Sample 3 cl Penderyn Brecon Botanicals Special Edition Gin 43% 3 cl

The village of Penderyn sits against the Brecon Beacons, where mist hangs in the valleys long after sunrise. The distillery is known for bringing Welsh whisky back to life, yet a side door stands open onto a spice cupboard that smells more of the Levant than of Wales. Here in 3 cl.

The expert's description

Sample 3 cl Penderyn Brecon Botanicals Special Edition Gin 43% is a Welsh gin distilled in small batches from pure grain spirit and selected botanicals, bottled at 43%.

Penderyn Distillery opened in 2000 in the village of the same name in south Wales, close to the Brecon Beacons national park. The house is best known for its single malt whisky, but the Brecon range of gins has run alongside it for years and has collected a long line of medals at international competitions.

Brecon Botanicals is the spiced expression in the range. The juniper is soft and earthy rather than sharp, and above it sit dried herbs, orange and lemon peel and a clear note of saffron. Further in come bergamot, clove oil and cinnamon, while the finish rides on cassia bark. This is a gin that leans towards the spice cupboard instead of the citrus press.

At 43% it has the strength to hold its shape in a drink without turning sharp, and the distillery suggests fresh mint and cucumber ice cubes to go with it. This 3 cl bottling covers one full run through the style before any decision about a whole bottle.

Tasting notes

Nose

Soft juniper and dried herbs, then orange and lemon peel. Saffron sits behind it with its faintly medicinal, floral scent.

Palate

Herbal and earthy, with juniper as the foundation. The spices arrive through the middle as clove oil and cinnamon, and a thread of bergamot gives a perfumed edge that leans towards Earl Grey.

Finish

Medium in length and spiced. Cassia bark and saffron hang on while the citrus peel dries the palate at the very end.

Specifications

Name: Sample 3 cl Penderyn Brecon Botanicals Special Edition Gin 43%
Distillery: Penderyn
Region/Country: Wales
Type: Welsh Gin
ABV: 43%
Size: 3 CL
Edition: Special Edition
Serving suggestion: With Tonic Water, fresh mint and cucumber ice cubes

Flavour profile

Herbal · Spiced · Saffron · Citrus · Soft

Did you know?

Penderyn released its first whisky on 1 March 2004, St David's Day, the Welsh national day. It was the first whisky distilled in Wales in more than a hundred years.

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Frequently asked questions about Sample 3 cl Penderyn Brecon Botanicals Special Edition Gin 43%

What defines the flavour of Brecon Botanicals?

Spice ahead of citrus. The juniper is soft and earthy, and around it sit saffron, cinnamon, clove oil and cassia bark alongside dried herbs. Bergamot adds the perfumed note many people recognise from Earl Grey.

How is it best served?

With a neutral tonic, fresh mint and cucumber ice cubes, as the distillery itself suggests. Mint lifts the herbal notes and cucumber cools the spice without adding acidity. A slice of lemon can replace the cucumber if you would rather pull the citrus forward.

What does Brecon refer to?

To the Brecon Beacons, the mountain range and national park in south Wales on whose edge the distillery stands. The name is geographic and does not describe a particular recipe or style.

What do saffron and cassia bark do to a gin?

They pull it in a warm, eastern direction. Saffron brings a floral, faintly medicinal tone, while cassia bark is a stronger relative of cinnamon and lays sweetness and woody spice into the finish. Between them they make the gin more spiced than fresh.

Which cocktails suit it?

The ones with bitter or dark ingredients. A Negroni turns fuller and spicier with this gin, and in a Bramble the blackberry plays against the cinnamon and cassia. In a stripped-back Dry Martini the spice can easily take over.

What else is Penderyn known for?

Welsh single malt whisky. The distillery opened in 2000 and put Wales back on the map as a whisky country after a gap of more than a century. Gin and other spirits followed later.

Is it worth tasting a gin and a whisky from the same distillery side by side?

Yes, and it teaches you a great deal. What the cask does to the whisky becomes obvious when the same producer's unaged gin stands next to it. Take a look through our Whisky Samples.