WATERFORD Organic Gaia 2.1

Mark Reynier and his team are back with a 2nd edition of their Organic Gaia single malt, produced from organically grown barley. Gaia, the goddess of old and the personification of Mother Nature herself, is a logical reference for this whisky, which explores the contribution of barley at its purest. This new version is made from barley harvested in 2016 on 6 Irish farms. John Mallick, Paddy Tobin, Alan Jackson, Pat and Denis Booth, Jason Stanley and Trevor Harris are the men who responded to Waterford's challenge to produce Ireland's first organic malting barley, despite its lowest yields. This edition is a blend of first-fill bourbon casks (39%), new American oak casks (17%), French oak casks (19%) and casks that have contained a natural sweet wine (25%). Compared to the previous edition, the influence of French oak and VDN casks is more pronounced. The whisky is warm, with marked notes of malted barley, sublimated by a gourmand touch (chocolate, brown sugar, fig biscuit, peanuts), beautiful notes of fresh or zesty fruit (orange, grapefruit, cherry) and a spicy finish of great refinement.