Every year, the distillery brings together their growers to celebrate their work on the land. But this year they decided to go big. They are throwing open the gates of the distillery and would love to welcome you to their Growers Gathering festival.
There’s a day chock-full of activity, including: a special festival bottling limited to 600 bottles (the distillery’s first Organic Single Farm Origin), a pop-up shop to purchase archive and rare bottles, live music from local artists, food from local vendors, talks from local producers hosted by Head Brewer Neil, and masterclasses with Head Distiller Ned (first come, first served)…and more. The Barley Grower of the Year trophy will also be awarded.
Here are a few things to look forward to on the day
– There will be food stalls loaded with goodies from some top local vendors, namely: Little Catch Tramore, Azzuro Dunmore, Freezin’ Friesian and Mean Bean Coffee.
– Waterford drams, cocktails and Ballykilcavan beer will be flowing all evening, plus your free dram will be waiting for you at the cocktail bar.
– Founder Mark Reynier will take you through the Waterford Way with an in-depth masterclass (see more details below. Book in as soon as you can as this is strictly first come, first served).
– You’ll be guided through the sensory analysis the tasting team does on every distillation to track the flavours of terroir. With potential tastings with fellow flavour-chasing local producers.
– The distillery has even unlocked the doors to the stills, where the team will offer small walk and talks on production at Waterford during the course of the evening.
– The much coveted and always hotly-contested “Barley Grower of the Year” trophy will be handed over to someone who has truly surpassed themselves in the last vintage. Head Brewer Neil can’t wait to award this between the live band performances.
– There will be live music from local artists Delta Dogs and The Shellakybookies.
– Finder’s Keepers is all about supporting local Irish craftspeople, and will have a range of beautiful, Irish-made goodies.
– And of course, for a proper party bag, there’ll be a pop-up shop where you can peruse the whole Waterford Whisky range and even purchase rare and archived bottles with 10% off.
Tickets are €12 per person. Or, for €106, your ticket gets you a bottle of the brand new Organic Single Farm Origin: Killone, which can be collected on the day at the pop-up shop. Click here to buy your tickets.
Tickets include a free dram on entry. Under 18s go free but must be accompanied by an adult.
Book in a Masterclass with Founder Mark Reynier
| After a flood of inquiries, the distillery has made Mark’s Masterclass on the Waterford Way a ticketed session from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. If you’d like to attend this during the festival, pre-book your space. This is guaranteed to be fully booked in advance (and it’s limited to 30 seats). You can book the masterclass with Mark Reynier here. |
