Speciality Brands has launched Waterford Distillery’s single malt Irish whisky, Cuvée Argot, in the UK.
The vibrant new whisky, which will be distributed exclusively by Speciality Brands in the UK, brings together several of the brand’s Single Farm Origins for beguiling depth and ultimate complexity with a mere hint of true Irish peat.
Argot (pronounced ar-go) is positioned as the little brother to the distillery’s flagship product, The Cuvée.
The new whisky is an introduction to the terroir-driven producer’s Cuvée concept. Inspired by Bordeaux’s greatest chateaux, the Cuvée concept is the apogee of Waterford Distillery’s radical, novel philosophy.
By harvesting, distilling, and maturing Irish barley farm by farm – each expressing its own distinct terroir-derived flavour profile – an unprecedented flavour library is achieved.
By drawing on these building blocks, head distiller Ned Gahan brings them together, layer by layer, to create the ultimate in complexity – where the whole is greater than simply the sum of the parts.
Commenting on the UK launch, Waterford Whisky CEO Mark Reynier said: “Our somewhat sacrilegious view is rather than a manufactured product, Waterford Whisky is an agricultural produce. It’s of the land; our reverence for its raw material, barley. And Argot is our introduction to that Waterford Whisky world.
“On the one hand we can express barley by letting Ireland’s farmlands do the talking via uber-specific focus of our Single Farm Origins; or as in this case, with ultimate creativity, we can bring these flavours, those barley ingredients together for ultimate harmony and complexity in the same way as Bordeaux Grand Vin and Champagne Grand Marques. We call it the Cuvée Concept. ‘Argot with that wisp of peat smoke is our cheeky chappie – our wild child – heralding a new way to experience the Cuvée Concept.”
Argot is matured fully in a mixture of 37% first-fill US oak, 19% virgin US oak, 19% premium French oak and 23% Vin Doux Naturel – the whisky is then bottled at 47% ABV. Similarly to other whiskies from the Waterford Distillery range, it carries a unique TÉIREOIR Code showing full transparency and traceability.
For more information visit Waterford Whisky’s website