Mark Reynier of Renegade Spirits (ex-Bruichladdich) has transformed the former Guinness brewery in Waterford Ireland, into the Waterford Distillery. In a move against the grain, they have decided to distinguish their Irish Whiskey by dropping the "e." The first whisky ran in January 2016. Waterford have major innovations in exploring the terroir in whisky and have dedicated their entire approach around this. A fascinating whisky to try and explore.

Nestled in quiet Mary Street, inside a former Guinness brewery building, lies Waterford Distillery. Only a block back from the banks of the river Suir that flows through County Waterford and into the Atlantic Ocean, this small distillery is bringing a modern and environmental flair to the Irish Whiskey industry.

The original building was revamped and renovated by Guinness owners Diageo in 2004 into an architectural ode to wooden casks, before being purchased by the Renegade Spirits Company in 2014. This put the distillery into the well-worn and experienced hands of Mark Reynier who is the former co-owner of a little Islay distillery called Bruichladdich. Mark knows exactly what it takes to nurture a fledgling distillery and his background at Bruichladdich, especially working with organic barley, has had a big impact on the way Waterford whiskey is being produced.

^{Photo: Waterford Distillery in Waterford, Ireland, was founded in 2014 and began production in early 2016. The distillery resides in a former Guinness brewery, and many of the employees from the plant's previous incarnation were brought on to run the distillery.}

The tale of how Waterford came to be is not a long history, but as with many in Ireland it was influenced by one man’s dedication to the craft. After getting an offer they couldn’t refuse from Remy Cointreau to take over Bruichladdich distillery, Mark’s insatiable itch for distilling led him to Ireland to become a pivotal part of the Irish whiskey renaissance. It took only 16 months of quick work installing the necessary whiskey equipment before the first spirit came off the former Port Charlotte stills at Waterford.

The pot stills at Waterford had quite the adventure themselves, having been at Inverleven Distillery (part of the Dumbarton grain whisky complex) for 19 years before being transported to Islay for the planned second distillery on site at Bruichladdich. Port Charlotte distillery was never seen through, and the stills sat by the wayside until Mark bought them off Remy Cointreau and had them shipped to Waterford.

^{Photo: They double-distill at Waterford. The distillery is rigged to produce 1 million liters per year, though it could produce two to three times more than that if operating at full speed. Instead, a different approach is taken in an effort to produce more flavor while ensuring careful control. “Low and slow is the mantra of our distillery,” says head distiller Ned Gahan.}

Their first drop of new make spirit came off these stills and was filled into French and American oak in 2016, overseen by Ned Gahan, formerly of Guinness but who joined Renegade Spirits as head distiller, and their first releases were launched in 2020.

^{Photo: All the barley is dried and stored after harvest, before being sent to the maltster. With each batch of whiskey being made from a distinct batch of barley, it's essential to keep everything separated and properly tracked. “There is unequivocal traceability,” Reynier says.}

Organic barley and terroir play a huge role in Waterford whiskey and their overall philosophy, with the company sourcing barley from over 50 different farms growing barley on 19 distinct soil types around Ireland. The importance of barley in whiskey production cannot be understated, but Waterford Distillery is looking to take that a step further by creating estate-style Single Farm Origin batches focusing on both grain and cask. They were the first Irish distillery to be awarded a certification from the Organic Trust for their Arcadian Gaia release and have gone on to produce bio-dynamic and impact conscious whiskey with their recent Luna release.

^{Photo: Waterford has amassed over 19,000 casks. Each warehouse is designed to hold 7,000, and several new warehouses are currently under construction. The distillery uses a precise ratio of barrels for each batch of spirit which you can visit the Waterford Distillery website, enter your unique bottle code on the back label to learn about what casks and everything else about that bottle. Very cool feature for whisky geeks.}

^{Photo: The spirits safe uniquely shows the name of the farmer whose grain is currently being distilled. It's all a part of what distillery founder Mark Reynier refers to as “the three T's”: terroir, traceability and transparency.}

^{Photo: Map of all the local barley farm locations Waterford Distillery is currently sourcing from}

A distillery worth watching, they are now looking to start expanding production and incorporate a visitor experience to their growing brand. As of yet, only privately requested tours are available for whiskey lovers who make the long trek to their south-eastern Irish town.

The Whisky List is incredibly excited to offer our Whisky Lovers a small allocation of Waterford Whiskies this month as part of our Irish Whiskey month theme for March.