Description:

Remember back in September 2017 when I first wrote about Waterford? (Which was roughly a year and a half after my actual visit.) I also note there, in passing, the two new spirits I drank, one of which was distilled from barley cultivated on Martin Foley's property. In any case, that young product has now matured and has been been introduced as Waterford's Hook Head 1.1, a product of the distillery's Single Farm Origin Series. I appreciate that I can now use the finished item.

"Earthy and malty, with undertones of earl grey tea and chocolate," was how I described Foley's new blend at the time. A coastal terroir inspired by the Atlantic Ocean is claimed to exist in Hook Head, which is 10 miles from the distillery.

You know, it sounds cool that the barley from Foley's farm is exposed to storms that are heavy with salt. I'm not certain if that can be seen in the final result, but I assume we'll find out.

I'll include a review of the recently released Waterford Cooladine 1.1 for my South African readers (do I have any?). This expression's barley was farmed by William and Pat Doyle on productive land made up of clay- and shingle-rich marlstone. It was only bottled for South Africa.

On the nose, it contains a moderate quantity of malt, whole-grain biscuits, a hint of buttered toast, and copper. a little bit farmy, with a hint of dried seaweed. A faint hint of milk chocolate, lemon, and orange marmalade can be detected in the background.

The flavor is appropriately oily with hints of stewed apple and caramel, then white pepper, licorice root, ginger, a light salinity, and chocolate. And at last, a pear aroma.

Spices that linger and drying make up the finish.