Waterford Hook Head Edition 1.1 Single Malt Irish Whisky (700ml)

A first edition, made using barely grown at the ‘Hookhead Farm’. A lighthouse here stands resolute against the full force of the Atlantic Ocean on Ireland’s southern coast, ten miles from the Waterford distillery – so close that Oliver Cromwell vowed to take Waterford 'by hook or by crook' in the 17th century. In its shadow, Martin Foley grows barley on clay/loam soils derived from limestone. Exposed to the full range of salt-laden storms, sea mists & ocean breezes, it’s an extreme maritime terroir.

Notes from the producers... Appearance: Straw with legs of oils coating the glass. Nose: Earthy maltiness & fresh soil, citrus peel, breadcrust, clove, white pepper, caramel, milk chocolate, salted popcorn, barnyard, oak green foliage. Taste: It's a spice bomb up front; with cloves, white pepper, salted caramel, liquorice, ginger biscuits, lemon zest, & chilli chocolate. Finish: Dry, but it leaves a lasting oiliness that holds the spiciness for a long time. 50% Alc./Vol. Non chill filtered.

Other reviews... These blue bottles are splendid, once they're empty, for use as decanters during your blind wine tastings. Provided, of course, that the glasses are blue or black as well. But try finding a quality blue or black decanter, good luck with that! Right, we're here with a single farm, with barley harvested in 2015, so this barley has rested for a long time before being brewed and distilled, which shows that a whisky's vintage doesn't really have much to do with the barley's year of harvest, we're not in Cognac. Colour: straw. Nose: as usual with Waterford – usual, a word that demonstrates how well Waterford has already become part of the landscape – we're on bread, cereals, beer, earth. Moist earth, rainwater, baker's yeast, even pizza dough. Irish pizza, naturally. This time, we remain fully focused on these bakery aromas. With a bit of water: a hint of lemon comes through. That always works. Mouth (neat): we'll keep this short and sweet, limoncello biscuits and panettone. Well, after the pizza, here are some other Italian elements. And I'd swear there's also just a hint of spicy salami, I can't remember what they call it on the other side of the Alps. With water: it's more concentrated, more tense, but it remains a very textured and rather rich spirit. I'd like to rub a bit of new make spirit between my fingers, just to see how it behaves... Finish: long, on fresh bread, amaretti (undeniably) and citrus fruits, this time more on clementines than lemons. Saltier coastal touches right at the end. Comments: it's very relatively restrained, not the most expansive Waterford I've ever tasted, but I like this discreet and confident elegance (what?) rather a lot. And the purity of the whole. 90 points - whiskyfun.com

Best in Class - San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2021