Believe it or not, Wales was distilling spirits even in the time of the Middle Ages! Even America's vibrant Bourbon scene bears testament to that considering that Evan Williams (a brand that Bourbon lovers should be intimately versed with) - the man whom the Bourbon is named after - himself was a Welsh distiller who had set off for America where he would serve as part of the pioneering generation of early distillers of Bourbon!

So why's it that we don't hear all that much about Welsh whiskies then? Well, a combination of rising fervor for temperance (which led to Prohibition in America), rationing of supplies during war, and also the lack of quality control across the numerous distilleries in Wales, all led to more than a century of absence of whiskymaking in Wales - it became something of a lost art locally.

The first Welsh whisky in a century!

Penderyn Revives Welsh Distilling After A Century

And so one fine day in the late 1990's, a group of friends were hanging in a pub and ideas began to be tossed around about bringing whiskymaking back to Wales, imaginations were stirred, and just to put the cherry on top of icing, the pub's owner himself had even offered up his wine warehouse in the village of Penderyn as a place where they could make it happen! Sure enough, the friends were able to get their hands on a very unique still - a Faraday still that combined a pot still with a column still, which allowed a high proof light and fruity spirit to be produced - designed for them by David Faraday, a descendent of the famed physicist Michael Faraday himself! The spot in Penderyn also offered up a well where the friends could draw fresh natural spring water from the serene Brecon Beacons spring for their distilling, thus giving them everything they needed to get started. The distillery would take on the logo of a streak of gold, symbolising their desire to produce whisky as pure and as precious as Welsh gold.

The Brecon Beacons National Park.

So inspired was their grand idea that even Scottish whisky expert Dr Jim Swan (the man who came up with the very popular Shaved Toasted Re-Charred or STR cask system that accelerated the way whiskies could gain flavours from their barrels) had signed up onboard to serve as the new Penderyn Distillery's Master Distiller. Under Dr Swan, it was concluded that the whisky uniquely produced by Penderyn was best suited for a Madeira cask finish, combining the richness of the Portuguese fortified wine with the lighter and more elegant Penderyn spirit. Nevertheless over the years, Penderyn has made a name for itself for not just producing what many remark as a very uniquely fruity whisky, but also for their wide spanning use of various types of cask finishes.

Penderyn was established in 2000, and by 2004, they were ready to make their grand debut - the first Penderyn whisky would be launched on St David's Day 2004 in the presence of then Prince Charles (and today, King Charles). Since then the distillery has come a long way and has made quite a name for itself in the world of World Whiskies, despite the country once prolifically distilling in the old days, and have since expanded to a total of three distilleries (Penderyn, Llandudno and Swansea.

Then Prince Charles tasting the first Penderyn Aur Cymru.

And so with all that said, let's give today's Penderyn, the Aur Cymru, a go! This expression should be considered to not only be iconic but completely critical to the Penderyn story, as it is the first Penderyn to be launched - that very first expression launched on St David's Day in 2004! "Aur Cymru" itself is translated to mean "Welsh Gold", and thus features the distillery's hallmark Madeira cask finish. It is still Penderyn's flagship expression till this day, bottled at 46% ABV.

Let's go!

PS. Shout out to Edward of Nakama Spirits for sharing this!

Whisky Review: Penderyn Aur Cymru Madeira Finish Single Malt Welsh Whisky, 46% ABV

Tasting Notes

Colour: Gold

Aroma: It opens up with intense aromatics, it's bright and rich with honey, sweet vanilla frosted cornflakes, along with a more musky bit of green fruits of gooseberries, langsat, and moves into pink guavas. It's vibrant and coated in a crystalline brilliance of maltose candy. 

Taste: Really good richness here, honey, musky langsat green tropical fruits, gooseberries, pink guavas, much of what was found on the nose carries over. It's medium-bodied, and with time develops a savouriness. It rapidly deepens to evolve into more on stewed prunes and plums, with a light touch of leather and a candied nuttiness of walnuts. Here it's well-integrated and feels complex and very gourmet.

Finish: Barley sugars begin to emerge as it continues to expand on that darker, richness of leather, cooked prunes and plums, it's much more savoury here with a much, much more pronounced quality of rancio of dried sour plums.

My Thoughts 

I found the Penderyn really interesting and multi-dimensional with it starting off with a more musky tropical green fruit and crystallised candy brighter tone, and moving into a much deeper, richer and denser profile of stewed dark fruits and candied nuttiness. That evolution too was very seamless and almost began to simply unfold without notice along the way, and before you know it, it feels like a completely different whisky.

Whilst I really enjoyed the vibrant and intense fruitiness on the nose - with that signature Irish pink guavas, and also that rather incredible evolution on the palate, into the finish I did find that it started getting increasingly intense in that funky rancio that became the main driver of the finish. That for me was alittle too over the top and for me threw it alittle bit off balance. That said, a very, very impressive and dynamic whisky that could never be remotely called boring! Penderyn really does meet its hype of making some very interesting and entertaining whiskies that will quite honestly surprise you in the best possible way.