NV Waterford - Grattansbrook 1.1 50%
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Tasting Notes
In the six years since he established pioneering Irish distillery Waterford, Mark Reynier has been proving the existence of terroir with his single origin single malts. The spirits have rapidly become collectors' items, with many looking to guarantee a set of each of the first editions. Released in April 2021, Grattansbrook 1.1 Single Farm Origin is the first release from the 2015 harvest of Taberna barley from the flat, fertile flood plain at Grattansbrook farm. The resulting spirit was aged for over 3 years and 10 months in a mixture of casks, including first-fill, virgin American and French oak.
Critic Scores
Serge Valentin, WhiskyFun.com
More reviews and scores
Colour: white wine. Nose: the raw materials, and most possibly 'terroir' even amplified. Breads, banana skin, some sweeter porridge, pumpernickel and muesli, Austrian riesling, toasted beech chips, semolina… Frankly, I couldn't tell you why, I'm finding an Austrian side to this one. Hope they won't take umbrage at Waterford. With water: entering a bakery at 5:30am. The smells of dozens of different fresh breads, all still warm. Mouth (neat): I know some good folks believe I'm exaggerating with my assessments of Waterford. I am not. I find this perfect. Citron is perfect, breads are perfect, doughs are perfect, everything's perfect in my opinion. I haven't even checked the 'cask-bill' (yet a new whisky term, ha) but I just don't care as long as you do not feel it. With water: candied bits of grapefruit and salt. Finish: long, spicier. Perhaps a wee tad too spicy/oaky? Was some French oak involved at some point? Comments: let's find something bad to say. Good, I find the blue of the bottle a little too dark, I would have gone for Pantone 19-4052 Classic Blue instead. No? Other than that, I'm finding this one a little more citrusy than others, but I'm not actually comparing them, while only comparison is reason. Right.
About the producer
This remarkable distillery is dedicated to championing the concept of terroir – or téireoir – in spirits, crafting single-origin single malt whiskies. They take the concept of a farm distillery one step further, looking to highlight the link between not just grain and glass, but soil, site and glass