Waterford

Introduction:

Waterford Distillery embraces a unique philosophy that aims to showcase the distinct characteristics of the raw grain in their Single Malt Whiskeys. They follow the “Single Farm Origins” approach, where each bottling features barley sourced exclusively from a single farm. To achieve this, Waterford collaborates with 97 Irish farms cultivating 19 different barley varieties, including organic and biodynamic options. The whiskey produced from each farm’s harvest is carefully bottled in small batches. Mark Reynier deliberately chose Ireland as the location for the distillery due to the country’s reputation for high-quality barley. Waterford distills over 40 different raw spirits from the grain, which are then matured and released in various editions.

In 2020, Waterford introduced its first two bottlings, Ballykilcavan 1.1 and Bannow Island 1.1, featuring barley sourced from their respective farms. In addition to the Single Farm Origins range, Waterford also produces a Cuvée edition that combines 25 of these distinct origins.

Mark Reynier’s distillery not only emphasizes the Single Farm principle but also explores traditional barley choices. For example, their Arcadian Series incorporates organic, biodynamic, heritage, and peated barley.

Waterford sets itself apart from other Irish distilleries in several ways, including their use of double distillation instead of the more common triple distillation. This uniqueness is also evident in the spelling of their Whiskeys, as they opt for the traditional spelling without the letter ‘e’. This choice may be influenced by their practice of not adding sugar caramel (E150a) and serves as a subtle reference in the spelling of their spirits.

The Production:

Waterford Distillery relies on groundwater filtered through volcanic rock for their Whiskey production. This water is sourced from three distinct wells located on the distillery site. Currently, the distillery produces approximately one million liters of Whiskey per year. However, the distillery plant has been designed to accommodate two stills and has the potential to increase its production capacity to up to three million liters annually.

The Pot Stills:

Initially, Waterford Distillery utilized old pot stills from Allied Distillers, which were originally manufactured by Blair’s for the Inverleven distillery in 1968. Despite their age, these stills remained in usable condition as Inverleven never went into operation. After the closure of Inverleven in 1991, the stills were temporarily stored at Bruichladdich for several years before being installed at Waterford Distillery in Ireland in 2015.

However, in July 2021, Waterford Distillery made the decision to replace the old stills with new ones. The new pot stills are steam-fired and feature a straight shape with wide necks, lacking constrictions or reflux balls. The Lyne arm, which connects the pot still to the condenser, slopes slightly downwards. These design elements minimize reflux, preventing the separation of flavor compounds in the alcohol. As a result, the Whiskey exhibits pronounced spicy and intense notes. To achieve a smoother flavor profile, Waterford runs the stills at a slightly slower pace. While both stills have a similar shape, the wash still, with a capacity of 19,000 liters, is slightly larger than the spirit still, which holds 11,000 liters.

The Maltings:

Waterford Distillery takes great pride in its transparency regarding the origin of its barley. They work with 97 Irish farms, including six organic farms, to cultivate 19 different types of barley. Each type is harvested, stored, malted, and distilled separately, allowing Waterford to capture the unique taste and terroir of different regions.

Upon harvest, the farmers bring the grain to Waterford’s facility, known as the “cathedral.” This space houses 28 separate compartments where the barley from different farms can be dried individually, ensuring precise traceability. To accommodate increased production, an additional “chapel” has been added, allowing for the drying of approximately 35 harvests. These harvests may not always come from the same farms, although some farms have become major suppliers. In total, Waterford has sourced barley from 107 different farms, showcasing a diverse range of terroirs.

Founder Mark Reynier considers the taste of the Whiskey to be more influenced by the terroir than the specific barley variety used. Terroir encompasses natural factors such as soil and climate, which contribute to the character of the Whiskey. While Waterford does not have its own malting floor, they collaborate with the Irish malting house called ‘Minch Malt.’ Minch Malt produces non-smoky malt separately for each batch, ensuring consistency in the malting process.

The Mashing:

Waterford Distillery employs a unique process called the ‘Hydromill’ to grind their grain. The Hydromill combines grinding and mashing by submerging the grain in water during the grinding process. A disc mill is used to grind the grain into a fine grist while it is under water. This method hydrates the starch in the grain and prevents oxidation.

The Mash Tun at Waterford Distillery has a capacity of 8.5 tonnes of mash. This refers to the amount of grain and water combined in the mashing process.

Fermenting:

Waterford Distillery utilizes four steel washbacks, each with a capacity of 100,000 liters. During each harvest from a single farm, the washbacks are filled with 80,000 liters of mash, along with various types of yeast. Due to the size of the washbacks, it takes approximately 50 hours to remove the wash, resulting in a fermentation time ranging between 120 and 170 hours.

The fermentation process produces a wash with an alcohol strength of 9-10%. The wash is the liquid obtained after the fermentation of the mash, containing alcohol and other compounds that will later be distilled to produce the final Whiskey product.

Maturation:

At Waterford Distillery, a diverse range of cask types is used to mature their Whiskey. Half of the casks employed are first – fill bourbon casks, while the other half is divided among fresh oak casks, French wine casks, and vin doux naturel sweet wine casks. Each batch or barley harvest from a farm results in approximately 180 barrels being filled with New Make Spirit.

In total, Waterford fills around 7,000 casks with Whiskey annually. The distillery boasts six warehouses that currently house approximately 40,000 barrels of maturing Whiskey. Additionally, there are three more warehouses prepared for new barrels, indicating the potential for further expansion and storage capacity.

The History:

The Waterford distillery site originally housed a Guinness brewery, constructed by Diageo in 2004. In 2014, Mark Reynier purchased the premises and undertook its conversion into the Waterford distillery, completing the transformation within a year. Prior to this venture, Reynier had played a significant role in the revival of the Bruichladdich distillery on Islay in 2002, alongside independent bottler Murray McDavid.

When Bruichladdich was to be acquired by Rémy Cointreau in 2012, Reynier opposed the takeover and subsequently departed from the company despite the acquisition proceeding. Reynier, a former wine merchant, approaches Whiskey production with a similar mindset to that of winemaking. He places great importance on terroir and the maturation of Whiskey in wine casks, a philosophy that was already evident at Bruichladdich.

After significant changes and restructuring, the Waterford distillery commenced production in 2016, with the first spirit flowing through the stills. In 2020, Waterford released its initial two editions featuring barley sourced from the Irish farms Ballykilcavan and Bannow Island, showcasing their commitment to highlighting terroir – driven expressions of Whiskey.

The Visitor Centre:

Waterford Distillery, unlike some other distilleries, does not have a visitor centre. However, interested individuals can make an appointment online to visit the distillery and partake in a ‘Terroir Tour’. This tour likely offers a unique experience focusing on Waterford’s emphasis on terroir and their innovative approach to Whiskey production.

While physical visits may be limited, Waterford provides an opportunity to get a glimpse of the distillery through their website. They have three webcams that offer live views of the still house, the warehouse, and the exterior of the distillery. These webcams allow visitors to observe the ongoing activities and operations at Waterford, providing a virtual window into the distillery’s workings.

To gather more information about the distillery and access the webcams, you can visit the Waterford Distillery website.

Visitor information:

Waterford Distillery
Grattan Quay
Waterford City
Tel: +353 (0)51-303508
Email: info@waterforddistillery.ie