The first whisky in a generation from Ireland that is made from Irish Barley peated using proper Irish Turf, the Ballybannon Peated 1.1 is just a little bit special...
All the barley in this single malt is sourced from Ballybannon in Co. Carlow; quite possibly the perfect terroir for growing barley for peating. Sitting on raised ground along the banks of the River Barrow, its heavy, lime-rich soils — archetypal Elton series — are directly adjacent to sphagnum-dense inland bog. Small wonder then that the Pender family’s barley and peat from Niall Carroll’s Ballyteige cuttings in Co. Kildare have proven such a natural combination. Such is Ballybannon barley’s natural affinity for peat, that Waterford have been able to kiln-dry it to a high 47ppm and still find that the character of Ballybannon’s terroir itself remains the dominant flavour in the spirit.