Penderyn Aur Cymru (Welsh) – 46% ABV – NAS
Nose: This is a noticeably young whisky, with an exceptionally sweet nose. Honey, toffee, and sweet fresh fruits jump out. Honeydew melon, under-ripe peach, and green grapes come to mind. The Madeira finish is very present here, with everything you would expect from a sweet white wine.
Palate: Sweet, sweet honey. Not much particularly distinct about this, just a slightly muddled sense of fresh tropical fruit. Something akin to cantaloupe, pear, green grapes and apple. That said, they’re all very subtle because they’re overwhelmed by the sugary, honey notes.
Finish: Sweet…. Just. Sweet. Lingers for a little while, but doesn’t seem to offer up much beyond a broad suggestion of honeyed tropical fruit.
Score: 75/100
I’m not sure what to really say about this whisky. It’s certainly easy to drink, that’s for sure. For a young whisky there’s very little alcoholic burn and the sweet notes would make it palatable for anyone that enjoys liqueurs. That said, for most whisky drinkers I expect this would be a somewhat unexciting experience.
Interesting to try, certainly, but I’m not going to run out trying to source a bottle (though I think this has now been discontinued). I have tried other Penderyn releases, some of which I enjoy quite a bit more than this. I’ll be keeping an eye on their bottlings in the coming years, because I do think they’re trying out some interesting techniques, and I’d like to see what they yield with a little more time and maturity.
For now though, this one has got to be a pass.
The Green Malt 