Review #598 - Waterford Peated Cuvee Fumo
Waterford distillery's tracking of all production information for their whisky and casks is meticulous - there's a huge amount of information available to the consumer if you input the 'Teireoir Code' from a Waterford bottle on the brand's website. This Peated Cuvee Fumo whisky, which was originally released for the USA in the Autumn of 2023, carries the code 'PECVE01-01,' which leads us to lots of interesting information:
The barley came from 4 farms in Ireland: Woodbrook (Co. Wicklow), Fenniscourt (Co. Carlow), Lacken (Co. Wexford), and Ballybannon (Co. Carlow)
The barley was peated to a level of 55 ppm
The peat came from Ireland - Co. Kildare specifically
Aging of the youngest cask in the batch lasted 3 days, 7 months, and 1 day
The cask composition was roughly 33% first fill ex-bourbon, 22% virgin American oak, 19% French oak, and 26% Vin Doux Natural, but also included a single ex-rum cask
The first fill ex-bourbon casks came from Jack Daniels, Jim Beam, and Heaven Hill
The virgin American oak came from Speyside Cooperage and Kelvin Cooperage
Waterford made quite a bit of young, spirity whisky, but most of it was not peated. How will the heavy peat smoke influence this Irish single malt?
Waterford Peated Cuvee Fumo
Ireland - Single Malt
Price: USD 100 (2025)
Age Statement: 3 Years
Strength: 50% ABV
Details: Not chill filtered, no color added; bottled 2023
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 2 times over 11 months; bottles at 90% and 80% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a nosing glass each time, rested 15+ minutes
Nose: Spirity, with strong peat - a bit briny, seawater, and the complexion is light. Hints of lime and lemon curd combine with dry vanilla; it's very creamy, like custard. Dry straw and wood smoke are accent flavors.
Palate: Sweet syrupy lemon and vanilla mingle with relatively strong peat - salty, marine peat. Green hot peppers and a strong spirity side contribute to add a kick, and we get a soft creamy sensation; this has a medium thickness mouthfeel.
Finish: Key limes, a bit of ash, and the peat still has moderate strength. The nice oily texture from the palate continues, and there's a very mild lactic note in the background. It's a medium-long finish.
Final Note: One of the best Waterford whiskies that we've tried - it's definitely still young and spirity, but that strong peat adds an interesting dimension, and the creamy flavors across the tasting added nice depth. Nice bright fruits, too - lemon and lime, especially, which accent the sharp spirity character.
Value is okay; it is a good bottle, but it's also expensive around the $100 mark. You can get a bit more peat from cheaper options, but this does present an interesting alternative with its combination of cream and fruit notes.
Our Average Rating: 7.5 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 6.46
About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.
Check out our other Waterford reviews:
Review #304 - Waterford Single Farm Origin - Rathclogh Edition 1.1
