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In the mouth: It’s pretty thin on the palate. There is more lemon, apple, raisins and also some damp cardboard. The initial sweetness is soon overpowered by bitterness, which is prolonged and remains in the finish, with cream, hazelnut, drying oak spice and salt. Conclusions Here is how Penderyn whiskies fare in my Meta-Critic Whisky Database, compared to some other new European producers: Final Thoughts: This is a very intriguing whiskey. The nose is fantastic, if just for the mystery I found in it. The normal Portwood finish flavours are certainly there, but there is much more going on as well. While not bad, by any means, I did find it a bit disappointing to sip. The body just wasn’t quite there to support those deep, brooding fruit and spice notes. While definitely a pleasant experience, the nose certainly set expectations a bit high for what the body could actually deliver. Penderyn Distillery was at one point one of the only distilleries in the region, and it is now the figurehead and standard bearer for Welsh whisky. The Welsh Whisky Company, Penderyn’s company name, brought its first whisky to market in 2004. Since then it has enjoyed exceptional growth and garnered quite a bit of both regional and international acclaim. The only previous review of Penderyn on Malt was when Adam reviewed the Portwood finish a few years ago. Although an interesting review in its own right, the main reason I reference this is to agree with his comments regarding our castles and rugby team being better than the Scots. They have most of the best whisky, so they have to give us something!
No partnership, joint venture, agency, or employment relationship is created as a result of your use of the Service. Palate: The flavors are unsurprisingly dominated by fruit but in a more dessert minded way. Strawberries, honeydew, biscuits and clotted cream mingle with a kind of acerbic smoke character. A little saline character would be nice to finesse out a bit more fruit through the slightly punishing smoke character. The body is a bit thin and there’s not much length to it. To be clear, this doesn’t compare to the young whiskies coming out of the new start-ups in Sweden (i.e., BOX and Smogen). But it is still better than I expected from the (reduced) price and average reviewer score. I could imagine a lightly peated version of this doing pretty well (e.g. Celt), as that could help balance out the sour and off-notes. But realistically, an extra distilling step and extended aging would likely really help here. Final Thoughts: This is a very fruit forward whiskey that I’m not sure benefits from the peating nor the cask treatment. It’s almost reminiscent of Tobala mezcales in its combination of very ripe tropical fruit, saline and smoke. It’s fine in small doses but a little aggressive for my tastes in whiskey. If you’re a fan of rhum agricoles and mezcales it’s worth noting that this is one of the closest analogues I’ve found in whiskey (though I enjoy most of those far more than I enjoyed this). Our Service is an online platform which provides Members with information (e.g. bottle facts, market-indices, market values and prices) on (mostly) whisky and allows Members to add information to the platform. We do not sell, nor does the Service provide any option to buy, any alcoholic products.Penderyn make award-winning whiskies and spirits at their distillery in the foothills of the Brecon Beacons National Park in South Wales. The area has spectacular mountain scenery, open moorland, farmland and valleys containing fast-flowing streams, rivers and waterfalls. Palate: Sweet arrival, with the icing sugar moving more towards molasses now – plus a candy apple sugar coating. Peach and pear, plus those tart apples (think early-season Macintosh). Dark grapes. Lemon citrus, including pith. You can really taste the madeira finishing here, complementing the malt nicely. Classic wood spices show up, but mild – mainly nutmeg. Has a tangy metallic taste on the swallow, with some bitterness immediately afterwards. No real burn, in keeping with the 41% ABV. Penderyn Legend is matured in specially reserved ex-bourbon casks made from American Oak, before receiving a further maturation in oak barriques that have previously held Madeira wine, to develop a harmonious single malt whisky with a subtle but sophisticated character and soft golden hues. Stylistically, Welsh whisky as a category is a bit hard to define, not least due to the very limited sample size relative to other major whisky producing regions. Penderyn’s house style is most reflective of its choice of still and casking regimen. Penderyn utilizes a Faraday still for the majority of their distillations, rather than the more common ‘lantern’ pot stills, resulting in a much higher alcohol white whisky than most whisky distilleries.
There is some evidence that the Welsh practised distillation as early as the fourth century. Allegedly, Reaullt Hir distilled on Bardsey Island around this time. The early drink was distilled from barley, yeast and honey. Both of these whiskies are non-chill filtered and with natural colour. Big thumbs up there. The Madeira finish comes in at 46%, which we always love to see. The Legend is bottled at an intriguing 41%. I’m not sure what the thought is behind that, but I suppose we should be thankful of anything above 40% from an entry level range. Although only one of these is named the Madeira finish, both are actually finished in ex-madeira casks. Madeira finishes are something of a house style for the distillery. As you can see from the tasting notes, both whiskies share many similarities, which isn’t surprising. If we decide not to exercise or enforce any right or provision of these Terms, such decision shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision. As an interesting note, they started production with a unique copper-pot still design that allows them to produce a very high-proof distillate (92% alcohol) with a single distillation step. While they have added some additional traditional still support since then, I believe the bulk of their whisky remains from in this single-distilled format.
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Final Thoughts: The Rich Oak Single Malt is a delightful dram. The interplay between aromatic fruits, sweetness and oak tannins is very well done. It comes across as very ‘traditional’ (read: balanced) in its flavor profile, despite the relatively experimental cask regimine. This expression originated as a series of smaller releases focusing on different wine casks finishes, and I’m now very intrigued to try those. The 92 proof of this release is lower than the previous expressions and I’d love to try a cask strength version!
Wales is part of the United Kingdom and home to the native people of the British Isles. Welsh national identity emerged among the Celtic Britons after the Roman withdrawal in the 5th century. In this country, rich in myth and legend, the people have a quiet power and passion and many still speak the ancient Welsh language. On the nose: The first thing that hits me is a sweet confectionery bubblegum aroma, along with sultanas, melon, lemon, and earthy damp cellar. I’m also getting some fresh bread dough, Werther’s Original butter candies and acetone. Rather youthful and spirity. We may sell, license, transfer, assign or in any other way dispose of the Service (including Members) to any third party without any notification to you, e.g. (but without limitation) in connection with any reorganization, restructuring, merger or sale, or other transfer of assets.When we sat down to do a night of Penderyn whiskies with the Southern California Whiskey Club, I had no idea how many Madeira influenced whiskies we’d be trying that night. The current Madeira, the old Madeira, the Independence (member side pour), the Red Flag (another side pour) and this, the Penderyn Legend. They really love their Madeira finishes in Wales. It’s basic and light, but has a nice round essence that’s pleasant and fun. Overall it’s warm and pleasant and the waxy fruit character of the aroma, palate and finish remind me of young Clynelish. It’s not super deep or complex, but there aren’t any off notes either, nor is it boring. Penderyn Legend is definitely something I could sip on any day of the week.
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