19th century goldthorpe barley revived for new heritage whisky

Heritage: Goldthorpe is part of a limited release of 4,000 bottles and marks the first time that the barley variety, goldthorpe, has been used for drink production in over 100 years.  
 
The new single malt whisky is the latest milestone in Waterford Distillery’s journey to uncover whisky’s most unique and complex flavours through different agricultural techniques and represents single malts crafted from resurrected barley varieties, the company said. 
 
Heritage: Goldthorpe was originally discovered in 1889 as a single, fortuitous mutation in a field but vanished from the agricultural landscape decades ago, to be replaced by higher-yielding, less flavoursome barley varieties. 
 
Working alongside Minch Maltings and the Irish Department for Agriculture, Food and Marine, Waterford Distillery has spent the last three years upscaling the remaining 50 grams of goldthorpe to create enough barley to sow the seeds in Irish fields and climate its terroirs. 

This landmark release offers whisky connoisseurs the first opportunity to taste the flavours of goldthorpe as a single malt whisky in a century, with the first year’s distillation yielding only 162 barrels.

READ MORE: Waterford Distillery launches its oldest ‘unearthed farm by farm’ whisky

‘One of the best quality varieties in existence’ 

Pioneering plant breeder, Dr Hebert Hunter, who inspired the first Heritage bottling by Waterford Distillery using the 1959 Hunter variety, declared that the goldthorpe variety had been “one of the best quality varieties in existence”.  
 
This latest heritage release blends the best of modern technology to bring the old flavours back to life, matured fully in a mixture of 40% first-fill US Oak, 24% Virgin US Oak, 18% Premium French Oak and 18% Vin Doux Naturel casks. 
 
A spokesperson for Waterford Distillery said that providing historic flavours to a new generation of whisky connoisseurs, the whisky has aromas of lush vegetation, rich granola bar, berry compote, red apple, green tea, melon, roast beef gravy and prunes, with hints of sweet orchard fruits, apples and pears, cream, light spiciness, red berries, honey, cloves and raisins, giving the whisky a long dried fruit finish. 
 
This limited yield contributes to the exclusivity of the whisky, making it a one-of-a-kind offering in the market, the company added. 

Celebration of history

Neil Conway, head brewer at Waterford Distillery, explained: “Our scientific investigations into the terroir of Irish barley uncovered a flavour uniformity in modern strains, leading us to revive lost historical varieties for their rich, distinctive profiles.  
 
“The passion driving our latest limited edition is rooted in a deep respect for tradition and a bold curiosity for innovation. By reviving the 19th-century goldthorpe barley, we’re not just crafting whisky; we’re reviving a piece of agricultural heritage.  

“Each bottle from this batch is a celebration of history, a tribute to the craft, and a gift to the future of whisky-making.” 
 
Heritage: Goldthorpe is bottled at 50% ABV. As with every Waterford Distillery release, a unique téireoir code on each bottle provides unprecedented validation and verification of its individual journey from barley to bottle – harvested, stored, malted, distilled and matured. Every meaningful detail of the whisky is offered for full transparency, the company said. 
 
Heritage: Goldthorpe is available to purchase now from Waterford Distillery’s website, Master of Malt, The Whisky Exchange and worldwide at key retailers, priced at approximately £77. 

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