Waterford Organic Gaia Edition 1.1...

Waterford Arcadian Series Organic Gaia 1.1 (50.0%): Now this one is quite different compared to previous three "Single Farm" bottlings from Waterford I tasted throughout the week. The barley is sourced from six different organic growers instead of one farm and the whisky is distributed globally rather than being a US exclusive. The spirit is distilled in 2016 and bottled in 2020 when the whisky was 3 years nine months old. Although the batch involved whiskies matured in new American oak, ex-wine, ex-Madeira and ex-port casks as well the majority of the casks used were 1st fill ex-Bourbon barrels. A total of 24,000 bottles have been available worldwide. Please click on this "link" if you want to reach more info about this release. It carries the "teireoir" code OR01E01-01.

Color: Unoaked white wine color with oily, viscous legs all around the glass taking their time to run down.

Nose: Sourdough bread, kelp and freshly sliced quince. Yeasty, coastal and savory... Rock salt, wet sand and green asparagus. Water adds some sweeter notes on top but it is very vegetal and herbal: Fresh cilantro and peppermint leaves, bitter greens and dandelion leaves.

Palate: Still coastal: Sea spray, brine and Concorde pears. Olive oil, fresh marjoram and dry vermouth. Water brings some texture: Creamy and oily now... Juniper berries, grape seed oil and pomace.

Finish: Long with green olives, green banana peppers and dried rosemary.

Overall: Hands down my favorite among all the other releases I tasted... It's beautifully balanced with vegetal, salty and oily notes. It's savory, herbal and green. This particular recipe will be a great one to keep an eye on in coming years. If you like your whisky on slightly less sweet side like I do you will dig this one. Yes, it is very pricey for a whisky at its age by all means but worth to try when/if you have a chance. Exciting and promising release... Many thanks to Glass Revolution Imports and Raj Sabharwal for sending me all the samples and making this amazing series of reviews happen.

Price: $110

88/100