenance experiments, the Arcadian Farm “Heritage Hunter” reminded me of some of AD Laws forays into ancient grains and barleys. Except MUCH better!

I described it as chewing raw grains or barley. I received a few quizzical looks. For some, this seemed to be the preferred.

Now diving deep into the details, we start with the terroir:

A dry and windy summer’s day at Donoughmore. This track begins inside some of the old stone sheds at the edge of the fields. Time has rendered them open to the elements, but they still give a little shelter. Heading outside into the open, the wind rattles the loose sheeting on a nearby barn, we’re surrounded here by a semicircle of trees filled with busy birds in the afternoon sun. A gap in the trees leads us out into the fields, the wind buffeting the barley as it blows through heading south.

Want to know about the maturation period? 1161 days or 3 years, 2 months, 6 days. Want to know about the barley? Hunter (obviously!). Yeast? Mauri distiller’s yeast. Production water? Volcanic aquifer. Fermentation period? 169 hours. Description of the soil? Fine, loamy drift with limestones, Elton association. Barrel composition?

45% American First Fill (presumably ex-bourbon)
18% American virgin oak
21% French premium casks
16% Vin doux natural

How does all of this equate into the glass? Here are the Head Distiller’s observations

APPEARANCE: Pale gold with unctuous oils.
NOSE: Earthy, dry soil, lemon sherbet, red apple skin, dry bark, barnyard, petrichor, rolled barley, baked salt, chalk.
TASTE: Orange cake, dry savoury spice, cloves, porridge with prunes, wood char, citrus oils.
FINISH: Dry greenness with a gentle spice.

And there you have it!

What did we try in our evening devoted to exploring Waterford Irish Whisky?

Waterford Single Farm Origin Hook Head 1.1 Terroir F035E01-01 50% with a light green label distinctive yellow glass top, retailing for Eur 80
Waterford Arcadian Farm Origin Peated Ballybannon 1.1 Terroir P062E01-01 50% with a dark label and smoky grey glass top, retailing for Eur 92.

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When you hear the word “Waterford” one typically thinks of crystal glasses, not whisky! This is readily understandable given one has a tradition that harkens back to 1783 and the other was founded only in 2016 – not even a decade old!

However, there we were in South Bombay, a fine evening at the end of March 2024, about to embark on a journey into one of the newest and most original players in the Irish whisky revival scene.

In this case, it is notable the choice of spelling “whisky” without an “e” and the claim that the distillery is “40 years in the making“, given the role Mark Reynier has played in founding a distillery devoted to terroir, biodynamic, and cuvées.

Even the boxes tell a story – signaling the type of whisky category to be explored. Would it be a Single Farm with clean firm lines? Or Arcadian Farm with a few lines joining to bring their different elements into a single experience? And where peat is in the mix, the box colour shifts to a smokey grey with black. There is a 3rd concept devoted to Cuvées which we did not experience.

Here is what the folks at Waterford have to say about their Single Farm Origin line “precision of place”:

Each Single Farm Origin is a compelling and intriguing whisky, but also an intellectual challenge to the whisky world’s status quo. Our radical, uncompromising philosophy allows inquisitive drinkers to join our exploration of the frontiers of authentic flavours, to search beyond conventions and to celebrate individuality.

One place, one farm, at a time.

And now what they share about their Arcadian Farm Origin line with a few options “the old ways – organic, biodynamic, peated & heritage”:

We ask what organic farming, or the ancient wisdom of biodynamics can offer to the intensity of barley’s flavour. Our curiosity leads us to discover then resurrect rare heritage grains, one variety at a time; and to experience the pungency of real Irish peat for the first time in generations in whisky. With these radical methods we ask the inquisitive, daring drinker to join us on our unorthodox journey towards the frontiers of authentic, uninhibited flavour.

What did we try?

Waterford Single Farm Origin Hook Head 1.1 Terroir F035E01-01 50% with a light blue-green label and distinctive yellow glass top, retailing for Eur 80… This was my favourite once the highly salty quality was tempered with both water and time!
Waterford Arcadian Farm Origin Heritage Hunter 1.1 Terroir HE01E01-01 50% with a yellow label and bright pink glass top, sold out at Eur 100… Has a spice kick but also so much more!
Waterford Arcadian Farm Origin Peated Ballybannon 1.1 Terroir P062E01-01 50% with a dark label and smoky grey glass top. This exact whisky isn’t listed on the Waterford website, however can be found on a different site for Eur 92… No mistaking this was an exploration of a flavourful peat dram!

The more I looked into the approach here, the more I recognized this is true whisky “geek” territory! Curious what the farm where the barley was grown sounds like? The exact location of where the barley was grown, who did what, and how? The organisms that live in the soil? Old wives’ tales converted into accumulated knowledge, combined with the cycles of the moons around the earth into science. The impact of how agro-business has “buggered the soil”, the importance of barley seeds from before 1967, and the role of air and composting? Enquiring minds will get answers to questions they didn’t even know to ask!

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