Waterford Argot

Argot is Waterford's first permanent globally distributed bottling and the entry point to the distillery's Cuvée Concept range. Released in March 2023 at a lower strength of 47% to make the Waterford style more accessible, it draws on multiple Single Farm Origin distillates together with a measured inclusion of peated spirit from the Ballybannon and Fenniscourt farms, the first Waterford bottlings to use Irish peat in generations. Head distiller Ned Gahan assembled the Cuvée to sit alongside Waterford's terroir focused releases as a more approachable expression. An outturn of 25,000 bottles was part of the initial release. Every bottle carries the TÉIREOIR code linking to the farm and cask records behind the blend.

Maturation used four cask types: 37% first fill American oak, 19% virgin American oak, 19% premium French oak and 23% Vin Doux Naturel. First fill Bourbon contributes vanillin and coconut lactones through the charred inner wood. Virgin American oak adds toasted sugar and raw lignin derived spice. French oak delivers finer grained tannins with clove phenolics. Vin Doux Naturel casks, previously used for fortified sweet wines from southern France, layer in oxidised fruit esters and concentrated sweetness. The small inclusion of peated spirit adds a low level of smoke without dominating the Waterford barley character. Bottled at 47% without chill filtration or added colour.

The nose carries malt, pear, wet embers and caramel apple. The palate shows barley forward character with bread, cereal, white pepper, green banana and clove, closing on soft wood smoke and drying spice.