Waterford Pilgrimage

Pilgrimage is the first whisky ever released by Waterford Distillery, bottled to mark the scheduled opening day in April 2020 that was ultimately disrupted by the global pandemic. Only 1,500 bottles were produced, with 1,000 carrying the original 'I Was There' label intended for attendees of the distillery open day. The assemblage draws on 36 individually distilled Single Farm Origins from the 2016 vintage, representing the first year of spirit produced under Mark Reynier's terroir programme after the former Guinness brewery in Waterford was converted to distilling. Every bottle carries the TÉIREOIR code that has since become the distillery's signature, linking to the full record of farms, soils and casks behind the whisky.

Maturation ran four years in a combination of first fill American oak, virgin American oak and premium French oak. First fill Bourbon contributes vanillin and lactones through the charred inner staves, while virgin American oak delivers a sharper lignin derived spice and toasted sugar character. The French oak adds finer grained tannins and clove phenolics. Bottled at 50% without chill filtration or added colour.

Pilgrimage sits at the origin point of the Waterford catalogue. Following the distillery's 2024 receivership and subsequent sale to Tennessee Distilling Group, it carries historic significance as the first expression of the original terroir project.