Waterford Gaia Edition 2.1 Single Malt Irish Whisky (700ml)

"Stunning....Coating, delicious, and remarkably composed. A must-buy."

If you're a newcomer to Waterford Whisky, briefly, the driving force is former Bruichladdich creative, Mark Reynier. Years ago, when Bruichladdich was coming online, he was told that the best barley in the world came from Waterford, Ireland. Since 2014, the Waterford Distillery has been his passion project, founded on the French concept of 'terroir', paying close attention to the provenance of barley and working with 72 different farms – some organic, some biodynamic. In the whisky world, the concept is fraught with disagreement, but from Reynier's wine background, it's an expectation. Consider that over 90% of Irish whiskey is made at just three distilleries (Bushmills, Cooley Distillery and Midleton), and that the latter produce almost every famous Irish brand (Jameson, Tullamore Dew, Powers, Paddy, Redbreast, Midleton Very Rare and the Spot Whiskies), and you begin to appreciate his ambition to create a terroir-driven Irish single malt while being as transparent as possible from farm to bottle. 

The first spirit dropped from Waterford's stills in January 2016. Whiskyfun.com was enamoured with the inaugural Gaia release, describing it as "extremely impressive" (90 points). Arriving with similar credentials (unpeated, organic barley from six local farms) Gaia 2.1 was aged 4 years, 2 months, 7 days in x-Heaven Hill bourbon (39%) and x-red wine casks sourced from Margaux including Chateau Lafite Rothschild (19%). There's also an interesting portion decanted from casks that previously contained Vin Doux Naturel wines (Rivesaltes, Marsala, and Porto). Gaia 2.1 promises another delicately complex Irish, bottled at 50% ABV with zero chill filtration. Just like Bruichladdich, the release numbering schemes and comprehensive production data are readily available, and the design of the bottles is sleek and modern. Does it all translate into something special? Reviews waver from "good" to "stunning". Consensus leans towards the affirmative.

Other reviews... Light and vibrant aromas of sliced apple, pomelo, barley, warm milk on hot porridge, and creamed coconut show on the nose of this whisky produced from the 2016 harvest of organic Irish barley. Crisp barley, stewed apple, and ruby grapefruit to taste, it adds vanilla, fudge, and a cluster of pepper at the tip of the tongue before diluting to reveal malty notes laced with bitter plain chocolate. 88 points - whiskyadvocate.com

"...An enormously impressive whiskey. At just 4 years old, it’s very full-bodied and characterful, with good complexity. It doesn’t taste old or anything, but it’s reached the level of maturity where those younger grassy notes, present in Gaia 1.1, are absent in this second release. The scotch comparison that I had in my head was Daftmill – this has that level of complexity and fruity brightness". - whiskybase.com

"Stunning. Drinks slightly above proof and continues to evolve, circle back to the center, and branch out again. The depth of flavor is outstanding. Coating, delicious, and remarkably composed. A must-buy." - whiskeyinmyweddingring.com

Notes from the producers... Appearance: Golden peach with super rich and thick oils on the glass. Nose: Orange peel, fresh soil, bread crust, brown sugar, milk chocolate, fresh fruit salad, fig roll biscuits, lavender, sweet marshmallows, butter milk. Taste: Spicy, white pepper, grapefruit, dry heat, liquorice, cherries, coco powder, wine gums, dry toast, salted peanuts, lemon zest. Finish: A dry spice dance that tangos and waltz's like a happy couple into the golden peach sunset.