Penderyn Portwood

Lechyd da! Feast your eyes on this multi-award winning, Portwood finished whisky from the only distillery in Wales – The Penderyn Portwood.

This is one of those ‘worst kept secrets’ kind of distillery where most people have heard of it – but surprisingly many have never tried it. Distilled, bottled and aged in Wales, which, we admit is not exactly the first word that comes to mind when we think of whisky.  We hope to change that perception and put Wales firmly in your personal ‘whisky map’ from now on with the Penderyn Portwood.

Penderyn offer a few ranges of whisky and this month’s Members Extra is the flagship of their ‘Gold Range’. The ‘Gold Range’ is named for the famous Welsh gold – extremely rare, pure and precious. The Gold Range is said to reflect those qualities. We can’t argue – the Portwood is GOLD alright!

It’s not a new product – having been around since 2012 in various forms (41% ABV when they first released a Portwood expression – now bottled at 46%). Its more recent incarnations have been solid performers on the worlds whisky competitions.

• 2020 San Francisco World Spirits Competition – Gold
• 2019 IWSC World Wide Whisky – Gold
• 2019 World Whisky Awards – Barrel Finish NAS – Gold (Best in Class)
• 2016 World Whisky Masters Europe Premium – Gold

The exact details of the Penderyn Portwood are kept pretty close to the chest of the Welsh Whisky Company (owners of Penderyn). What we do know is that the Penderyn Portwood is aged in ex-bourbon and then finished in Portwood casks. This iteration is bottled at 46% (earlier versions were as low as 41%) and it’s definitely at the top of it’s game at that percentage. We also know that there is precious little of it in Australia – and we’ve bought half of what few there are for our members.

Colour: Bright reddey-gold

Nose: Rich fruit, biscuit spices and apricot jam

Palate: An initial ‘beer-ey’ taste is quickly overtaken by sweet fruit notes and warming spices

Finish: Slowly decreasing waves of warm spice roll over mild tannin astringency and espresso coffee

A very easy sipper – full bodied, but not ‘over the top’ and very nicely balanced fruit/spice. If you open it with 3 or 4 friends, you may as well bin the cork – because you won’t need it again!

This Portwood-finish whisky is a firm favourite among our customers in France and a real attention grabber.

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.