Waterford Pique-Nique Summer ’22

Pique-Nique Summer '22 is a limited Irish market release in Waterford's Micro Cuvée line, designed as a summer expression by head distiller Ned Gahan. Distilled in 2018 and bottled in April 2022, the edition produced only 600 bottles, making it one of the smaller Waterford Micro Cuvées. Like the other Pique-Nique releases, the assemblage skips American oak entirely in favour of a cask profile built around French oak and Vin Doux Naturel. Every bottle carries the TÉIREOIR code that links to the farm and cask records behind the blend.

The wine forward cask composition gives this Micro Cuvée a different character to most Waterford releases. Without Bourbon's vanillin and coconut lactones, the wood signature is dominated by clove, dried fruit and honey. French oak contributes finer grained tannins and higher concentrations of whisky lactones for a drier, more peppery backbone. The Vin Doux Naturel casks, previously used to age the fortified sweet wines of southern France, layer in oxidised fruit esters and concentrated sweetness. Bottled at 50% without chill filtration or added colour.

Tasting notes run from citric and fresh fruit on the nose into dried fruit, leathery notes and malt on the palate.