Blackwater 2021/2025 - 3 y.o. - Bourbon Barrel - Master of Malt

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 55% | Chill filtration: No | Colouring: No

Special Features:

This Irish single malt was distilled at Blackwater in November 2021, exclusively from malted Hunter barley. After three years in a first-fill bourbon barrel, Master of Malt bottled the single cask in February 2025 at 55% alcohol. Limited to 283 bottles, this 0.7-litre release contains no added colouring and was not chill-filtered.

Its sensory profile combines creamy malt and oats with yeasty dough, stone fruit and lemon. Melon, pear and quince are joined by hazelnut, creamy rice pudding and white chocolate, before resinous oak, nutmeg and soft vanilla fudge add spicy accents.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: The nose reveals soft, fleshy stone fruit, lemon soufflé and creamy oats. Pancake batter, hazelnut crème fraîche and clean oak aromas follow, with a touch of resin in the background.
• Palate: On the palate, soft fruit combines with balanced spice and creamy undertones. Melon, pear and quince appear first, followed by yeasty dough and creamy rice pudding, while white chocolate balances the resinous warmth of pine.
• Finish: The finish brings together resinous oak spice, malted milk biscuits and rusks with a touch of warming nutmeg and soft vanilla fudge.

Distillery/Bottler:

Founded in 2014, Blackwater Distillery occupies a converted 1950s hardware shop in Ballyduff Upper, beside the River Blackwater in West Waterford. The distillery makes its whiskeys using long, slow fermentations that sometimes exceed 100 hours, followed by double distillation. The spirit is collected at around 71% alcohol to retain as much grain character as possible, then transported to Wexford for cask maturation.

Master of Malt selected this individual first-fill bourbon barrel for its independent range of limited releases. The company bottles this series without added colouring or chill filtration; this Blackwater cask yielded 283 bottles.

Facts: