Waterford Bannow Island: Edition 1.1

Bannow Island 1.1 is the first release from Ed Harpur's farm on the extreme southern coast of Co. Wexford, part of Waterford's inaugural Single Farm Origin series. Bannow Island is connected to the mainland despite its name, but the farm sits on salt laden sandy coastal terroir distinct from the inland loams typical of Ireland's barley heartlands. The Overture barley variety was distilled in 2016, and the whiskey bottled in June 2020 with an outturn of 8,616 bottles. Every bottle carries the TÉIREOIR code linking to the specific field, soil analysis and cask records.

Maturation used the Waterford standard combination of first fill American oak, virgin American oak, premium French oak and Vin Doux Naturel casks. 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. 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 opens with soft lemon, fresh barley and vanilla blossom. The palate brings citrus, granola with chocolate, summer berry tart and sultana, closing on mellow oak, honeydew and leafy mint.