Waterford Peated Fenniscourt 1.1

I'm not generally a big fan of Irish whiskey, as I've usually found it to be somewhat lacking in character and presence. Consequently, I've tended to avoid it and know very little about it. A peated Irish whiskey is therefore something I'm almost entirely unfamiliar with. I may be fortunate, then, to be exploring peated Irish thanks to a well-regarded sample of this dram from a friend. Nose: Light, crisp. It has a slightly mossy quality, reminiscent of a damp temperate rainforest. A mild acidity and a bready yeastiness are present, like dough and cheese. There's a slightly sharp ginger note and a lemony earthiness. Palate: Oily, initially a bit thin but developing into a medium body. It begins with a lightly peppery and effervescent sensation, packed with sweet cereal and malt. Fresh, bright notes of apple and red berries transition delightfully into a drying, gentle smoke with a pop of lemon zest. As the palate develops, it takes on a sticky, sweet-and-sour cola-like quality. The bright, fresh notes nearly fade into a darker, woodland character, with an underlying herbal and mineralic smokiness. Finish: Medium. Brightly fruity and peppery, with an equal measure of cocoa powder and tannic smoky dryness. I find the nose slightly contradictory. I enjoy the scent of moss-covered woodlands and the sound of crunching leaves underfoot. I also appreciate the acidity that emerges from the yeasty-malt presence. This apparent youth is evident in the acidity, with a cheesy harshness that's just enough to make me pause and pull away from what I'm enjoying. The palate is wonderful; it tells a story. From an initial excitement to a bright, open summer orchard, and then into a deeper, more foreboding woodland, there's depth and progression. This palate is delivered excellently. The finish is perfectly adequate and nicely summarizes the journey. If this had been the first Irish whiskey I had sat down to contemplate, I believe my overall impressions and attitude would be different. This is a truly smashing dram that delivered much more than I anticipated. I can easily overlook the off-notes I detect on the nose for the narrative the palate weaves. The peat here is not comparable to Scottish or Australian varieties; it's a much more delicate and vibrant expression of peat. Thanks again to my friend, you spoiled me with this one. Whiskey taste #274 [Pictured with a 305-million-year-old plate of Alethopteris (seed fern) from the Late Carboniferous of Pennsylvania, USA. This was a time very different from today. Euramerica was situated in the tropics, and a landscape of humid lowlands and forested swamps was periodically submerged by shallow seas. Trees 50 meters tall were surrounded by seed ferns forming dense undergrowth. The Llewellyn formation, also known as the ‘coal measures,’ is a world-renowned coal deposit, also noted for its plant fossils. The Llewellyn was deposited on a broad, flat plain with sediment-laden rivers. Fluctuations in sea level, combined with the shifting nature of the rivers and highlands, allowed dense forests to grow on the wide plain. As a result, a large amount of organic matter was buried and eventually transformed into coal. The anaerobic conditions prevalent in swamps allowed for exceptional preservation of plant material as impressions, biofilms, and carbonaceous traces, such as those seen here.]

Nose: Bright, new barley malt, warm spiced bread, goat cheese, feta, a light layer of herbal, earthy smoke (after writing this, I checked other opinions and many noted rubber, but I detected no hint of thiols or sulfides at all. In fact, their absence was particularly notable). Palate: Sweet and grain-forward upon entry with excellent oiliness. Berries and tree fruits in the background on the later palate and a generally mild, dry smoke presence. It's a refined, subtle, and calm style of peating that I didn't anticipate from a nominal 38ppm level. Finish: Medium to long. Fresh bread, a sprinkle of pepper. The peat smoke gradually fades into the aftertaste with a gentle return of sweetness. Completely unlike any peated Islay whisky, and not very similar to peated whisky from any other part of Scotland either, but this is also unlike any peated Irish whiskey I've tried. It's very much its own entity and the more you explore it, the more it reveals its Waterford distillate origin with clean, perfectly crafted malted barley distillate at its core. This was part of the Arcadian Series, distilled in 2018 and bottled in 2022 but technically only 3 years old. It was matured in virgin American and French oak, with a smaller portion aged in vin doux naturel casks. In many respects, this whisky is a peated version of Waterford’s Knockroe Edition 1.1. A highly impressive whisky that demonstrates how delightful young peated whisky can be, and how bland and lifeless many products from the major distilleries have become regardless of (and perhaps due to) greater age. I enjoyed it immensely and purchased a bottle that night. “Very Good”: 86/100 (4 stars)

We taste barley, mulled wine, spices, and tropical fruits. The overall impression is quite smoky. Finish: A bit of wood and slightly more spice. It's quite peaty, tasting almost like cut grass. It's excellent on the palate, refreshing, and nicely smoky, just how I like it.

The aroma is not pleasant, with a strong alcohol scent in the background. The taste is better but still unremarkable. A very typical peated whisky.