Waterford Tasting, The Oak Barrel, Sydney, November 27th 2023, Whisky #7 Nose: Pie crust, apples, vanilla egg custard, malted barley. I could swear there is the faintest possible hint of smoke. Palate: Soft unctious arrival turning sharper and just a touch peppery as it develops. Gristy cereal, freshly baked scones, baking spices. Stewed and fresh orchard fruits in the development. Very well integrated. Over time the palate relaxes and gains softness towards the finish. The texture is oily. Finish: Medium/long. Mildly spiced cereals and faint sweet apple. A satisfying and harmonious whisky that has received polarising reviews, and I can’t understand why. It’s a 4 year old expression (and a very good one) that shows integration, length and complexity. Yes, I think some if not most of the single farm varietals from Waterford show more defined character, but this really does drink like a well composed cuvee. I’m dropping my rating by 1 percentage point now that I have tasted this in the context of a wider range of Waterford whiskies, but it is still impressive and I bought a bottle on the night. “Very Good” : 86/100 (4 stars) --------------------------------------------------------------- Sydney Whisky Show May 20th 2023. Whisky #26 Nose: Apple pie with custard sauce and vanilla ice cream. Cherry nougat, honey, caramel and malted milk. There is a tiny note of brine, orange essence and some fresh mixed herbs. Palate: Soft, plush, creamy arrival with lots of baking spices and flavours centred on barley and malt with toasted muesli, hot spice cookies and porridge with butter, salt and brown sugar (the only way to eat it!). In the development a more complex array of subtle spice emerges together with some soft orchard fruit flavours. It displays excellent balance and complexity and despite the richness of the palate it retains a certain zesty, crisp green apple quality. The texture is oily and mouth-coating. Finish: Medium. Very much an extension and finale to the palate with fruit and spice supporting grain flavours. There was minor controversy around this expression when it was released as it seemed to fly in the face of Waterford’s previous staunch support of single farm origin whiskies. Maybe this was the plan all along, or maybe it was a change demanded by market research. Who knows? Who cares? The whiskey has garnered widely varying critiques but I wonder at the reasons for some reactions. The dram in the glass is all that counts and I put my faith in my own taste buds and initial impressions, both of which tell me that this is one of the most complete and accessible Waterfords I’ve tasted, while retaining the distillery’s signature clean, crisp and elegant distillate. “Very Good” : 87/100 (4.25 stars)