Waterford Rue du Nil

Rue du Nil is one of Waterford's most unusual Micro Cuvées, produced in collaboration between the distillery, La Maison du Whisky, and Grégory Marchand and Aurélien Massé of Frenchie, the Michelin starred Paris restaurant after which the release is named. The whisky was built from 100% biodynamic barley, drawing on Waterford's Demeter certified biodynamic stock from the Arcadian Series. Distilled in 2019 and bottled in August 2022, the release produced 1,200 bottles for the French market. Every bottle carries the TÉIREOIR code that links back to the specific biodynamic farms and individual cask records.

The cask composition is dominated by Moscatel at 52%, unusual in single malt whisky. Moscatel casks previously held fortified sweet wine from southern Spain and Portugal, contributing concentrated grape sugar notes, oxidised honey and a rounded mouthfeel distinct from the Vin Doux Naturel profile Waterford typically uses. First fill American oak at 22% delivers vanillin and coconut lactones from the charred inner wood. ex-Bordeaux at 26% contributes anthocyanins and condensed tannins from the original red wine, adding dried fruit and clove phenolics. The absence of virgin oak keeps the wood spice in check. Bottled at 50% without chill filtration or added colour.

The nose opens fresh and elegant with pear, apple, sage, verbena, vanilla and candied lemon over clean malt. The palate develops through fruity, herbaceous and vanilla notes in succession.