Review - Mackmyra Äppelblom

The Mackmyra Äppelblom is a recent limited edition single malt from Sweden's leading whisky distillery. The name Äppelblom is Swedish for 'apple blossom' and this is a reference to the rare casks used during the final part of maturation. These have previously held Calvados, the famous French apple spirit, from one of France's most renowned producers - Cristian Drouin. Prior to this the whisky had been maturing in American oak ex-bourbon casks. Äppelblom has been created by Angela D'Orazio, the Master Blender at Mackmyra.

New releases > 'King Car' from Kavalan

The King Car Whisky is made by the Kavalan distillery on the island of Taiwan. Kavalan is one of the newest and most technically advanced distilleries in the world and is located in Yuanshan, a town in the north of the island. Yuanshan lies to the south of the major cities of Taipei and Keelung and close to the Pacific coast. It was built over an eight month period in 2005 and 2006 and has copper stills that were constructed in Scotland. The distillery has a large annual capacity of approximately six million bottles. The name of 'Kavalan' is taken from a group of indigenous people who once lived in the Yi-Lan County where the distillery is based.

This whisky is named after the King Car Corporation, who are the owners of Kavalan. King Car was originally set up in 1979 and has grown to be one of Taiwan's biggest beverage and food manufacturers. As Taiwan's whisky drinking population has grown considerably over the last two decades, the chairman of King Car decided to build his own whisky distillery. He assembled an experienced team of professionals and took them to Scotland to learn the whisky making processes, traditions and techniques. The whisky was initially created, selected and blended by the legendary Dr. Jim Swan - a worldwide authority in the field of alcoholic beverages and a consultant with numerous distilleries, breweries and wineries over many years.

The range of whisky from Kavalan is currently small but is expanding all of the time. It is currently only available in Taiwan, larger cities in China and selected travel retail markets in south east Asia. The range consists of a single malt, a blend and the limited edition Solist collection. Kavalan's whiskies are usually released at a relatively young age (normally around three years old) - this is because the whisky ages much faster in Taiwan's warm and humid climate, losing around 10% of its volume each year to the angel's share (the angel's share is the name given to the evaporation of the spirit while maturing in the cask). In comparison, this figure is around 2% a year in Scotland.

We would like to thank Ian Chang - the Head Distiller at Kavalan - for sending us a sample to taste and review. He explained to us about his special new single malt,

"The King Car single malt whisky is my latest creation and consists of 8 different types of casks. You have the most common refills, sherry and ex-bourbon casks plus 5 more specially selected casks in order to make the flavour to the fullest and most rounded possible. And this time, because we would like to retain the most flavours, the whisky is non-chill filtered and the alcoholic strength is raised to 46% ABV! This is the first expression in the name of King Car which is the name of the Group. The Chairman of the group, Mr. TT Lee, would like to have a whisky that can also represent the company to show the kind of diversity, multi-area of business that we do, and this King Car single malt can truly represent the company with its complex flavours, delicate aromas and multi layers of background fruitiness!"

Our tasting notes
The colour of King Car is a bright golden yellow and the nose has a good intensity and is fresh, vibrant and highly perfumed. Firstly, there is an aromatic blast of vanilla and honey, followed by some fresh tangy green fruit (think of pear and apple especially) and coconut. Further aromas begin to develop with time - underlying sultana and dried apricot, malty barley notes and subtle hints of wood spice (imagine cinnamon, nutmeg and cedar wood). There are also aromas reminiscent of orange oil and liquorice. This is very promising and makes you want to take a sip. On the palate, there is again immediate and obvious sweet notes of vanilla and honey, but they are joined by the coconut and wood spices much earlier than in the nose. It grips on to your tongue and mouth. Then comes a distinct woodiness (think of fresh wood shavings) and plenty of malty barley grains. These elements are balanced by a lovely tangy quality, which is led by notes of fresh green fruits (the pears and apples again) and some citrus zest (imagine orange and lemon zest). The finish is long, intense and vibrant, again with plenty of vanilla and barley notes which are complimented by the tangy zestiness and wood spices from the palate.

What's the verdict?
This is a lovely whisky that delivers on almost every level and is very enjoyable. The danger when trying to combine eight different types of cask could be to create a mish-mash of a whisky, that is neither one thing or the other. However, Kavalan have clearly used high quality casks in a sympathetic way to create a whisky that is delicious, fresh and stands out from the crowd. It is easy to see why Kavalan are taking the whisky world by storm and starting to bag some impressive awards. If they keep producing whisky of this standard (and to the standard of their other whiskies that we have reviewed), then even the most traditional of whisky drinkers will have to sit up and take note. Kavalan is here to stay - it is just a shame that it is not yet available to a wider audience.

Have just tried > The Belgian Owl single malt

The Belgian Owl is a single malt whisky that is the first to be produced in Belgium. The Belgian Owl distillery is located in the town of Grâce Hollogne, near the city of Liege, and was founded by Etienne Bouillon, who also owns a fruit liqueur distillery and business named Lambicool. The distillery was originally named Pure and the company was set up by Bouillon and two partners in 1997, although the first spirit did not flow until October 2004. The name was later changed to The Belgian Owl Distillery - the name being chosen as the owl symbolises wisdom. For further information on the distillery and their whisky, visit the website at www.belgianwhisky.com.

The barley for the whisky making is grown in the fields around Liege and the malting, mashing and fermentation processes take part in an old converted farm on the city's outskirts. The fermented wash is then transferred to the distillery for its double distillation, before the new spirit is put in to first fill ex-bourbon casks and then matured. The single malt is matured for three years and then bottled in small batches at an alcoholic strength of 46% ABV. The current annual production capacity is approximately 50,000 litres and the bottling programme has five batches of single malt released each year. They also release new make spirit and part matured spirit within their range. The Belgian Owl is currently only sold in Belgium, France, Germany, Holland and Sweden, with the single malt selling for around €45-50 for a 50cl bottle.

For a further insight in to this fascinating distillery, please watch the short video clip below - you will need to know a bit of French to follow the commentary, but they do have an English version on their website homepage.



Our tasting notes
The colour of this three years old Belgian Owl single malt whisky is a pale gold. The nose is delicate and subtle with some lovely fresh aromas coming through - think of crisp green pears, vanilla, honey, lemon zest and more fresh fruit, this time reminiscent of greengages and unripe plums. These light, fresh aromas are backed up by increasingly distinct notes of malty cereal grains and dried grasses (imagine hay especially). On the palate, this whisky is tangy and very light to begin with. Here the three main descriptors are distinct cereals, grassy and fresh green fruits - these manifest themselves in notes of very malty/gristy barley, hay/straw and green pear/greengage respectively. With time, the number of characteristics again increase to include honey, vanilla, lemon zest and some hot, tangy spiciness (think of chilli-like heat). This heat carries on in to the finish, which is quite lively and zingy. The sweeter elements (honey and vanilla especially) appear, then fade to leave some pleasant dryness.

What's the verdict?
This is a lovely, tangy, refreshing and mouthwatering dram that would be perfect as an aperitif or on a hot day. The whisky shows plenty of very good characteristics, considering its young age, and stands up very well to its contemporaries from other new distilleries. It will certainly be interesting to see how the Belgian Owl whiskies taste in any future older releases and with further maturation. We thank our friend James Grant, who bought us back a small sample of The Belgian Owl single malt from a recent trip to Belgium.

A sneak preview ... Kavalan Peated

Kavalan is the first and only single malt whisky from the Asian island of Taiwan. It is produced by the King Car Corporation, which was set up in 1979 and is now Taiwan's biggest food and beverage manufacturer. The new distillery was built in just eight months in 2005/06 and is one of the most technically advanced in the world. It is located in Yuanshan, which lies in the north of the island and is to the south of the major cities of Taipei and Keelung, close to the Pacific coast. It has copper stills that were constructed in Scotland and the distillery has an annual capacity of approximately six million bottles.

The name of Kavalan is taken from a group of indigenous people who once lived in the Yi-Lan County where the distillery is located. The Kavalan whiskies have been created, selected and blended by Ian Chang under the guidance of the legendary Dr. Jim Swan, who is a worldwide authority in the field of alcoholic beverages. Dr. Swan has consulted with numerous distilleries, breweries and wineries around the world over many years, including Penderyn in Wales. The first single malt, which is matured in ex-bourbon casks, was released at the end of 2008. This was joined in 2009 by another matured in ex-Port wine casks and two cask strength, single cask releases – one from an ex-bourbon cask and one from a sherry cask. The range is currently only sold in Taiwan and in a small selection of cities in China, as well as various airport locations in south east Asia.

This peated version of Kavalan is yet to be released and we are lucky enough to have received this advanced sample from Kavalan’s Head Distiller Ian Chang. It is young at just over two years of age – Kavalan release their whiskies at this age because the whisky ages much faster and evaporates more quickly than elsewhere in the world, due to the high humidity and heat in Taiwan. This sample is drawn directly from the cask and is at 57.6% ABV. The story is that the whisky was accidentally filled to ex-bourbon casks that had previously held some peaty Scottish whisky and King Car are not sure if they will ever release it. We therefore thank Ian for this unique opportunity.

Our tasting notes
The colour of this Kavalan Peated is a light golden yellow and the nose is expressive, but not obviously peaty to start with. There is plenty of oak and vanilla notes and these are backed up by some distinct cereal grains, lots of sweet honey and an intense, hot prickle from the high alcohol level. The peat begins to come through with time in the glass and has a damp earthy quality, with a hint of dried grass. However, the peat smoke remains understated and It is very promising and makes you want to taste immediately. On the palate, this feels juicy,fresh and zingy (think of lemon zest) with plenty of vanilla and sweet, sugary honey. It is also intense with the high alcohol level accentuating each note to a higher level. The sweet elements are complimented by noticeable wood spices (imagine nutmeg and ginger). The peaty smoke is again understated, before bursting on to the palate once the whisky is swallowed. The smokiness then takes on a much higher level than suggested on the nose and remains earthy and grassy, although with a more bonfire ashy edge. The finish starts sweetly with oak and vanilla again prominent. Then the peat kicks in to make the finish very dry and ashy in the end, with your mouth watering and wanting more.

What's the verdict?
This is a lovely whisky and possibly our favourite Kavalan that we have tried to date - click here to view our other Kavalan reviews. That is saying something, as we have enjoyed all of the range so far. The reason for saying that it is our favourite is simple - the whisky is intense but has a great subtly and balance. The peaty smoke is obviously present but adds to the balance rather than being the dominating feature, as can be the case in young smoky whiskies.

So, should Kavalan release this whisky? - a definite YES! It may not be to the Taiwanese taste but if they put this in to the European or north American markets, then it would undoubtedly sell. This is especially true if you consider four factors. 1 - Kavalan is a unique product that has created much interest around the world, 2 - we are approaching winter in the northern hemisphere and peaty whiskies always sell better in colder weather, 3 - a number of traditional 'non peaty' distilleries, such as Balvenie and Glenmorangie, are branching out in to this market with their new 17 years old Peated Cask and Finealta expressions respectively, and 4 - it tastes really, really good!

New releases ... Penderyn Port Wood PT26

Penderyn (pronounced Pen-derrin) is the only single malt whisky distillery in Wales. The distillery is located in the village of the same name in the Brecon Beacons National Park in south Wales and is owned by the Welsh Whisky Company. This was formed in 1998, with production beginning in September 2000 - this makes it one of the youngest distilleries in the UK. Penderyn translates as 'head of the kite' from the Welsh language (that's kite as in the type of bird and the Brecons is home to one of the largest populations of them in the UK). Penderyn is the first distillery to produce single malt whisky in Wales for over 100 years with the last one closing in 1900. That was named Frongoch and was located in the town of Bala in north Wales.

Unique production methods
The production at Penderyn is unique and innovative. They buy pre-fermented wash from the local Brain's brewery in Cardiff and this is made to their specific recipe. They then distil this in to whisky. This is method is different to that of the Scottish whisky industry where at least some of the mashing and fermentation must happen on the same site as the distillation. The water used in production at Penderyn is taken from a well next to the distillery. The still room is also unique and houses a bespoke still designed by Dr. David Faraday, that is part copper pot and part column still. For further information on the unique methods used, then read the article about our visit to Penderyn.

A limited edition
Their range is small and consists of a regular bottling which is finished in Madeira casks, a sherry cask bottling and a lightly peated version. Limited expressions are also available, with other releases being planned as more stock reaches optimum maturation. This Port Wood was released in July 2010 and comes from a cask (Port cask number 26, hence the PT26) that was specially selected by Dr. Jim Swan, Penderyn's Master Distiller. It was limited to just 216 bottles at £275 each and bottlied at the natural cask strength of 60.6% ABV. Its predecessor, which was released in 2009, won the accolade of European Single Cask Whisky of the Year in Jim Murray's Whisky Bible 2010. We thank Luke O'Mahony at Penderyn for the chance to sample this whisky.

Our tasting notes
The colour of PT26 is dark amber with a dark reddish hue (dark is the key word here!). The nose is rich, sumptuous and has plenty of sugary sweetness (think of caramel or treacle), dried fruits (imagine raisins, candied orange peel, dates and prunes) and a hint of dark, bitter chocolate and coffee. On the palate, the whisky starts sweetly with the caramel and treacle notes prominent. These are backed up by other sweet elements - dried fruits (especially the dates and prunes), vanilla, cereal grains and a dollop of orange marmalade. It then becomes woody and slightly bitter very quickly, with plenty of wood spice (think of cinnamon, nutmeg and clove), dark chocolate, espresso coffee and a hint of menthol coming through. There is also a distinct hit of burnt sugar or black treacle. The finish long, dry, tannic and very spicy with burnt sugar, high cocoa chocolate, dried fruits and cinnamon standing out. Port Wood is very rich but well balanced without water, especially considering the high strength. We decided to try it with a few drops of water. This gave more caramel and buttery toffee (think of butterscotch) on the nose and palate, although it flattens the enjoyable spiciness and dryness.

What's the verdict?
This is one rich and full-on whisky, that may be too rich and full-on for some. The high alcoholic strength (60.6% ABV) combined with the Port cask has given this whisky a wonderful intensity with exaggerated aromas and flavours. Penderyn whiskies seem to be coming of age as more of their stock reaches longer maturation and it is hard to believe that they have only been making whisky for 10 years. Only you can decide if the high price tag is worth it but this lovely whisky should be tried if you get the chance, as it is one of the better Port cask whiskies that we have tried to date.

Have just tried ... Kavalan Solist sherry cask

Taiwan's first whisky
Kavalan is a single malt whisky that is made by the King Car Corporation in Taiwan. King Car was set up in 1979 and is now Taiwan's biggest beverage and food manufacturers. This new distillery is one of the most technically advanced in the world and is located in Yuanshan, a town in the north of Taiwan. Yuanshan lies to the south of the major cities of Taipei and Keelung and close to the Pacific coast. It has copper stills that were constructed in Scotland giving the distillery an annual capacity of approximately six million bottles. Kavalan is Taiwan's first and only whisky to date.

Kavalan's range
King Car decided to name their whisky range Kavalan after a group of indigenous people who once lived in the Yi-Lan County where the distillery is located. The range of whisky is currently small and consists of two single malts (a bourbon cask version and a Port cask) and the Solist collection, which are bottled at cask strength and includes this sherry cask and one from a bourbon cask. The Kavalan whiskies have been created, selected and blended by the legendary Dr. Jim Swan - a worldwide authority in the field of alcoholic beverages. Dr. Swan has consulted with numerous distilleries, breweries and wineries around the world over many years, including Penderyn in Wales.

Details of the whisky
This Kavalan Solist Sherry Cask is bottled at 58.2% ABV and is currently only available in Taiwan, some major cities in China and limited locations in the south east Asian travel retail sector. A bottle will cost the equivalent of £65. The whisky is aged for three years , but whisky ages much faster in Taiwan's warm and humid climate. They have to bottle it at this age as they lose around 10% of the whisky's volume each year to the angel's share (the name given to the evaporation of the spirit while maturing in the cask). In comparison, this figure is around 2% a year in Scotland.

We would like to thank Ian Chang, the Head Distiller at Kavalan, for sending us this sample and for his support of Whisky For Everyone.

Our tasting notes
The colour of this Solist sherry cask is very dark and chestnut brown, almost mahogany, in colour. The nose has a clean freshness to it but is rich, intense and packed with aromas. There is a treacle/molasses-like sweetness present and this is joined by the further sweetness of lots of dark dried fruits (think of raisins, prunes, figs and dates). Behind the sweetness are hints of more bitter notes, including some herbs, eucalyptus or menthol, cocoa and roasted coffee beans. It is sumptuous and tempting, making you want to taste it. On the palate, this whisky is initially extremely fruity with plenty of those dark, juicy dried fruits present (especially the raisins and prunes). This characteristics turns a little more jammy or cooked as you hold it in your mouth (imagine plums and cherries). The syrupy sweetness of the treacle note hits the tip of the tongue and the whisky feels thick, coating the inside of the mouth. The darker, more bitter elements come through again (imagine menthol, cocoa powder and the coffee beans), as does a distinct hit of wood spice (think of allspice and nutmeg). The finish is long and toffee sweet before becoming very woody and spicy at the end (especially the nutmeg). Also, the strength of the high alcohol ABV is only really evident on the finish and gives a sharp, prickly heat.

What's the verdict?
This is fascinating stuff. The high ABV strength and the Taiwanese climate have accelerated and exaggerated the elements pulled from the sherry cask here. The cask was obviously of excellent quality, as there are none of the sulphuric notes that can sometimes appear in sherry cask matured whiskies and puts a few Scots to shame - the Kavalan remains clean throughout. It seems older than it is (although the alcohol strength gives it away on the finish) and is reminiscent of a brandy. One person tasting with us commented that it reminded him of an Italian digestif called Cynar, due to the distinct bitter menthol notes. It has to be said that there is so much sherry cask influence here that it could be difficult to identify it as a whisky, although this eases with the addition of water which allows some cereal notes to emerge. The Kavalan Solist sherry cask is a very nice dram indeed and one that becomes more user friendly with the more water that is added. This whisky maintains the high standards that we have tasted in other Kavalan releases.

Have just tried ... St. George single malt whiskey

A pioneering micro distillery
St. George is a single malt whiskey that is produced in Alameda, a town in the western American state of California. It is made by a company called St.George Spirits, which was founded in 1982 by Jörg Rupf. He arrived in California from Freiburg in Germany, where several generations of his family had run a successful business brewing beers and distilling eaux de vie (fruit brandies). St. George was America's first eau de vie distillery and it made Rupf one of the forefathers of the American micro distillery movement, which is currently booming.

The St. George single malt whiskey was first released in 2000 and in addition their portfolio now includes numerous fruit eaux de vie, fruit liqueurs, vodka, absinthe (they were the first place to legally distill this in the USA since the early 1900s) and agua azul (a spirit made with 100% agave, but that can't legally be called tequila). This boutique single malt is released at 3-4 years of age and is bottled at an alcoholic strength of 43% ABV. It is still hard to find in the UK and is very much in the domain of the independent specialist whisky retailers such as Royal Mile Whiskies or The Whisky Exchange.

So, not the English stuff then?
It is easy to confuse the two, as the English single malt whisky that has recently hit the market also carries the name of St. George. This is compounded by both having the St. George's cross and a dragon on their labels! The American single malt is made using barley grown in California and this is heavily roasted once the germination stage of the malting process has taken place. They then smoke the barley over beech and alder wood and the smoke is imparted to give different and smoky flavours. Once fermented, the wash is distilled in small batches in the smallest commercial pot still in North America. Only 50 gallons (190 litres) of single malt are produced a day and this is then mostly matured in ex-bourbon casks. Other casks, such as French oak and Port, are also used occassionally.

Our tasting notes
The colour of this St. George single malt is a light golden yellow and the nose is full of youthful vibrancy. The nose has plenty of bourbon cask influence - vanilla, honey, oak, cereals and toffee - but has an unusual edge to it. This 'edge' is reminiscent of hops and gives the whisky a distinct aroma of a hoppy beer or ale. There are also notes of green apple and citrus zest (especially lemon). On the palate, the freshness from the nose is maintained with the crisp apple and lemon zest particularly prominent. These are followed by some creamy vanilla, sweet honey and slightly bitter cereal notes. A hint of raw spirit, the hops from the nose and a hint of warm spices (think of ginger and nutmeg) round things off. The palate is reasonably basic and refreshing but tastes different to most other single malts that we have sampled to date, mostly because of that hoppy note. The finish is short and initially sweet with the honey and vanilla evident, before it turns drier and slightly more bitter. The nutmeg spice reappears right at the end. A young but very interesting whiskey.

Have just tried ... Penderyn Port Wood

One of the UK's youngest
Today is St. David's Day - the national day of Wales - so it seems appropriate that this should be commemorated with a review of a very special whisky from the only Welsh distillery at Penderyn (pronounced Pen-derrin). The distillery is located in the village of the same name in the Brecon Beacons National Park in south Wales and is owned by the Welsh Whisky Company. This was formed in 1998, with production beginning in September 2000 - this makes it one of the youngest distilleries in the UK. Penderyn is the first distillery to produce single malt whisky in Wales for over 100 years with the last one closing in 1900. That was named Frongoch and was located in the town of Bala in north Wales.

Innovative production methods
The production at Penderyn is unique and innovative. They buy pre-fermented wash from the local Brain's brewery in Cardiff and this is made to their specific recipe. They then distill this in to whisky. This is method is different to that of the Scottish whisky industry where at least some of the mashing and fermentation must happen on the same site as the distillation. The water used in production at Penderyn is taken from a well next to the distillery. The still room is also unique and houses a bespoke still designed by Dr. David Faraday, that is part copper pot and part column still. For further information on the unique methods used, then read the article about our visit to Penderyn.

Limited edition casking
Their range is small and consists of a regular bottling which is finished in Madeira casks, a sherry cask bottling and a lightly peated version. Limited expressions are also available, with other releases being planned as more stock reaches optimum maturation. This Port Wood was released in August 2009 and comes from a cask that was specially selected by Dr. Jim Swan, the Master Distiller for Penderyn. It was limited to just 207 bottles and cost £275 each. The alcoholic ABV is the natural cask strength of 60.6% and the whisky recently won the accolade of European Single Cask Whisky of the Year in The Whisky Bible 2010 by whisky writer Jim Murray. We were lucky enough to try it on our recent visit to the distillery.

Our tasting notes
The colour of Penderyn Port Wood is dark amber but with a distinct red hue, and it is certainly one of the darkest whiskies that we have encountered to date. The nose is rich and sumptuous with plenty of sugary sweetness (think of caramel or treacle), dried fruits (imagine raisins, candied peel and prunes), oranges and a hint of something dark/bitter like chocolate and coffee. On the palate, this whisky starts sweetly with the caramel/treacle note prominent and this is backed up by other sweet elements - dried fruits (especially those prunes), vanilla, cereal grains and a drop of orange marmalade. It then becomes woody and slightly bitter with some menthol, wood spice (think of cinnamon), dark chocolate and espresso coffee coming through. The finish long, dry and spicy with chocolate, dried fruits, vanilla and cinnamon standing out. Port Wood is very well balanced without water, especially considering the strength, but we decided to try it with a few drops of water. This gave more caramel and buttery toffee on the nose and palate and slightly flattened the enjoyable spiciness.

What's the verdict?
This is a rich and sumptuous whisky and may be too rich and heavy for some people. We really enjoyed it and think it is a lovely dram that feels like a treat to yourself. Port Wood is the most limited and expensive Penderyn whisky yet and only you can decide if it is worth the money! They told us that they still have a couple of bottles left, so hurry if you wish to purchase one ...

Have just tried ... Penderyn Rich Madeira (WRU 125th Anniversary Edition)

A commemorative bottling
The Six Nations rugby tournament started last weekend, so it seems like a good time to review this rugby related whisky that we sampled recently. The Six Nations is an annual tournament that involves England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. We are not the biggest fans of rugby but we are fans of whisky and this one is from Penderyn, the only Welsh whisky distillery. It was first released two years ago to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) and was limited to just 1250 bottles.

First Welsh whisky for 100 years
Penderyn (pronounced Pen-derrin) is the only single malt whisky distillery currently operating in Wales. It is located in the village of the same name, on the edge of the Brecon Beacons National Park in south Wales. The distillery is one of the youngest in the UK and is owned by the Welsh Whisky Company, which set up by a consortium of local businessmen. The WWC was formed in 1998 and production began at Penderyn in September 2000. Penderyn is the first legal distillery to produce single malt whisky in Wales for over 100 years. The previous one was named Frongoch (pronounced fran-gok) and closed in 1900. It was located in the town of Bala in north Wales.

Older, longer, higher!
The whisky is labeled as Rich Madeira and is firstly matured in ex-bourbon casks, before being transferred to Madeira casks for one year. The regular Penderyn release undergoes the same order of maturation but this Rich Madeira is older, has a longer Madeira influence and is higher in alcoholic strength than the regular release. The whisky is bottled at 50% ABV, costs £125 a bottle and can only be purchased directly from the Penderyn website. On our recent visit to Penderyn, they told us that they still have a few bottles of this commemorative bottling left, so hurry if you fancy a bottle!

Our tasting notes
The colour of the whisky is dark golden amber and the nose is fragrant and aromatic. It has a rich, sumptuous feel and is sweet with sugary caramel prominent, along with dried fruits (think of raisins, sultanas and apple), some candied orange peel and a whiff of woody spices (imagine cinnamon and nutmeg). On the palate, the sweetness and richness is again prominent, although this feels less like caramel and a little more like crumby brown sugar now. The dried fruits are there - raisins and sultanas, with the candied orange peel particularly distinctive. There is a further lovely green fruitiness and this combines with the sugary note to give something reminiscent of stewed apples. The cinnamon/nutmeg warm spice notes emphasise this. Due to the strength, we added a dash of water and this bought out some woodiness (think of damp wood) and a slightly bitter grassy herbal note, which balanced the sweetness well. The finish is long, warming and enjoyable with the sugary fruitiness fading slowly.

What's the verdict?
This is a lovely whisky. We were lucky enough to sample five whiskies during our visit to Penderyn and both of us voted this one as our favourite. It offers good balance and character and has plenty of sumptuous notes. The whisky feels velvety and soft and gives you a lovely big, warm cwtch (that's the word for cuddle in Welsh and it's pronounced kutch - thanks to Sian at Penderyn for that little piece of info!).

Have just tried ... Penderyn Peated

A long wait for new Welsh whisky
Penderyn (pronounced Pen-derrin) is the only single malt whisky distillery currently operating in Wales. It is located in the village of Penderyn in the Brecon Beacons National Park in south Wales. It is owned by the Welsh Whisky Company, which was formed in 1998 and production began in September 2000, making it one of the youngest distilleries in the UK. Penderyn is the first distillery to produce single malt whisky in Wales for over 100 years with the last one, Frongoch in north Wales, closing in 1900. Prince Charles, the current Prince of Wales, is a big fan and serves Penderyn single malt whisky at his Highgrove House residence.

Innovative production methods
The production at Penderyn is unique and innovative. They buy pre-fermented wash from the local Brain's brewery and this is made to their specific recipe. They then distill this in to whisky. This is method is illegal in the Scottish whisky industry where at least some of the mashing and fermentation must happen on the same site as the distillation. The water used in production at Penderyn is taken from a well next to the distillery. The still room is also unique and houses a bespoke still designed by Dr. David Faraday, that is part copper pot and part column still. For further information on the unique methods used, then read the article about our visit to Penderyn.

Peaty but with a difference
Their range is small and consists of a regular bottling which is finished in Madeira casks, a sherry cask bottling and this lightly peated version. Limited expressions are also available, with other releases being planned as more stock reaches optimum maturation. This peaty expression of Penderyn (the bottle in the green packaging on the left of the image above) is limited to approximately 5000 bottles a year and is bottled at 46% ABV. Interestingly, Penderyn do not use peated malt to create the peaty, smoky flavour as is traditionally practiced in Scotland and elsewhere. Instead, they produce their regular spirit and then mature it in casks that have previously held smoky whisky from the island of Islay. Therefore, the smokiness and other flavours from these ex-Islay casks are imparted to the spirit in the same way that the characteristics are imparted from regular casks such as ex-bourbon or ex-sherry. A bottle should cost £35-40 from specialist whisky retailers or Penderyn directly.

Our tasting notes
The colour of this Penderyn Peated is light and straw-like and is the lightest of all the Penderyn's that we have sampled to date. The nose is very light and slightly understated. There is vanilla up front and a distinct orchard fruit note (think of green pears and apples). These are joined by something grassy and herbal (imagine dried grasses or hay), a hint of citrus (think of lemon zest) and gentle, subtle, bonfire-like peat smoke. On the palate, this is basic but reasonable. A pleasant floral note (we couldn't quite place what it was to be honest) and the fresh green fruit from the nose kick things off, before the peatiness joins in and grows (this feels a little more earthy now). The citrus and vanilla are understated but present, as is the grassy/herbal note from the nose which suggested mint or eucalyptus to us. The finish is short, fresh and quite peppery (think of white pepper), with the peat appearing and then disappearing almost before you realise.

What's the verdict?
This is a tricky one. Penderyn Peated is one of the most uncomplicated, lightest, freshest smoky whiskies that we have tried to date and it has a number of pleasant features. The peatiness/smokiness is very subtle and understated - this would make it an ideal whisky to use to introduce people to the tastes of a smoky whisky without scaring them off for life. However, fans of big, peaty whiskies may struggle with it. We enjoyed Penderyn Peated but the subtle nature of the peat leaves it seemingly trying to decide if it's a true smoky whisky or not.

Have just tried ... Kavalan Port Cask finish

A Taiwanese whisky?
Kavalan is a single malt whisky that is made by the King Car Corporation in Taiwan. King Car was set up in 1979 and is now Taiwan's biggest beverage and food manufacturers. This new distillery is one of the most technically advanced in the world and is located in Yuanshan, a town in the north of Taiwan. Yuanshan lies to the south of the major cities of Taipei and Keelung and close to the Pacific coast. It has copper stills that were constructed in Scotland and the distillery has an annual capacity of approximately six million bottles.

Beating the Scots
The profile of Kavalan Taiwanese whisky has risen dramatically following a recent blind tasting. This was held by famous British newspaper The Times and they put Kavalan single malt up against three Scottish blended whiskies and the new St. George's English whisky. To read the full article from thetimesonline, click here. They cheekily did this on Burns Night (Scotland's unofficial national day and one where whisky forms an important part of the celebrations) and invited esteemed people from the world of whisky to taste each one blind. We suspect that they were trying to get a 'controversial' non-Scottish winner as the outcome and they succeeded as Kavalan gained significantly more marks than the other entrants.

Why Kavalan?
King Car decided to name their whisky range Kavalan after a group of indigenous people who lived in the Yi-Lan County where the distillery is located. The range of whisky is currently small and consists of two single malts (including this Port cask) and the Solist collection, which currently has two single cask releases - one from a bourbon cask and one from a sherry cask. The Kavalan whisky has been created, selected and blended by the legendary Dr. Jim Swan, the Master Distiller at Penderyn distillery in Wales. He is a worldwide authority in the field of alcoholic beverages and has consulted with numerous distilleries, breweries and wineries over many years. We have written about the regular single malt and the bourbon cask Solist - click on the links to read.

More 'angle's share'
This Kavalan Port Cask is bottled at 40% ABV and is matured in ex-bourbon casks before being transferred to Port casks. It is currently only available in Taiwan and major cities in China, with a bottle costing around £50. The whisky is only three years of age, but whisky ages much faster in Taiwan's warm and humid climate. They have to bottle it at this age as they lose around 10% of the whisky's volume each year to the angel's share (the name given to the evaporation of the spirit while maturing in the cask). In comparison, this figure is around 2% a year in Scotland. We would like to thank Ian Chang, the Head Distiller at Kavalan, for giving us this sample and Lisa Huang for introducing us to Kavalan whisky.

Our tasting notes
This Port Cask finish is walnut brown in colour and the nose is rich and appealing. There is a sumptuous mix of aromas - toffee and dried fruits (think of currants and dried apple) are predominant with vanilla, coconut, walnuts, honey and warming spices (imagine cinnamon and cloves). On the palate, this still has some richness but feels fresher, lighter and spicier than the nose suggests. There is again toffee (although this is more like burnt sugar now) and dried fruits (think of currants and dried orange peel) and these are joined by vanilla, nuts (more like walnut oil this time), honey and the warming spices (still cinnamon and cloves but slightly more peppery). The whole feel is a little reminiscent of mulled wine at Christmas. There is also more red fruitiness (imagine grapes or stewed cherries) that comes through with time. The finish is lovely, rich and of medium length. It is pleasantly sweet, fruity and spicy but a little tannic and drier at the end (this can be felt on your gums especially).

What's the verdict?
Kavalan Port Cask finish is an interesting, lovely whisky. The richness and complexity belies its youthful age and it makes for very pleasant and easy drinking whisky. It is the richest, fruitiest of the three Kavalan whiskies that we have tasted to date. All are very different and very good and we cannot wait to taste more or see what new expressions they are planning. If you are ever travelling through south east Asia, then we would recommend that you have to try these whiskies. Let's hope that with their recent publicity that Kavalan gets a wider distribution and enables more people to try it.

Have just tried ... Kavalan Single Malt

Kavalan whisky is a new venture by the King Car Corporation in Taiwan. King Car was set up in 1979 and has grown to be one of Taiwan's biggest beverage and food manufacturers. Taiwan's whisky drinking population has grown considerably over the last two decades and the chairman of King Car decided to build his own whisky distillery. This new facility is one of the most technically advanced in the world and is located in Yuanshan, a town in the north of Taiwan. Yuanshan lies to the south of the major cities of Taipei and Keelung and close to the Pacific coast. It has copper stills that were constructed in Scotland and the distillery has an annual capacity of approximately six million bottles.

King Car decided to name their whisky range 'Kavalan' after a group of indigenous people who lived in the Yi-Lan County where the distillery is based. The range of whisky is currently small and consists of a single malt, a blend and the Solist collection, which are three single cask single malts - this one from a bourbon cask, a sherry cask and a Madeira cask. The Kavalan whisky has been created, selected and blended by the legendary Dr. Jim Swan, the Master Distiller at Penderyn distillery in Wales. He is a worldwide authority in the field of alcoholic beverages and has consulted with numerous distilleries, breweries and wineries over many years.

This Kavalan Single Malt, from the core range, is bottled at 40% ABV and is matured in ex-bourbon casks. It is currently only available in Taiwan and major cities in China, with a bottle costing around £40. The whisky is only three years of age, but whisky ages much faster in Taiwan's warm and humid climate, losing around 10% of its volume each year to the angel's share (the angel's share is the name given to the evaporation of the spirit while maturing in the cask). In comparison, this figure is around 2% a year in Scotland. We would like to thank Ian Chang, the Head Distiller at Kavalan, for giving us this sample.

The colour of this Kavalan Single Malt is golden and the nose is full of fresh bourbon cask characteristics - vanilla, cereal grains, oak, coconut and honey. There is also a slight herbal grassy note that comes through (think of dried grasses especially). On the palate, this whisky is fresh, zingy and vibrant with the vanilla and fresh oak prominent. A lovely sweetness is present that evolves from the malted barley and is reminiscent of honey. The coconut element is joined by almonds, a zesty lemon note and that dried grassy note again. The finish is of medium length and remains fresh, simple and full of vanilla oak and cereal grains. This Kavalan Single Malt is an uncomplicated but very enjoyable and easy drinking whisky. The intense ex-bourbon cask characteristics and the extra sweetness and creaminess from these result in a whisky that is closer to a bourbon than a Scottish or Irish whisky. It can easily be sampled on its own or would suit a mixer well and is definitely worth a try if you ever get the chance to or are in that part of the world.

We have already reviewed another Kavalan whisky - the Solist, a single cask release - which we preferred as it was more complex and rounded. The future looks promising for this new distillery and it will be interesting to see how the range of Kavalan grows and what other products will be released.

Have just tried ... Kavalan Solist - Taiwanese single malt whisky

At Whisky For Everyone, we are always trying to bring new whiskies to a wider audience and here we are proud to bring you one of the newest and most undiscovered whiskies in the world - Kavalan, a whisky made by the King Car Corporation in Taiwan. We must thank Lisa Huang, who bought this whisky back from her recent trip to Taiwan and allowed us to sample it. Taiwanese whisky, we can hear you say? Is this for real? You better believe it ... so, what is the story?

Kavalan whisky is a new venture by the King Car Corporation. King Car was originally set up in 1979 and has grown to be one of Taiwan's biggest beverage and food manufacturers. As Taiwan's whisky drinking population has been growing considerably over the last two decades, the chairman of King Car decided to build his own whisky distillery. He assembled an experienced team of professionals from various sectors of his businesses and took them to Scotland to learn the whisky making processes, traditions and techniques.

The new distillery is one of the most technically advanced in the world and is located in Yuanshan, a town in the north of Taiwan. Yuanshan lies to the south of the major cities of Taipei and Keelung and close to the Pacific coast. It has copper stills that were constructed in Scotland and the distillery has an annual capacity of approximately six million bottles. The whisky has been created, selected and blended by the legendary Dr. Jim Swan, the Master Distiller at Penderyn distillery in Wales. He is a worldwide authority in the field of alcoholic beverages and has consulted with numerous distilleries, breweries and wineries over many years.

King Car decided to name their whisky range 'Kavalan' after a group of indigenous people who lived in the Yi-Lan County where the distillery is based. The range of whisky is currently small and consists of a single malt, a blend and the Solist collection, which are three single cask single malts - this one from a bourbon cask, a sherry cask and a Madeira cask. This ex bourbon cask whisky is taken from the first single cask to ever be released by King Car and is non chill filtered and bottled at 58.8% ABV. It is only three years of age, but whisky ages much faster in Taiwan's warm and humid climate and loses around 10% of its volume each year to the angel's share (the angel's share is the name given to the evaporation of the spirit while maturing in the cask). In comparison, this figure is around 2% a year in Scotland. It is currently only available in Taiwan for around £60 a bottle.

The colour of this ex bourbon cask Solist is golden yellow and the nose is clean, fresh and aromatic. There is a lovely mix of vanilla, coconut, warm spices (think of ginger and cinnamon) and a hint of tropical fruits (imagine mango and pineapple). On the palate, this is sweet and creamy initially with lots of vanilla, cereal grains and woody oak. It is rounded and smooth with an interesting citrus tang (think of lemon zest) that gives it a freshness and mouth watering quality. It becomes less sweet with time in the mouth with some woody spice (imagine nutmeg and cinnamon) and coconut coming through. Due to the alcoholic strength, water was added although it was surprisingly easy drinking without. The water brings out the tropical fruits on the palate especially. The finish is medium sweet with vanilla and cereals present, before turning woody and oaky.

This Kavalan Solist from an ex bourbon cask is a lovely dram that surprised all of us that tried it with its smoothness, richness, balance and quality. They have done a very good job and it will be very interesting to taste future releases or some older whiskies from the distillery. The whisky is surprisingly easy drinking with lots of classical characteristics and is most reminiscent of a Speyside single malt. This would catch a lot of people out if tasted blind and Kavalan has already won a couple of silver medals at the IWSC Awards 2009 (International Wine & Spirits Competition). It is well worth a try if you get the chance.

Have just tried ... Eddu 'Grey Rock' French whisky

Eddu is a whisky produced at the Distillerie des Menhirs, which is located close to the town of Pomelin in the Brittany region of north west France. The distillery was founded in 1986 by local businessman Guy Le Lay, with production of whisky and eaux de vie (including a version of the famous Pommeau de Bretagne apple brandy) beginning in 1988. In the whisky production they use only cereals and products grown in Brittany, including buckwheat - a seed used in health products and world cuisine. This makes Eddu the only whisky in the world to contain buckwheat and its name comes from the word for buckwheat in the local Breton language.

The first Eddu whisky was released in September 2002 and the current range consists of three whiskies that are each made using different traditional Breton recipes. This 'Grey Rock' (La Roche Grise in French) is made using 30% buckwheat combined with barley and maize and is a blend of differing ages. The other two are named as 'Silver' (l'Argent) and 'Gold' (l'Or), with the 'Silver' being of particular interest as it is made from 100% buckwheat.

The colour of this Eddu 'Grey Rock' is light and golden. The nose is youthful and robust with an initial blast of alcoholic spirit. This is not the best beginning but the nose settles down to reveal some vanilla, fresh green crisp fruits (think of pears and apple) and sweet cereal grains (imagine fresh wheat especially). On the palate, there is a similar story with a hit of burning spirit that then mellows to allow some particularly sweet, sugary notes to come through. This is almost a touch overpowering. The vanilla, fruit and cereal notes from the nose are present and joined by some honey and something sweet and tangy (the closest thing we could think of is sherbet). The finish is long and sugary with an interesting bitterness that appears towards the end. This feels a bit nutty or like husks of grain and creates a better balance to the whisky.

This is certainly interesting stuff. There are numerous interesting elements but it lacks any real balance and seems too young. It is hard work to drink straight and may be better with a mixer or in a cocktail but shows potential. It will be interesting to try some older versions of Eddu and see if there is more balance, subtlety and less exaggeration of the characteristics. Eddu has only a small distribution in the UK and can be found mainly through Royal Mile Whiskies for £35 a bottle.

Have just tried ... Penderyn Sherry Wood Finish

Penderyn (pronounced Pen-derrin) is the only single malt whisky distillery currently operating in Wales. Located in the village of Penderyn in the Brecon Beacons National Park in south Wales, the distillery is one of the youngest in the UK. It is owned by the Welsh Whisky Company, which was formed in 1998 and production began in September 2000. Penderyn is the first distillery to produce single malt whisky in Wales for over 100 years with the last one, Frongoch, closing in the late 19th century. Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, is one of the distillery's biggest supporters and serves Penderyn whisky at his Highgrove House residence.

The production at Penderyn is unique. They buy pre-made wash from a local brewery that is made to their specific recipe and then distil this in to whisky. This is method is illegal in the Scottish whisky industry where the mashing and fermentation must happen on the same site as the distillation, however the water used is taken from a well close to the distillery. Their range is small and consists of a regular bottling (which is around seven years old) and a lightly peated version of the same age. New expressions, including this sherry cask finished whisky, are being added regularly as more stock reaches maturation.

The colour of this Penderyn Sherry Wood Finish is golden amber and the nose has an interesting combination of aromas - there is dried fruit (think of sultanas and orange peel), caramel, something spicy (reminding us most of cloves) and herbal grassy note (imagine dried grasses or hay). The nose is very pleasant and makes you want to sit and sniff it for ages. On the palate, there is an initial sugary sweetness and this is reminiscent of crumbly brown sugar and honey. Then a distinct dried fruitiness appears (those sultanas again mixed with dried apple). It is also slightly buttery and coats the inside of your mouth, before finally the herbal grassy note comes through again. The finish is again initially sweet before the grassiness really kicks in and makes the finish quite dry. A damp woody note and a sudden sharp alcoholic burn finishes things off.

This Sherry Wood Finish is very pleasant, rounded and smooth. It is very easy to drink and would be a good beginners or introductory whisky. The sherry cask has influenced the whisky well and has added more depth and complexity to the light, fresh and grassy quality of the original Penderyn. The only slight disappointment is the very end of the finish but other than that it is very good, well balanced and enjoyable with some lovely characteristics combining together. It is available at selected whisky retailers and from the distillery shop and should cost £30-35 a bottle.

Have just tried (Spanish edition) ... DYC Pure Malt

On our trip to Spain last year, we had our first taste of some Spanish whisky. We tasted the regular DYC blend, which costs around €8 a bottle and has a large cult following. This time we decided to track some more down and found this Pure Malt, which is DYC's only single malt whisky release and also another blend with an eight year old age statement which will be reviewed shortly. Many people do not even realise that Spain has a whisky industry (including us before we discovered DYC last year!) but it makes sense when you learn that Spain is the fourth largest consumer of whisky in the world, behind only France, the USA and the UK.

DYC is the abbreviated company name of Destilerias y Crianza del whisky, which opened Spain's first whisky distillery in 1959. The distillery is located in the town of Palazuelos de Eresma in the Castilla y Leon region to the north west of Madrid. It is a massive distillery complex that has the capacity to produce 20 million litres of spirit per year (this is double the capacity of Scotland's biggest whisky distillery at Glenfiddich). DYC is now owned by the multi national drinks company Beam Global and they make other alcoholic spirits under license at the distillery. The whisky is marketed to be low budget and is popular in Spain as it is much cheaper than the imported Scottish, Irish or American whiskies. It is designed to be mixed with non alcoholic beverages or ice and to be easy drinking in the hot weather.

This Pure Malt is bottled at 40% ABV and has no age stated on the label or packaging. The colour is golden yellow and the nose is light and fresh with an interesting mix of characteristics. There is an initial hit of obvious malted barley and vanilla that is then followed by something herbal (think of dried grasses or hay), some fruit (the best we could think of was a combination of unripe plums and melon) and a hint of some toffee or fudge. Some raw spirit is present, indicating that this whisky may be quite young, but this diffuses the longer that it sits in the glass. The palate is light again with a strange structure. It begins with no flavour! After a delayed time of a few seconds, the whisky then explodes in your mouth with a blast of herbal bitterness (that dried grass or hay again) and spicy white pepper. Despite this note sounding great, it is actually quite enjoyable. This fades and lets the sweet vanilla, cereal, green fruit and toffee notes from the nose through. Before you can even think about it, the finish has gone with just an alcoholic burn and a touch of honey left to remind you that you have actually just drunk something. This is slightly disappointing.

This DYC Pure Malt is a very pleasant and easy drinking whisky that improves with time in the glass. It has elements of a Scottish Lowland malt but also has a number of distinct individual characteristics that make it unlike any other whisky that we have tried for a long time. This would be perfect with a mixer or ice on a warm day, which is exactly what it is designed for. Pure Malt is more limited than the regular DYC blend and is only available in selected stores in Spain. A bottle should cost around €15, which is a bargain price for this decent whisky.

Have just tried ... Canadian Club

Canadian Club is a blended whisky that is made by the Hiram Walker distillery. This is located in the city of Windsor in the Canadian province of Ontario and lies close to the shores of Lake Erie and the American border. Hiram Walker is named after its founder, who set up Canada's first legal whisky distillery on the same site as the current buildings in 1858.

Walker and his family quickly established a good reputation for their whisky and it became extremely popular among the wealthy classes and in gentlemans clubs in late 19th century Canada and the northern states of America. It became known as 'club whisky' and the current recipe was launched in 1884 and became known as Canadian Club in 1889. It was highly sought after because it was aged, as it is now, for six years which was rare in those days when most whisky or bourbon was aged for a year, if you were lucky.

Canadian Club is a blend of rye, malted barley and corn whiskies that are mixed with a neutral base spirit. It is made in a different way to traditional Scottish or Irish blended whiskies, in which the whiskies are matured and then blended and bottled. Canadian Club is blended when the whiskies are fresh off the still and then matured for six years in a combination of new oak and ex bourbon casks. This process is unique in the whisky industry. The current brand name is owned by giant drinks company Beam Global. Canadian Club is the best selling whisky in Canada and the biggest selling Canadian whisky around the world by some distance. Other Canadian whiskies are extremely hard to find outside of Canada but Canadian Club is available in over 150 countries.

The colour is golden and the nose takes time to reveal itself. Initially there is lots of spirit (reminded us of surgical spirit), then after 2-3 minutes more notes start to come through, although they are still somewhat understated. It becomes fresher and softer than before with some vanilla, sweet cereal grains and a hint of woody spice (think of nutmeg). On the palate, this is light, smooth and slightly creamy with a pleasant combination of caramel (imagine slightly burnt sugar), a hint of something oily (think of linseed oil, maybe?), some nuttiness (imagine walnuts) and the vanilla, grains and nutmeg from the nose. The finish quite long, clean and fresh with a pleasant and gentle dry grainy bitterness.

It is easy to see why Canadian Club is popular around the world as it offers something unique but not obscure or too complex for most palates. It is light, fresh, smooth and very easy to drink. The whisky is commonly used, as indeed are most blends, as a mixer or in cocktail. Canadian Club is available from larger supermarkets and independent spirits retailers in the UK and should cost around £20 a bottle.

Have just tried ... Penderyn

Penderyn (pronounced Pen-derrin) is the only single malt whisky distillery operating in Wales. Located in the village of Penderyn in the Brecon Beacons National Park in south Wales, the distillery is one of the youngest in the UK. It is owned by the Welsh Whisky Company, which was formed in 1998 and production began in September 2000. Penderyn is the first distillery to produce single malt whisky in Wales for over 100 years with the last one, Frongoch, closing in the late 19th century.

The production at Penderyn is unique as they buy pre-made wash from a local brewery and then distil this in to whisky. This is illegal in the Scottish industry where the mashing and fermentation must happen on the same site as the distillation. Their range is small and consists of this regular bottling (which is around seven years old) and a lightly peated version of the same age. New expressions are being added regularly as more stock reaches maturation.

All Penderyn whisky is matured in bourbon casks and then finished in Madeira casks. There are not many distilleries that use Madeira casks, despite them being cheaper than port or sherry casks. The colour is very light and almost straw-like with an interesting nose. It is light yet fragrant with some vanilla, fresh fruits (think of apples and pears) and something herbal (imagine dried grasses). On the palate, this remains light but has an initial bitter woodiness that fades to give some sugary caramel and malted barley cereal notes. Then the vanilla, fresh fruit and herbal elements from the nose come through. The finish is reasonably long for something as light as this and is quite refreshing, although that enjoyable sugary sweetness gives way to that woody bitterness right at the end.

This Penderyn is light, enjoyable and refreshing and would be a good choice as an aperitif or on a hot day, although the herbal grassy note may not be to everyone’s taste. The bottle and packaging are tall and distinctive and should cost around £30. We tried it in Wetherspoon’s, the UK’s largest national pub chain, who have just introduced it for £2 a dram. Definitely worth a try for that price!

Have just tried ... Hellyers Road

Hellyers Road is the largest distillery on the island of Tasmania, Australia's often forgotten island state. Tasmania is home to a number of the distilleries in Australia's fledgling whisky industry, due to it having the most Scottish-like (relatively mild) conditions on the continent. Hellyers Road is located in the northern city of Burnie, approximately two hours north west of Launceston. The distillery is owned by Whisky Tasmania, which is the alcohol producing branch of the Betta Milk Company, and was established in 1997. The situation of a distillery being owned by a milk company is unusual but Hellyers Road produces single malt whisky and premium vodkas on the site. It is named after Henry Hellyer who was one of the first Europeans to land on Tasmania in 1825. The site of this first landing is on the rugged coastline a few kilometres to the north of the distillery. The single malt release is five years of age and made from Tasmanian barley, rainwater collected at the distillery and locally grown yeast. The whisky is then matured in American oak ex-Tennessee whiskey casks purchased from Jack Daniels.

The colour of this single malt whisky is very light and is a lemon, straw yellow. On the nose, this is light and grassy (imagine freshly cut grass) with lots of crisp, fresh green fruit (think of pears and apples - this is a classic characteristic of younger whiskies), vanilla and a hint of citrus (think of lemon zest). On the palate the whisky feels slightly fuller bodied than expected from the light nose. It is creamy with heaps of vanilla and that grassy element again. It also has a slightly sharp sugary taste (imagine caramel) with something nutty coming through (can't put my finger on it, but it had bitterness like a walnut). The finish was very short, sharp and quite rough, leaving the taste of raw spirit in the mouth. This was disappointing as the whisky had shown good potential to this point. Hellyers Road's lightness and refreshing nature would make it good for drinking in hot weather or with a mixer.

Distribution is spreading but is still mainly confined to Australia and some parts of South East Asia. We got to try some on our recent trip to Australia but found it very hard to find this or any other Australian/ Tasmanian whiskies in any shops. The ones we did find were extremely expensive in comparison to Scottish or other imported whiskies. This retails (if you can find it!) at $70-80 a bottle (around £35-40).

Have just tried ... Maker's Mark

Maker's Mark is one of the best known distilleries in America. It is the most southernly in the biggest whisky producing state of Kentucky and is located in Loretto, Marion County. Maker's Mark is a large distillery with a capacity of 8 million litres per year (this dwarfs most of the distilleries elsewhere in the world) and is one of the oldest in America, having been founded in 1805. The distillery is famous for its imposing black and red buildings, especially some of its warehouses which are up to six storeys high. The original name of Star Hill Farm Distillery was changed to Maker's Mark in the 1950s when new owner Bill Samuels decided to revamp the whole organisation. He changed the recipe and the combination of grains used as he wanted to create a premium bourbon rather than the economic ones that were flooding the market following the end of the Prohibition period. It was a risk but the popularity grew to the point where the distillery was awarded the 'Kentucky Icon' label in 1980 and now it is one of the best selling American whiskies across the world. It is currently owned by multi national drinks firm, Allied Domecq.

The colour is a deep amber and the nose is rich and complex. It has a good, rich balance of sweet vanilla, fruitiness (think of dried fruits like sultanas and dried candied peel, especially orange) and cereals. On the palate, it feels slightly lighter than the nose suggests but your mouth still explodes with intense flavours. It is buttery with elements of honey, nuts (think of coconut), caramel, sweet cereal grains, oakiness and tons of that dried fruit and vanilla. There is just a hint of some spiciness (imagine cinnamon or nutmeg). The finish is soft, rounded and long with the caramel and vanilla particularly prominent and the spiciness also increasing. This is an extremely good and well structured dram that gives an intense combination of flavours and is very easy drinking. An excellent example of a bourbon whiskey (although Maker's Mark are the only American distillery not to use the 'e' in the word 'whiskey' in honour of Bill Samuels' Scottish heritage) and good value at £25-30 a bottle.