Penderyn celebrate St. David's Day

The 1st of March was St. David's Day - the national day of Wales on which everyone pays homage to St. David, the country's patron saint. On this day, Welsh people around the world celebrate their national identity by embracing anything Welsh, be it a stereotype (think daffodils, leeks or Tom Jones) or otherwise. Since its creation in 2000, Penderyn - the first Welsh single malt whisky to be made for over a century - has been added to the list of things to aid the celebrations. The distillery is located in the Brecon Beacons National Park and its whisky has created a strong and patriotic Welsh following. However, it has been catching the attention of the wider whisky drinking audience in the last three or four years.

Numerous Penderyn (pronounced pen-derrin) whisky tastings and events formed part of the national celebrations around the country and earlier this week, we had the pleasure of attending one such St. David's Day evening hosted by Penderyn. They took over the Waxy O'Connor's bar in central London and painted the capital's biggest Irish pub Welsh for the night (pictured, left)! The event allowed us to reacquaint ourselves with the Penderyn Madeira finish, which is the core bottling of their range. We had not tried this for a while and thought that it tasted very good on the night. We have written about it before, but felt that after this we should update our tasting notes.

Our tasting notes > Penderyn Madeira finish
The colour is yellow gold and almost straw-like with a fragrant and interesting nose. It is light and vibrant with some vanilla, honey, fresh green fruits (think of apples and pears) and plenty of sugary dried fruits (imagine a combination of brown sugar and sultanas). There is also a hint of bittersweet cereals and something herbal (think of dried grass/hay). On the palate, this feels creamy and velvety - it has an initial bitter oaky woodiness (with a hint of a woody spice like cinnamon) that quickly fades to sugary caramel, malted barley and almond notes. Then the vanilla and green fruit elements from the nose come through. The combination of flavours and the balance is lovely. The finish is reasonably long and refreshing, with the enjoyable sugary sweetness giving way to a nutty, slightly spicy and woody bitterness right at the end. Delicious and very moreish.

What's the verdict?
The Penderyn Madeira finish is a lovely and easy drinking whisky that really seems to be coming of age. It feels richer, sweeter and more rounded and balanced than we remembered. That is not saying that it was bad before, just that it seems to be benefiting from maybe more time spent maturing or maybe longer in the Madeira casks. It offers an enjoyable and refreshing dram and would be a great choice for a whisky beginner. The increased complexity should also hold the interest of the more advanced whisky drinker or connoisseur. A good bargain for around £30 a bottle too.

New releases > Bushmills 21 years old

Bushmills holds the oldest distillery license in the world and this dates back to 1608. The distillery is named after the town of Bushmills in which it is located and lies close to the northern County Antrim coast in Northern Ireland, just two miles from the famous Giant’s Causeway. Global drinks company Diageo are the current owners and sales of the Bushmills whiskey range had plummeted before they took over in 2005. Now sales are growing rapidly following a sustained promotional campaign. The distillery is once again running at full capacity (approximately three million litres per year) to meet current demand. In addition to being the oldest licensed distillery in Ireland and the world, Bushmills also has the longest continually used logo. In 1784, the pot still logo was introduced in order to celebrate the formal registering of the distillery and this is still in use today, 226 years later!

Bushmills’ whiskies are all triple distilled in the traditional Irish way and the core range is a mixture of single malts and blends - the 10 years old and 16 years old are single malts, with the Original and Black Bush being blends. These are occasionally joined by special limited releases, such as this 21 years old. The 21 years old is an annual bottling, which was first released in 2001, and this year's release is limited to just 6,000 bottles. About a third will be allocated to the USA market, with the remainder shared between France, Ireland, the UK and the rest of Europe.

This 2010 release has spent its first 19 years maturing in a combination of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks, before being transferred for the last two years in to ex-Madeira casks. It is positioned at the top of the Bushmills range, both in price (recommended price is £120) and age. We were delighted to be invited to the UK launch, held at the Waxy O'Connor's pub in central London, where the Bushmills Master Blender Helen Mulholland opened bottle number 0001 of the 6000 for the assembled crowd to taste.

Our tasting notes
This 21 years old 2010 release is bottled at 40% ABV and the colour is golden amber. The nose is fresh and fruity, with plenty of dried fruits immediately present (think of raisins, sultanas and apricot). These are backed up by distinct malty cereal notes, some toffee and caramel aromas, and then something nutty (imagine toasted almonds) and some baking spices (especially cinnamon and nutmeg). On the palate, this whiskey feels incredibly soft and pleasantly coats the inside of your mouth. There are notes of distinct, almost sugary, sweetness (think of toffee and caramel again) and plenty of malted cereals, reminiscent of a robust biscuit like an oatcake. Then come some of the other characteristics from the nose - the dried fruits (especially raisins), toasted almonds and baking/woody spices. The overall combination of notes reminded us of Christmas pudding or rich fruit cake. A hint of dark chocolate develops right at the end. The finish is again initially sweet with that chocolate note coming through more prominently, before becoming incredibly spicy and drier - think of those woody baking spices again (cinnamon and nutmeg) plus a hint of clove.

What's the verdict?
This Bushmills offers a lovely dram of whiskey that gives a good mix of sweetness and spices. The aromas on the nose and flavours that come through on the palate are particularly good, with an interesting and excellent complexity. The finish is not quite to the same standard but still enjoyable, although it may be too spicy for some. Overall, this version of the 21 years old is a deliciously rich and pleasant whiskey that is well worth trying, if you get the chance.

At the same event, we had the opportunity to speak with Helen Mulholland - the Master Blender at Bushmills. We thank Helen for the time that she spent with us, on what was a busy evening for her. To read about what she had to say about Bushmills distillery and its whiskey - click here.