“Burning Bridges”
Whisky Review # 1087
Country: Ireland 🇮🇪
Region: South-East
Brand: Waterford Peated Woodbrook - 74PPM
Type: Single Malt Irish Whiskey - Single Farm Origin Series - 8.000 Bottles
Age: Almost 4 Years (Distilled: 21-08-2019 / Bottled: 18-07-2023)
Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 50%
Maturation: Mixed Barrels (See Conclusion)
Maturation: Mixed Barrels (See Conclusion)
Chill Filtration: No
Price Range: US$ 65-85 (March 2026)
Price/Quality Ratio: 👎 Too expensive for what it offers
Buying Advice: 👎 You can buy f.i. an Ardbeg 10 for the same money
Price/Quality Ratio: 👎 Too expensive for what it offers
Buying Advice: 👎 You can buy f.i. an Ardbeg 10 for the same money
Colour: Pale Straw (Natural Colour)
Nose:
Young, Yeasty and Medium-Sweet with a few Sour and Salty notes as well. The Sweetness is a bit Artificial. I also get a few Burnt & Chemical notes. Despite the high ABV, the Alcohol, while noticeable, does not really interfere with the Nosing procedures. There's more Peat than Smoke and it's less intense when compared to Islay Peat. The Nose is okay I guess considering its young age but it naturally misses depth and complexity.
Main Aromas:
Sweet Barley, slightly Burnt Buttered Toast, Salted Caramel, Yeast, Dough, Straw & other Farm Yard Aromas, Earthy Peat, slightly Dirty Factory Smoke, Dried Fruit like Sultanas and Apples, Lemon, Sour Berries and Cherries, Burnt Rubber Tires, Ginger and a Floral Perfume.
Supportive Aroma Accents:
Vanilla, Toffee, Honey, Wax, Slivovitz, Marzipan, Salted Meat on the BBQ, Ashes, Iodine, Burnt Heather, Herbs and Plastic, Dusty Track, Milk Chocolate, Bitter Tea, Pepper, Cinnamon, Mint, Varnish and Sweaty Feet.
Sweet Barley, slightly Burnt Buttered Toast, Salted Caramel, Yeast, Dough, Straw & other Farm Yard Aromas, Earthy Peat, slightly Dirty Factory Smoke, Dried Fruit like Sultanas and Apples, Lemon, Sour Berries and Cherries, Burnt Rubber Tires, Ginger and a Floral Perfume.
Supportive Aroma Accents:
Vanilla, Toffee, Honey, Wax, Slivovitz, Marzipan, Salted Meat on the BBQ, Ashes, Iodine, Burnt Heather, Herbs and Plastic, Dusty Track, Milk Chocolate, Bitter Tea, Pepper, Cinnamon, Mint, Varnish and Sweaty Feet.
A mix of Sweet, Bitter, Sour and Salty notes. The Bitterness is above average and might not be to everyone's liking. The rather Thin Palate follows the Nose with lots of Dirty and Burnt notes. The Alcohol is more noticeable now.
Main Flavours:
Sweet Barley, Salted Caramel, Burnt Buttered Toast, Vanilla, Yeast, Mix of Straw & Cow Manure, Earthy Peat, Dirty Smoke, Ashes, Tar, Sour Berries & Cherries, Wet Sand, Lemon, Grapefruit, Fish & Bacon on the BBQ, Rubber, Dusty Oak, Pepper, Ginger, Cloves, Nutmeg, Menthol, Mint and Floral Perfume.
Supportive Flavour Accents:
Honey, Toffee, Wax, Iodine, Dough, Green Apple, Bitter Orange, Slivovitz, Burnt Herbs and Plastic, Dark Chocolate, Stale Espresso, Leather, Tobacco, Licorice, Soy Sauce, Aniseed and Cinnamon.
Honey, Toffee, Wax, Iodine, Dough, Green Apple, Bitter Orange, Slivovitz, Burnt Herbs and Plastic, Dark Chocolate, Stale Espresso, Leather, Tobacco, Licorice, Soy Sauce, Aniseed and Cinnamon.
Thin, Young and a little Sharp. Bitter-Sweet with a few Sour and Salty notes. The Finish is Middle-Long but Ashes and Burnt Plastic stay in your throat for quite a while. Medium-Dry. I also find Sweet Barley, Salted Caramel, Vanilla, Earthy Peat, Dirty Smoke, Tar, Iodine, Rubber, Burnt Straw and Herbs, Sour Berries, Lemon, Grapefruit, Green Apple, Dusty Oak, Stale Espresso, Licorice, Varnish, Menthol and Mint, Pepper, Ginger, Cloves, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Bitter Oranges & Floral Perfume.
Drinking Advice:
Added Water softens up the Palate and the Finish and removes some of the Sharp edges. My advise is to try it out both ways.
Added Water softens up the Palate and the Finish and removes some of the Sharp edges. My advise is to try it out both ways.
Rating: 6 (******)
Nose: 6.5 - Taste: 7 - Finish: 5.5
*** Important Note with respect to Rating.
If the Final score is above 8 you can safely buy the whisky in question if and when it fits your Aroma/Flavor profile. If the score is between 6 and 8 you might want to try it out in the form of a sample or if offered at a good price. Anything below 6 should be left alone when you are looking for a nice sipping whisky. You might still like it of course & I realize pricing is an important item for many whisky fans especially when you are used to enjoy whisky in a cocktail or a mixed drink.
Drinking Experience Neat: Bottom line okay
Conclusion:
The old and defunct Guinness Brewery Waterford is located in the town that bears the same name and was purchased in the year 2014 by Mark Reynier, the former co-owner of the Bruichladdich distillery. Mark had many ideas to produce Whiskey with complete traceability and a major roll for the Barley. In working with many local farmers he tried to create Terroir Whisky in the same way that famous Wines are produced. In the next years Waterford unfortunately was hit by the Pandemic, a USA distributor that went broke & too many expressions to handle economically. Energy prices went up as well and so was the level of debt. Finally in November 2024 production stopped and the distillery went into receivership. The receivers are since seeking a buyer for the distillery and the stocks.
The old and defunct Guinness Brewery Waterford is located in the town that bears the same name and was purchased in the year 2014 by Mark Reynier, the former co-owner of the Bruichladdich distillery. Mark had many ideas to produce Whiskey with complete traceability and a major roll for the Barley. In working with many local farmers he tried to create Terroir Whisky in the same way that famous Wines are produced. In the next years Waterford unfortunately was hit by the Pandemic, a USA distributor that went broke & too many expressions to handle economically. Energy prices went up as well and so was the level of debt. Finally in November 2024 production stopped and the distillery went into receivership. The receivers are since seeking a buyer for the distillery and the stocks.
The Single Farm Origin Series were made with Barley produced on a single farm. In this case the Barley was Sourced from the Woodbrook farm near Dublin. The Peated Woodbrook I'm reviewing today matured in a mix of First Fill Bourbon casks Heaven Hill (33%), Virgin US Oak (18%), Premium French Oak Chateau Talbot (20%) & French Sweet Wine Rivesaltes (Vin Doux Naturel) casks (29%).
This Peated Woodbrook is certainly completely different from your average smooth Irish Whiskey. It's anything but smooth actually. It's Young, slightly Hot & Edgy. It contains Burnt, slightly Chemical & Artificial Elements and even some Sweat pops up in places. So it's definitively not boring & mainstream. But it's also simply too Young. I do feel that the addition of the French Sweet Wine casks brought some Fruity Sweetness and that's a plus. But it's not enough to save the day for this Waterford Expression. And certainly not at this price level. It's simply way too expensive for such a Young, Unfinished Single Malt. I hope a buyer will appear to try and revive Waterford with a simpler business model. I wish them all the luck in the world.
Cheers! 🥃
Jan van den Ende March 12, 2026
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