Waterford Ratheadon: Edition 1.1

Ratheadon 1.1 is the first release from the McDonnell family farm on the fertile flood plain of the River Barrow in Co. Carlow. The McDonnells have farmed the land for around five decades, and the alluvial soil provides a distinctive terroir within the Waterford catalogue. The Irina barley variety was grown on rich loamy soil and distilled in 2016. Originally planned as an export release, Ratheadon 1.1 was redirected to the Irish market to meet domestic demand, becoming an Irish exclusive with a tight outturn of 1,400 bottles. All subsequent Ratheadon editions have followed the same Irish market pattern. 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 carries floral and honey notes over digestive biscuit, malt, gentle spice and berry fruit. The palate shows white pepper, ginger, pearl barley and orange, closing on an oily mouthwatering finish.