Waterford Ballykilcavan: Edition 1.2

Ballykilcavan 1.2 is the second release from David Walsh-Kemmis's farm west of the River Barrow in Co. Laois, following the success of the first edition. The farm's fertile fields sit sheltered by ancient woodland on soil considered among the best in Ireland for malting barley. This second bottling carries around four months of additional maturation compared to the first edition, and includes some of the first edition spirit in the blend. An outturn of 9,000 bottles was released in July 2020. Every bottle carries the TÉIREOIR code linking back to the specific field, soil analysis and cask records.

Maturation ran in four cask types: 55% first fill American oak, 22% premium French oak and 22.5% Vin Doux Naturel. First fill Bourbon contributes vanillin and coconut lactones through the charred inner wood. French oak delivers finer grained tannins with clove phenolics. The Vin Doux Naturel casks, previously used for fortified sweet wines from southern France, add oxidised fruit esters and concentrated sweetness. Bottled at 50% without chill filtration or added colour.

The nose shows red grapes, tilled earth and dried fruit. The palate opens oily with white pepper, apricot, warm spice and toffee, closing on a dry finish with chocolate, malt and extended spice.