Terroir has been a hot topic in whisky chats again lately, especially since the launch of Waterford The Cuvée Irish single malt whisky. Two weeks ago, I wrote about the Cooladine Edition 1.1 release. This whisky is from Mark Reynier’s new Irish distillery, where the main focus is on the barley.
They meticulously document the barley, the weather, the soil conditions and a host of other factors that influence the growth of the barley.
It makes for fascinating reading for someone who grew up in the city. The barley from each individual farm is distilled separately and allocated to a country. SA has the Cooladine and Knockroe releases.
In 2021, inspired by the terroir of France’s wine-making region Bordeaux, Waterford launched its flagship single malt, The Cuvée Irish whisky. For this release, they applied the same methodology as the famous wine-making region to create something unique. Cuvée is a fancy-sounding word that indicates the liquid, the whisky, is a blend.
Also Read: Teeling Irish Single Malt Whiskey
Head Distiller Ned Gahan blended together 25 individually distilled single farm origins whiskies. These whiskies cover a broad spectrum of natural flavours defined by Ireland’s soils and micro climates.
The whisky is bottled in Waterford’s distinctive blue bottle and features a label designed by Leah Hewson, one of Ireland’s leading visual artists.
Waterford The Cuvée single malt Irish whiskey is a flagship bottling and will be available globally. The cask composition is a big percentage first fill US and virgin US, and also some premium French and Vin Doux Naturel.
Waterford The Cuvée Whisky Review
Waterford The Cuvée single malt is bottled with no chill-filtration and no colouring.
COUNTRY: Ireland
ABV: 50%
COLOUR: Gold
NOSE: Honey sweetness, peaches, apricots and white oak. Bits of vanilla, biscuits, with green pine and mixed fruit. Subtle but complex and lovely.
PALATE: Freshly baked oats crunchies (a classic SA cookie) with honey sweetness. Cinnamon and vanilla with bits of creamy chocolate and malt. Fresh summer fruit with cereals and hints of white pepper and lemon. Smooth and drinkable. Water brings more oranges and pectin to the front.
FINISH: The honey and pepper spicy notes alternate in the finish. Bits of drying oak and lemon. Clean and fresh.
RATING: EXCELLENT
Layered and complex and even at 50% ABV, it is very drinkable without water. Add water carefully as it brought a lot of pectin to the forefront. The malty and honey notes were very similar to the Cooladine release I tasted not so long ago. An exciting release to have in your collection, especially if you like something novel.
The beautiful blue bottle stands out on the shelf. It is now available in South Africa through Navigate World Whisky, and it retails for around R1 495.
Also Read: Dunville’s PX Cask 12 yo Whiskey
Sample disclosure: I received this whisky sample from Navigate World Whisky. The review and tasting notes are my own honest, fair and independent thoughts about the whisky.
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