WATERFORD Organic Gaia 1.1

‘Mark Reynier, the former co-owner of Bruichladdich founded Waterford Distillery in 2015. Keen to emphasise the notion of terroir, he works closely with around 100 Irish farmers. In 2016, he produced Ireland's first organic malt distillate, and more recently, following in the footsteps of the greatest winemakers, he decided to distil a whisky from biodynamically grown barley. Made from organic barley from six farms, this version is blended from first-fill bourbon casks (42%), new American oak casks (17%), French oak casks (23%) and casks that have contained a natural sweet wine (18%). On discovering this Waterford, to say that malted barley is at the heart of the tasting is an understatement. In fact, whether it is dominant or much more in the background, it is always present to the point of taking on rustic tones that particularly highlight the work of the men who gave birth to it’.