In the beautiful Brecon Beacons National Park, Penderyn distils the first whisky in Wales for over a century. My blog post today looks at the Penderyn Welsh single malt whisky release.
The Brecon Beacons National Park spans 519 square miles. It has some of the most spectacular, pristine and diverse landscapes in Europe. The Beacons themselves are a mountain range of outstanding natural beauty.
They are home to Pen-y-Fan, the highest old red sandstone summit in Britain. The distillery is situated in the village of Penderyn, from which the whisky takes its name. Some consider Penderyn to be the smallest distillery in the world. There is some evidence that the Welsh practised distillation as early as the fourth century.
Economic and political events shut down the distilling industry in 1894. However, Penderyn became the first whisky to be manufactured in Wales for over a century when the new distillery was launched in 2000.
Sales of the new whisky started in 2004. It remains the only whisky currently produced in the country. Penderyn Aur Cymru Welsh whisky is different from English or Irish whisky.
The complete process from wash to new make is done in a single Faraday still. Also, Penderyn buys their wash from a regional beer brewer instead of preparing it themselves. For the first maturation, they use hand-selected bourbon barrels.
The distillery finishes the various Penderyn Welsh whisky expressions in different casks which include Madeira, Port Wood and Sherry casks. My bottle has been finished in Madeira casks and was released in December 09. Penderyn is not chill-filtered.
Related Article: Bushmills 16 yo Whiskey
Penderyn Single Malt Welsh Whisky Review
REGION: Wales
ABV: 46%
COLOUR: Beautiful golden colour. It is nice and oily and makes beautiful fingers in the glass.
NOSE: The nosing brings honey, dried fruit and raisins. Some of the Madeira notes are also quite pronounced. It has a complex, layered nose that promises greatness.
PALATE: The Penderyn Welsh whisky has a smooth, rich mouth-feel. The palate brings spice and sweetness of burnt caramel and fresh fruit. A bit of oak and some notes of barley. Every sip allows more flavours to come through. It is a medium-bodied whisky. There are notes of citrus and oak, and it is a wonderfully complex whisky.
FINISH: Drops of quickly but then comes back. There is honey sweetness with a few vanilla notes. It ends with bits of spice and fresh fruit. A nicely balanced whisky to enjoy anytime.
RATING: EXCELLENT
I would love to add more of these whiskies from Wales to my collection, especially if I can get my hands on the peated expression. A worthy addition to any whisky collection.
Also Read: Singleton 15 yo whisky
Jon Tregenna
Hi, Penderyn sold 330,000 bottles of whisky last year, so not that small really! Lovely review otherwise. 🙂 Thanks from all at Penderyn.