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There may only be eight more months of birectifier production before I move this workshop to Portugal (and then more months to resume). Get one while they are available! The birectifier is a pre-GCMS laboratory tool best associated with Rafael Arroyo and rum production, but it has proven its ability to analyze all manner of other spirits. It is so affordable, it should be standard in all distilleries.
[The emulsion in fraction 5 is a strong indication of exuberance.]
I needed a role model to look at, especially after the last case study that turned out to be highly educational but not a role model. I have never looked at a single malt and why would it have to be Scottish; why not Irish? Waterford is/was among the most exciting ideas in the spirits industry. I loved the way this distillery celebrated raw materials. I often preach the idea of guided traditional practices. Extreme know-how allowed the development of a local malt market and everything was organized so well it could tell a story of a place like wine. The new make spirit was so good they could do a thing I personally like, release a spirit to enjoy younger.
Rathclogh edition 1.1
This spirit had less ethyl acetate than I would have expected. That is a result of it’s sound distillate and young age. We would expect this to climb as the spirit matures. Unfortunately, I have no experience with other single malts to know how common this is because it can climb significantly as Bourbon ages which is why they often want a low staring point.
Fusel oil is that of a role model and probably cannot be optimized lower nor would it need to be. If you want to know if you are doing okay, this is a gold standard. The birectifier allows you to make a practical, actionable judgement organoleptically. Otherwise you can spend a ton of money assaying fusel oil.
The fifth fraction is incredibly strong like a very fine spirit and possessed an emulsion that held up for days. This emulsion was also distinctive. Appreciable droplets eventually become visible on the top, and after 48 hours, the emulsion appeared to gather into suspended flocks. I have no real clue what is in each part that you can visually differentiate, but it is high value and kind of glorious! It raises a lot of questions. We know malt is special as a raw material, but can we expect these visual queues from all single malts? We know it happens to some rums but not all. Single malts are worthy of a deeper survey and some day we should summon the resources.
The last fractions of course showed zero flaws. They also had characteristics not seen in all spirits but probably unique to malt and that was malt aroma that kept stretching across the fractions. This implies single malts may benefit from pot still distillation with minimal natural reflux in the still design and a long tail fraction to recycle. There are assets but low liabilities. It was interesting to experience that ratio of malt aroma to low volatile acidity. Aspects of it reminded me of a wacky Distillers Workbook project from years ago where I redistilled a gin with Malta Goya to create faux Genever. It was just a simple malt soda, but during distillation, the malt aroma stretched surprisingly. Malt is special, but everyone already new that. I’m betting some malts are more special than others and Waterford knew that uniquely.
I think we could say this would be Arroyo’s ideal whiskey. It captures his idea of suavity. It also captures his idea that heavier spirits should strive for a skewed ratio of low boiling point and low molecular weight congeners to high boiling point and high molecular weight congeners. That is to say, less of fractions 1 & 2 and more of fractions 5 & 6. Waterford does it and the results are extraordinary.
30% ABV White bubble test: Not the most distinctive experience. Zero flaws. It would be great to experience this comparatively or with greater personal experience. The point here is to experience the spirit at an ABV considered fully open where alcohol is no longer a sensory distraction or binding up aroma. This form of tasting is not for pleasure, but for critical appraisal. The test is setup in under a minute from sample sizes as small as 15 ml and the ABV adjusted to 30% with a spirit bubble.
Exhaustive test: 1:225+ (Inline with other great pot still spirits) This test is performed with a 100ml volumetric flask and a 1000 micro liter pipette. Experience told me where to start and my guess was spot on. This is another cheap and easy test. Near the point of exhaustion, a honeyed character was evident.
Fraction 1: Not very concentrated. Nothing non-culinary. No significant ethyl acetate generic fruitiness. There is a small additional note that is like banana bread. The lack of ethyl acetate here is a little unexpected.
Fraction 2: Not exactly neutral but even less aroma than fraction 1.
Fraction 3: Fairly neutral as expected.
Fraction 4: Obvious fusel oil, but also with a powdery estery character layered over it. I’m betting that this fusel oil is minimal and needs no optimization.
Fraction 5: Visually there is a very significant emulsion. The aroma is simultaneously estery & malty which is quite the experience. There are flickers of chocolate. I would love to share this experience with people. Elegance, power, extremely high value. Not acrid on the palate. Its not easy to call radiant or wonder about rose ketones, but its clear there is some kind of beauty that is greater than the sum of the parts.
Fraction 6: Not much different than fractions 7,8. Slight continuation of fraction 5 aroma. Definite malt aroma. No significant gustatory acidity.
Fraction 7: Not much different than fraction 8. Definite malt aroma. More concentrated than I expected. No significant gustatory acidity.
Fraction 8: Definite malt aroma. More concentrated than I expected. No significant gustatory acidity.
Stillage: I tasted this many days later. No significant gustatory acidity and a clear very nice oak tone.
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