In the green, rolling fields of County Wexford, where the air carries a hint of the sea and the earth whispers ancient secrets, there stands a distillery that’s rewriting the rules of whiskey-making—by looking backwards. Welcome to Waterford Distillery, where innovation wears the cloak of tradition and every drop of whiskey tells a tale as rich as the Irish soil itself.
Here’s the thing about Waterford: they’re not just about making whiskey; they’re about making statements. Bold ones. They’ve taken the French concept of terroir, sprinkled it with some Celtic magic, and created a whiskey experience that’s as unique as the land it’s grown on. Each bottle is a testament to the soil, the microclimate, and the hands that nurtured the barley from seed to spirit. It’s not just about what’s in the bottle—it’s about where it came from, and why that matters.
Enter the Arcadian Farm Origin Peated: Lacken, a whiskey that’s less of a drink and more of a journey. And not just any journey—this is a time-traveling, peat-smoke-laden, wild ride back to an Ireland where the air was thick with the scent of turf fires, and the whiskey was as rugged as the landscape.
Let’s set the scene. Picture a time before coal became the go-to, when peat was the lifeblood of rural Ireland. It was the heat in your hearth, the warmth in your bones, and—if you were one of the many illicit distillers hiding from the taxman—the smoke that gave your whiskey its soul.
Drying barley over peat fires was the way things were done, and the result was a spirit infused with the smoky, earthy character of the land itself. But like all good things, this tradition faded into history, snuffed out by the march of progress—or so we thought.
Waterford Distillery, with a gleam in their eye and a love for the dramatic, decided that the old ways were worth reviving. The Arcadian Farm Origin Peated: Lacken is their tribute to the past, but with a twist. This isn’t just a throwback; it’s a comeback. They’ve taken barley grown on the Lacken farm—a patch of earth as storied as it is fertile—and dried it over Irish peat, reigniting a tradition that’s been sleeping for over a century. The result? A whiskey that’s as wild and untamed as the landscape that birthed it.
Crack open a bottle, and you’re immediately greeted by a nose that’s both familiar and surprising. It’s like walking into a cozy cottage on a blustery day, where the fire’s been burning since dawn.
There’s vibrant barley that’s fresh as a spring morning, apples and pears that add a touch of sweetness, and then—bam!—the briny, smoky hit of peat, like a wave crashing against the cliffs.
There’s even a hint of pebbly minerality, as if the whiskey itself remembers the ancient stones beneath the soil.
Take a sip, and the adventure continues. The whiskey is oily, in a way that coats your mouth and lingers, refusing to be ignored. Bonfire smoke and earthy tea dominate, evoking images of long-lost hearths and secret stills hidden in the hills. But it’s not all rough and tumble—there’s a softness too, with notes of apple pastries and juicy stone fruits that add a comforting sweetness, like the sun breaking through the clouds after a storm.
And then there’s the finish—a lingering embrace of pipe smoke, herbal tea, tar, and charred oak that seems to go on forever, like the best stories always do. It’s a finish that leaves you with more than just a taste—it leaves you with a feeling, a connection to something ancient and enduring, like the peat bogs themselves.
So what’s the real story behind Waterford’s Arcadian Farm Origin Peated: Lacken? It’s a whiskey that refuses to be defined by modern conventions. It’s not just a revival of an old tradition; it’s a reclaiming of it, with a boldness that’s as Irish as it gets. Waterford Distillery has taken a piece of history, added a touch of their own magic, and created something that’s both timeless and entirely of the moment.
Pour yourself a glass, take a sip, and let the whiskey take you on a journey. Because with every drop of Arcadian Farm Origin Peated: Lacken, you’re not just drinking whiskey—you’re tasting a piece of Ireland’s soul, revived and reimagined for a new generation. And if that’s not worth raising a glass to, I don’t know what is. Sláinte!
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Words by AW.
Photos courtesy of Waterford Distillery.
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