What a f*cking powerful liquid!!! For day three I picked Waterford distillery and the Hook Head 1.1 expression. The distillery is a personal favourite of mine mostly because I spent every summer holiday in the area and this is the first Irish Whiskey that tastes like the place the ingredients were grown. In wine they call it Terroir and hopefully this will be a phrase we use more and more often in the whiskey scene. The concept has sooooo many doubters and rightly so BUT try their whiskeys... slowly, spend time with the expressions, take some time (when it's possible again) to visit the distillery, experience the countryside, the farms, the people and I more or less guarantee you'll understand their concept and what’s in your glass. You know Irish Whiskey right? This isn't Irish Whiskey it's a snapshot of a time and place in liquid form, packed in a custom made bottle to show you: I'm different to the rest. Technically a whiskey but in spirit so much more.
Alright enough poetry, what's it like in the glass:
Nose: acetone, marzipan, aloe vera, grapes, cherry and just a hint of vanilla.
Palate: Cloves, cinnamon, sour cherries, Assam tea, spicy, wild and windy, chocolatey and spicy
Finish: Pineapple, sweet wine, tree sap, lemon rind, a hint of salt, vanilla and an irish style Black Forest gateaux
This tastes like Hook Head. It tastes like the place feels. It's fantastic! Yes the casks play a big part but the barley takes center stage.
