Penderyn distillery - Brief history and my experience

It's not often that you come across whisky from Wales, as distilling here has been a dying profession for a long time. A group of friends decided to change that, resulting in the opening of Penderyn Distillery in 2004.

Post by Mads Thorup The distillery is located in South Wales on the outskirts of the small town of Penderyn, which has a natural spring of water that provides the setting for their whisky. They use a copper single pot still, invented by Dr. David Faraday, in their distilling process. Penderyn Distillery believes this pot still provides a more pure and flavorful råsprit compared to traditional lantern pot stills. traditional lantern pot stills, which also removes many of the unwanted chemical compounds in the distillate. This allows them to achieve a råsprit with an alcohol percentage of up to 92%. Since opening in 2004, the distillery has been expanded in 2013/2014, with the installation of a second Faraday pot still and two traditional lantern stills. The two lantern pot stills deliver råsprit with an alcohol percentage of 70-76%, allowing the distillery to explore what this can do to their råsprit up 92% alcohol and what combinations of these can create new and different aromas. The distillery quickly gained success and in 2012 they received their first gold medal from the IWS (International whisky society) and since then have received over 50 awards and prizes for their outstanding whisky. As a result, they opened a new distillery in North Wales in the spring of 2021, with plans to open a second distillery to be launched shortly. Many of Penderyn's whiskies are first aged in traditional bourbon barrels, primarily from Tennessee and Kentucky, and then after some time, the whisky is finished in, for example, Spanish oloroso sherry casks, Portuguese port wine casks or something as exciting as madeira casks. This gives the whisky a roundedness and sweetness from the bourbon barrels, with characteristic whisky notes coming through, such as vanilla and dried fruits.

In connection with the Whisky and Rum Festival in KBH here in October, I had the pleasure of meeting and talking with Thor Boding, who is the ambassador for the Penderyn brand in Denmark, and who is seen in the picture. I also got to taste some different whiskies from Penderyn's gold series. They have a total of three series, in addition to their single cask limited editions; Gold, dragon and Icons of Wales. Here is my experience of their Gold series. All the whiskies mentioned below have first been aged for a minimum of 7 years in a bourbon cask, after which it is transferred to the respective cask that characterizes the individual whisky. Similarly, all of the whiskies are bottled at 46% alcohol.
Penderyn Portwood: This whisky has a nice reddish tinge in the glass/bottle. On the nose there are notes of dried fruits, lightly toasted oak towards a nutty aroma and a sweetness from the port wine. On the tongue, some of the same notes as in the nose are expressed, with the dried fruits and nutty flavor coming through with a hint of oak and honey that lingers gently on the tongue.
Penderyn Sherrywood: This sherry whisky is characterized by its classic light brown colour with a slight reddish hue. The aroma combines classic characteristics of sherry sweetness with notes of dried fruits and green apples. The whisky also tastes of the sweet sherry notes and is otherwise very balanced with an aftertaste of toffee, vanilla and sweet raisins.
Penderyn Madeira: This whisky has a lovely light golden color towards a light chestnut brown. The nose brings out notes of honey, sweet fruits and toffee/caramel. The tongue brings out a combination of flavors ranging from sweet fruits, peaches and raisins to toffee, burnt caramel and nuts. In the aftertaste, further notes of exotic fruits and vanilla linger. All in all, a very complex whisky with flavors you don't come across very often. Would be perfect for late Christmas Eve, where the Christmas duck needs to be washed down with something delicious that compliments and enhances the delicious food. Overall, the first seven years in the bourbon barrel provide a roundedness and delicate sweetness that forms a great foundation for their delicious whiskies. The subsequent maturation in the cask helps to give the whiskey a characteristic that makes it stand out. All in all, some very delicious whiskies, and it's certainly not the last time I'll be indulging in some of this Welsh whisky. Can't wait to see what the future holds for them.

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