Hook Head, CO. WEXFORD

The lighthouse at Hook Head stands resolute against the full force of the Atlantic Ocean on Ireland’s southern coast, 10 miles from the distillery – so close that Oliver Cromwell vowed to take Waterford ‘by hook or by crook’ in the 17th century. In its shadow, Martin Foley grows barley on clay/loam soils derived from limestone, belonging to the Elton series. Exposed to the full range of salt-laden storms, sea mists & ocean breezes, it’s an extreme maritime terroir.

Appearance: Straw with legs of oils coating the glass.

Nose: Earthy maltiness & fresh soil, citrus peel, breadcrust, clove, white pepper, caramel, milk chocolate, salted popcorn, barnyard, oak green foliage.

Taste: It’s a spice bomb up front; with cloves, white pepper, salted caramel, liquorice, ginger biscuits, lemon zest, & chilli chocolate.

Finish: Dry, but it leaves a lasting oiliness that holds the spiciness for a long time.

This track starts out in the open in a field of last year’s barley stalks, with Skylarks singing overhead & the sea in the near distance. We then move down towards the headland where a strong south westerly breeze comes ashore. Next we’re by a sheltered pool, where the sea surges up through a hole in the rocks. Then along to a beach below the fields where the sea drags the stones back & forth in the wash. We move west along the cliffs as the Atlantic crashes up on the rocks. Finally we finish up underneath the mighty Hook Head Lighthouse, one of the oldest working lighthouses in the world.