Penderyn - Icons of Wales No.7 Rhiannon

The Maker

Penderyn was founded in 2000 and marked the production of Wales' first whisky in around a century. Named after its location, a small village in the county of Rhondda-Cynon-Taf that is sometimes mistaken for the Brecon Beacons National Park, Penderyn is famed for producing a range of award-winning non-age statement whiskies of varying appeal - although its website is fairly open about maturation being normally between five and seven years.

The distillery's main selling point, beyond stressing its Welshness at every opportunity, is the use of a unique Faraday Still (not that one, a descendant) which allows single still production rather than the two or three lantern approach of Scotland and Ireland respectively. Although it should be noted that two traditional Scottish lantern stills were installed a few years ago and are yet to be blended into a release, so it seems as if a 'Penderyn 2.0' is on the way in the very near future.

I have to confess that i've always found the produce of the Faraday Still rather middling. While i've liked almost everything Penderyn has produced, I can't claim to have 'loved' any of it. For me the still suffers the same drawback of many other column designs in that the whisky lacks the complex textures common to the more traditional European production methods. That said I think their Botanical Gin is one of the best on the market.

But perhaps I'm sounding too harsh. Penderyn make good stuff and i've purchased; enjoyed; and recommended a lot of it. I just think its production USP is a bit of a drawback and want it to be better. The texture is just too clean and tidy. Maybe the introduction of the traditional stills is a suggestion that it’s a flaw they also recognise in private? I guess time will tell.

The Expression

Alongside the Penderyn core range the distillery has spent the last few years releasing its ‘Icons of Wales’ special edition series. As with all such series these have been a mixed bag, however they have, in general terms, been on an upwards trend with 2019's Royal Welsh Whisky release (which attempted to recreate a long lost Victorian Welsh whisky with a Royal Warrant) being one of the nicest things they have ever released.

The seventh and latest of a planned fifty (!) editions in this series is the Rhiannon. Named for the enchantress/horse Goddess of Welsh myth (said by some to be the Lady of the Lake), this latest release is a Grand Cru sherry wood finish - Grand Cru meaning the best of a given vineyard. As with all other releases it again has no age statement, but is this time bottled at the increasingly popular 46%.

The Neck Pour

Sticking your nose in this the first thing you get is the sense that this isn't like your core range Penderyn. It's intensely sweet and smells more like a patisserie than a whisky. Tasting only confirms it, with the dominant flavour being that of Portuguese Custard Tart, a bit of pear, flaked almonds and raspberries/strawberries. In fact, if you made all that up into a tart it would be difficult to tell them apart. A surprising and enjoyable dram.

The Body

Several weeks on the whisky has changed a lot. On the nose the alcohol now seems much much stronger - well, the nasal burn at least. I’m also now getting more floral notes. In terms of taste i’m now getting a lot more fruity notes with a hint of banana and peaches. But that rich berry finish is still there.

Final Thoughts

Finishing the bottle I still find myself focused on how much of a departure this bottle is from the expressions of Penderyn most drinkers will be used to. It just goes to show how different it's possible for a distillery to be by doing little more than tweaking a few variables. In the final few glasses the initial patisserie flavours had more or less vanished, but the banana and peaches notes mentioned above still lingered to produce something rather pleasant.

Since coming back to finish this review i've heard from friends who recently visited the distillery that there are three further Icons of Wales releases due in the next 18 months, and that rumour has it that the lantern stills might be making a contribution towards them. This would fit with the big expansion Penderyn seems to be undertaking with a new distillery focusing on peated expressions opening in North Wales, and a so far unexplained project planned for Swansea.

Taken together this all very much feels like a company on the up. That can only be a good thing for Welsh whisky, as does the first releases from new North Wales rival Aber Falls. While I didn't find the Rhiannon as good as last year's Royal Welsh release, it certainly speaks to a distillery improving with each passing year.