Penderyn Peated Single Malt Whiskey Review

Updated December 6, 2020

By Richard Thomas

Average Rating: B+

The Welsh distillery Penderyn is one of the most interesting whiskey-makers I have come across in recent years, and not solely because they are Welsh. Penderyn is the only distillery in the business of making Welsh whiskey, freeing them from certain trade laws and industrial groups, such as the Scotch Whisky Association. It gives them room to experiment in producing their whiskeys, like the Peated Single Malt.

To cite just one example, Penderyn’s still is a one-of-a-kind. Invented by Dr. David Faraday, a descendant of famed electromagnetic scientist Michael Faraday, it is a single copper pot still, as opposed to the double- and triple-pot stills often used in Irish whiskey and scotch. The design is aimed at producing the purest, most distilled product possible. The malted barley mash is distilled to 92% alcohol, the highest alcohol content used by any new malt whiskey today.* Every work day, the still is filled with mash, and every day Penderyn produces just enough new whiskey to fill one barrel.

The Whiskey
The initial maturation for Penderyn Peated Single Malt is carried out in ex-bourbon casks, similar to other Penderyn whiskeys. A high proportion of those bourbon barrels come from Buffalo Trace, in my former stomping grounds of Franklin County, Kentucky. Others come from Evan Williams, the Welshman who was so influential to American whiskey-making. Upon reaching maturity, the whiskey is transferred to ex-peated scotch casks for finishing.

The Peated Single Malt is bottled at 46% alcohol, in Penderyn’s customary Euro-modern, wine-influenced style. The whiskey has no aging statement, and is not chill-filtered. Penderyn only ships 5,000 bottles of Peated Single Malt per year.

In the glass, the whiskey has a pale wheat-gold color that resembles nothing so much as white wine. Once again, Penderyn’s bottle looks like wine, and so does the whiskey within! The scent of the Peated Single Malt is quite aromatic (I was able to pick up hints of it from across the room while I was waiting for the whiskey to breathe). It isn’t as smoky as one might expect a peated malt to be. Instead, it has a sharp, fruity scent, packed with crisp, green apples and citrus notes. The smoke is there, but subdued beneath the sweetness.

On the palate, Penderyn the peat flavors stay mellow. They are there, subtly intertwined with the whiskey’s woodiness, but there is none of the powerful, smoky character I would expect from a whiskey aged in bourbon and peated barrels. It’s sweet first, peaty and woody second, and then just a little spicy. The finish is crisp and lingering, and it is there that the peat finally comes to the forefront. There is something pleasant about that for a peat fan, since it means the peaty flavor stays on your tongue for quite a while between sips. The spiciness increases with the finish as well.

Addendum by Paer Johansson
This medium peated version of Penderyn is slightly lighter in color than the other bottlings.

The peat is prominent on the nose, but does not mask the fresh fruit of the distillate.

Spicy cloves, peat and sweet vanilla toffee flavors intermingle and gives way to a warm, peaty finish with the spice lingering fairly lengthily.

The Price
Our 2020 update shows the price on this bottle hasn’t changed much over the last several years. It fetches about $65. In the UK, the average is £45.

* The law allows Irish whiskey and Scotch to be distilled up to 94.8%, but that does not necessarily mean that new spirits are distilled to the maximum concentration allowed.