I have vivid memories of a weekend camping trip in Wales. A magical mist over lush green, rolling hills punctuated by fields filled with sheep, quaint farming communities harkening to a different era, an amusing party of old hippies and rockers who escaped the big city lights of London… This was in the late 1980s, long before there was even an inkling of Wales producing whisky!

Fast forward to 2000 when Penderyn was founded. Here is what they have to say:

A unique copper single-pot still designed by Dr David Faraday, a relative of the great 19th-century scientist Michael Faraday, was installed in 2000, which produces a spirit at an industry high draw of 92%, meaning Penderyn’s whiskies are light, fruity and flavoursome.

This business seemed a curiosity – a Welsh whisky? – but when the Scottish whisky expert, Dr Jim Swan, became our Master Distiller, things got serious. Dr Swan got involved because he said the still created a world class spirit. He said we should finish in Madeira casks, so this became our house style. This quickly advanced to sherry casks, peated casks, port casks, and a number of other casks used for finishing. Nigel Short invested in the business, bringing Stephen Davies in as CEO, and the distinguished drinks designer Glenn Tutssel also became involved, who created the brand design.

On St David’s Day 2004 Penderyn whisky was launched in the presence of HRH Prince Charles. An expansion in 2013/14 included a replica of the Faraday Still, and two lantern stills being installed.

This wasn’t our first exploration of Penderyn, however, it was certainly fun to spend an evening with the gents! What did we try?

• Penderyn Faraday 46%
• Penderyn Madeira 46%
• Penderyn Portwood 46%

We began with the Faraday, part of their travel retail series. It is matured in ex-bourbon casks, then finished in ex-ruby port casks. What did we think?

• Nose – A hint of powder, florals like lilacs, vanilla. We found middle notes of sweet berries. It was quite lively
• Palate – Coconut cream, peppery, quite green and fun, slightly bitter like arugula, some dried fruits, woody with spice, oily with character
• Finish – Slightly bitter, long and strong, slightly dry

Here’s what their official tasting notes say:

• Nose: Gently light Ruby Port with perfume of fruits, raisins and vanilla note.
• Palate: Delicate and creamy with dried fruits, very floral honey and wood spices.
• Finish: Medium and gentle, sweet but at the same time has a nutty dryness.

For the most part, we would agree…

We moved on to their Gold series with the Madeira and Portwood.

The Madeira is a familiar friend – we first tasted it in 2015 followed by 2017, 2019, 2020, and 2022. It was aged in ex-bourbon and ex-Madeira wine casks.

• Nose – Lemony custard, vanilla sponge cake, creamy bananas, almond, apricot or peach pits
• Palate – Light yet spicy, green or red chilly seeds, sweet and savoury, minty
• Finish – A hint of sweet spices and dried fruits – more tropical than dates

We considered the Penderyn an “old fashioned” cocktail kinda dram. As we found previously, the longer it sat in the glass, the more enjoyable it became.

When we came back to revisit, we found it was like sniffing supari, sweet icing sugar… a nice sipping dram.

We closed with the Portwood, which had a distinctly ruby edge to its colour.

• Nose – It began a bit musty, dusty and even a bit musky. The wood comes through strongly, as does the Port influence. This is joined by vanilla, sweet and sour cherries, young dessert wine, leather then burnt dark sugar…
• Palate – Rum-soaked raisins, treacle, tannins, substance
• Finish – Very dry, dark dry fruits, a bit acidic, light spice

We set it aside and really enjoyed how it opens up – fabulous. Over time, it begins to taste more like port than whisky.

Here’s what they have to say about their Portwood finish:

• Nose: Aromas of rich dried fruits with dark chocolate and cranberries; a hint of toasty oak mingles with a baked nutty dryness.
• Palate: A creamy richness with some honey and spiced notes emerging.
• Finish: Smooth with a soft oak and honey sweetness lingering gently on the tongue.
• Balance: Rich wood/chocolate & dry fruits.

And there you have it! A trio from Wales, with whisky enjoyed together with good company, good food. The COVID years cancelled our regular lives. Even as we surfaced from this period, some things simply didn’t bounce back. I’m glad this tradition didn’t fall by the wayside and has been revived.

Curious about other evenings when the Whisky Ladies and Bombay Malt & Cigar gents joined forces?

• 2020 Whisky Ladies & BMC Japanese Blends – Old and New – Suntory Excellence vs Old 40%, Nikka Super Rare Old 43%
• 2019 BMC & Whisky Ladies North Star 5 Region quintet from Cask Series 005:
  • Speyside – Glentauchers 11 year (Apr 2007/May 2018) 58.9%
  • Campbeltown – Campbeltown 4 year (2014/2018) 57%
  • Highland – MacDuff 11 year (2006/2018) 55.2%
  • Island – Orkney 12 year (Mar 2006/May 2018) 57.8%
  • Islay – Caol Ila 12 year (Apr 2006/May 2018) 54.6%
• 2018 BMC & Whisky Ladies unite over Independent Blends with Douglas Laing’s Timorous Beastie 46.8%, Rock Oyster 57.4%, Epicurean 46.2%, Sansibar Spicily Sweet 48%
• 2017 Whisky “Ladies Choice” for BMC gentlemen: Akashi, Mackmyra, Paul John, Kornog + Kavalan
• 2016 BMC’s Irish night with the Whisky Ladies – Bushmills 10 year, 16 year, 21 year, Steamship + Connemara

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