Waterford Cuvee

Score: 72

What sets The Cuvée apart is its ambition: not just to showcase Irish barley, but to elevate it through blending—layer upon layer of flavor, complexity, and texture. It’s not a dram for passive sipping; it invites exploration, reflection, and conversation. In a club setting, it’s the kind of bottle that sparks debate and admiration in equal measure. Waterford may be young, but with The Cuvée, it’s already speaking with a confident, distinctive voice. This is terroir in a glass and it’s worth listening. On the nose, it opens with apfelstrudel and warm vanilla sauce, strawberry reduction, nougat, and shortbread, all anchored by a malty backbone of whole-grain bread and barley husks. The palate is oily and full-bodied, offering nutmeg, cardamom, muesli, biscuits, and lemon-zested porridge, with a compote-like reprise of the apple. The finish is medium in length, with white pepper, poached pears, stone fruits, and a drizzle of flower honey. Drinking this whisky is a little like watching a talented young musician at their first public performance. Half of the pleasure is imagining what the future might hold. The Cuvée still tastes quite young, although I think that style works for a whisky concerned more with the primary flavor of the grain than the secondary flavors of maturation. CLUB COMMENTS: "This whisky was the winner on the night but was commented on being quite young still. This was well liked but felt more aging was needed in the long term."