Waterford Ratheadon: Edition 1.2

Ratheadon 1.2 is the second release from the McDonnell family farm on the fertile flood plain of the River Barrow, distilled in 2016 and bottled in August 2020. Stephen and Andrew McDonnell, third and fourth generation growers, have farmed the land at Ratheadon for around five decades. The alluvial flood plain provides a distinctive terroir quite different from the upland and coastal farms elsewhere in the Waterford catalogue. The whiskey uses early sown barley from the 2015 harvest. An outturn of 10,000 bottles was released as an Irish market exclusive, as with all Ratheadon bottlings. Every bottle carries the TÉIREOIR code linking to the full farm 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.

Tasting notes run to citric brightness, fresh yeast dough and green house notes over a developed new wood character.