The hype train

Today I’ll have a special tasting session.Those 3 bottles generated a lot of hype in the community. The bottles that everyone suddenly wants! Well honestly, I was not super hyped by the idea since it’s only 3yo and well, the terroir thing is a concept that has not really convinced me with Bruichladdich. But hey, given the enjoyment on those bottles I managed to get samples to test those, we will see what happens!

Waterford 2016-2020 « Single Farm: Ballykilcavan 1.1 » (50%, OB, batch #V22746)

Colour: Clear white wine.
Nose: Bam! Cereals bursting your nose, it’s really strong, not balanced at all. Well we could recognize cereals, muesli, malt and vanilla. It’s smell super young (well it is) and it’s starting to turn my stomach quite a bit. Maybe the mouth will be better.
Mouth: The young malt is over-present but we have a bit of yellow fruits, bananas, some bitterness and dryness at the end of the mouth. I tried to love it but I can’t, sorry.
Finish: Quite long. Bitterness, bread, malt, spices and a bit of wood.

This one is really not for me, I tried but … I am going to try another one with a little apprehension now but maybe it will be alright.

Score: 79

Waterford 2016-2020 « Single Farm: Bannow Island 1.1 » (50%, OB, batch #V23449)

Colour: Gold.
Nose : Cereals, malt, a bit of spices, some floral notes too, apples and vanilla. There’s a lot of grains in the nose which feels very young.
Mouth: Round and oily, a bit spicy too. We have some yellow fruits, tropical fruits and vanilla. Some sourness too, it’s very bourbon-y in fact.
Finish: Mid-long spicy and bread-y finish. It’s quite fresh too.

Well, it’s better than the last one to be sure but still not my cup of tea, at all.

Score: 83

Waterford 2016/2020 « Single Farm: Ratheadon 1.1 » (50%, OB, batch #V23304)

Colour: Gold too.
Nose: Oh, this time the nose seems to be more like a young typical whisky! That’s a surprise. It’s quite round and grassy, we have honey and it is even a little earthy. On the background we have some apples and peers.
Mouth: Caramel, honey, lemon, a tad of bread and then some vanilla. Even hints of apples and pears on the background.
Finish: Quite long and mineral, with some sweetness in the second part that hints some tropical fruits.

This one, for me, is the best out of the three. But still not what I expect from a good whisky.

Score: 85

Well, well, well, I can’t jump on the Hype train honestly, and I’ve had a hard time understanding those who do, with a big smile, yelling everywhere that these are exceptional whiskies.
This is maybe good for 3yo whiskies, but it’s not what I’m looking for to be sure. It’s quite far from a good whisky for me or at least far from the idea I have of it.
It’s too young for me, it’s worth a try once to know what it’s like, as you could try a new-make but honestly that’s it for me, end of the story. It will probably make good older whiskies and I’ll be happy to try those.
I also have doubts about the terroir concept, we have real differences as of now with those 3yo whiskies but after 20yo in a barrel I’ll emit more doubts about the differences that could remain. But we will see.
And lastly I understand the fact that the terroir approach impacts the price, but in this case we are paying more than 80 euros for a bottle of 3yo whisky. After taking everything into consideration, that’s clearly not for me.