A quick note before anything else. This week, four of my Penderyn reviews were done with industry samples provided free of charge and without any pesky strings attached; this message precedes each of those reviews. As ever, I am unsure if that led me to grade harder or easier, but I prefer ant entanglements to be upfront. For more, check out the ethics statement we use on Maltrunners.com.

Whisky: Penderyn 12 Year (2010), LMWD Ex-Libris Cask 276/2010

Country/Region: Wales

ABV: 60.1%

Cask: 2nd Fill Bourbon

Age: 12 Years (Distilled 2010, Bottled 2023)

Nose: Tinned tropical fruits, cotton candy, pine, spruce tips, orange, vanilla, and an herbal undercurrent with hints of cream and mint.

Palate: Medium-bodied, syrupy, tinned fruits, honey, herbal with spruce tips, underripe persimmon, astringent with spirited prickle.

Finish: Medium-length and drying with fruit skins and herbal tea.

Score: 5 (76)

Mental Image: Hipster’s Brooklyn Shave Ice Joint

Narrative & Notes: The aroma offered up mellow hits of tinned topic fruits, mostly lychee, with cotton candy and pinewood. Young pine and spruce tips carried on with orange concentrate and hints of mint and blue vanilla syrup— unique herbal-infused fruit syrups over an up-scale shave ice with a bit of creamy condensed milk on top. Medium-bodied and syrupy with tinned peaches and lychee against fermented honey and spruce tips. Herbal and fruity on the palate with a tingling spirited prickle that turned more astringent toward the end, something like an underripe persimmon. The finish was medium-length with drying fruity skins and a touch of herbal tea.

Here we have yet another fascinating Penderyn whisky this week! Instead of a straightforward fruit bomb, this had an intriguing herbal complement that carried on from the aroma to the finish.  While the aroma was excellent, the palate felt rough and raw, with a noticeable spirited prickle and a growing tannic astringency. As a result, the whisky felt young and a touch over-oaked— an unfortunate combination that left the back end of the palate in a bit of disarray and the finish less than satisfying.  Still, I did love the herbal elements and thought this reminded me of Sweden’s High Coast distillery.  Water helped tame the spirit, though it simplified the flavors toward tinned fruits.

Overall, an interesting whisky that fell just shy of being really nice.