Drink Wales' Only Whiskey at the Distillery
Penderyn Makes Single Malt Whiskey, Vodka, Gin, Whiskey Liqueur
Oct 23, 2009
Penderyn (pronounced pen Derrin) is one of the smallest distilleries in the world, making about 90,000 bottles a year. Its brands are sold in 30 U.S. states.
Wales’ only whiskey distillery is built atop a spring in the village of Penderyn, within Wales’ Brecon Beacons National Park, a wild, peaty landscape with rugged hills and thousands of sheep. It’s one of Wales’ three national parks, in the southeastern part of the country.
The spring water flows through Penderyn single malt whisky, as well as the peated single malt whiskey, the sherrywood single malt whiskey, Five vodka, Brecon gin and Merlyn cream liqueur.
Spring Water from Brecon Beacons National Park Makes Distinctive Penderyn Flavor
The spring water is filtered twice through limestone and gravel, then goes into a single-still system designed exclusively for Penderyn by Dr. David Faraday of the University of Surrey. By contrast, Scottish whiskey is distilled twice, Irish, three times.
The Brains brewery in Cardiff makes the mash for Penderyn, Wales’ only whiskey.
The distillation process takes about eight to 10 hours, producing one cask of Penderyn a day. The distillery repeats the process seven times a week.
The malted barley spirit, then at 92 percent alcohol, is aged in American white oak barrels from Buffalo Trace distillery in Kentucky. It rests there for four to seven years.
The single malt whiskey is drawn down to 60 percent alcohol, then finished for four to six months in casks that once held Portuguese Madeira.
Prince Charles Takes a Ceremonial First Taste of Wales’ Only Whiskey
Britain's Prince Charles opened the distillery on St. David’s Day, March 1, in 2004, writing his name on the lid of an American oak whiskey barrel.
The barrel is in the tasting room where travelers can try sips of each of the six trademark Penderyn liquors.
Keith Tench, manager of the new Penderyn visitor center, teaches guests how to cup the glass in one hand and put the other hand on top of the glass, giving it a gentle hug, a Welsh “cwtch,” (cooch) to warm it up.
Then lift the glass to first one nostril, then the other, taking time to breathe in the aromas.
“You have different senses in each side of your nose,” Tench said.
Then sippers put the whiskey on the tip of the tongue first, “so,” Tench advised, “it’s not a shock to your mouth.”
Travelers Can Sample Each of Penderyn’s Six Signature Brands in the Tasting Room
- Penderyn single malt Welsh whiskey is golden, with an aroma of cream toffee and a hint of new leather, the distillers say. The finish holds notes of tropical fruits, raisins and vanilla.
- For Penderyn peated single malt Welsh whiskey, the brewers smoke the barley over peat fires before they make the mash, so the whiskey has a peaty character, with hints of vanilla, green apples and citrus. Penderyn makes about 10,000 bottles of peated whiskey each year.
- Penderyn sherrywood single malt Welsh whiskey melds with the tones of dry sherry from Oloroso sherry casks. The taste starts sweet, with hints of green apples and hazelnuts, then finishes with a caramel taste. Penderyn makes about 8,000-10,000 bottles of sherrywood whiskey each year.
- Merlyn Welsh cream liqueur vies with Bailey’s Irish Cream, although their taste is quite different. Merlyn is a spirit mixed with fresh cream, never put in a barrel; Bailey’s is a whiskey liqueur aged in a barrel. This makes Merlyn taste sharper and more caramelly than Bailey’s.
- Five Vodka denotes that it’s distilled five times for purity, for a smooth taste with hints of fresh fruits.
- Brecon Gin is a traditional juniper gin, made with berries from Macedonia to a 100-year-old recipe. Brecon Gin is a true international blend, with orange and lemon peel from Spain, cassia bark from China, licorice root from Sri Lanka, cinnamon bark from Madagascar, angelica root from France, nutmeg from Indian, coriander from Russia and orris root from Italy.
Heading for the Tasting Room at Wales’ Only Whiskey Distillery
Penderyn is in the town of Penderyn within the Brecon Beacons National Park.
Visit Wales has more information about the country and culture of Wales.
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