Tinnashrule, Co. Wexford

John Crowley farms at Tinnashrule – The Hollytree Crossroads – in the rain shadow of the Blackstairs Mountains, north of Enniscorthy. Here the rolling lowland barley fields lie in the lee of ash & larch woods, benefiting from well-drained loam & clay loam of the famously productive Clonroche series, on glacial drift derived from Ordovician shale & granite.

Appearance: Light gold with oils.

Nose: Sweet honeycomb, plums, rolled barley, mint, dark chocolate, orange zest, leather, rose water, aniseed, pear drops and has a warmth on the nose.

Taste: Cloves, white pepper, dark creamy chocolate, fresh bread, grapefruit, dry but chewy, late spice explosion with a wasabi hit, orange syrup, root vegetables.

Finish: Long, dry spiciness, which is also chewy.

A warm and windy summer day at Tinnashrule. The track starts out in the woods on the western edge of the farm, where the wind blows through the tall, thin trees, their branches knocking one another. There’s a stream further into the woods. We stop here for a while before heading up the hill and into the wild bird cover by the yard. It’s busy with birds, bees and the local buzzards can be heard off in the distance. We head on up the hill and out into the fields where the wind meets the barley. Dark clouds pull over the fields. It starts raining as we move down to the bottom of the field towards the western-most corner – where the woods and the stream skirt along the edge of the farm.