Waterford has unveiled its signature Irish whiskey expression, The Cuvée. The new offering is now the flagship for the brand, which champions terroir in whiskey.
“Coming from a wine background, I’ve always been intrigued by how the greatest Bordeaux wines were made,” said Waterford founder and CEO Mark Reynier. “Rather than generically bundling up their grapes into a single wine they went to the effort of making several individual wines instead, each expressing a terroir-derived personality of its own. Only after months of maturation are these component wines assembled to make a single profound wine of greater complexity, the grand vin. Why not with whiskey? This is the vision seven years in the making, the essence of the Waterford project.”
Reynier has made it his mission to champion terroir in spirits. Terroir is the French notion that environmental conditions such as soil, microclimate, and topography can affect flavor, and has long been at the center of debate in the Whisky, Wine, and Cognac worlds. Earlier this year, he partnered with Oregon State University to run a study on the topic.
To create Waterford The Cuvée, head distiller Ned Gahan married 25 single farm origin whiskeys, each made from Irish barley that was harvested, malted and distilled separately to reflect the unique character of the land on which it was grown.
Bottled at 50% ABV, the whiskey boasts aromas of red apple, orange, breadcrust, digestive biscuits, and green leaves. On the palate, expect notes of grapefruit, lemon zest, dark chocolate, cherries, and marmalade.
Waterford The Cuvée is now available and is priced £70 per bottle. For more information, head over to the brand’s official website.
In June, Waterford has unveiled the world’s first biodynamic Irish whiskey, Luna 1.1. It is the second bottling in the distillery’s Arcadian series following the launch of Gaia 1.1, an organic-certified Irish single malt.