Having slowly made our way around the UK, from Scotland to The Cotswolds, we now find ourselves sampling a dram from Wales. A gift from my father to try for this website! It comes from the Penderyn Distillery and is sold in most of your high street supermarkets, meaning you don’t have to search too hard to find this particular £37.00 dram.  This price puts it squarely in the bracket of the entry level of some of the bigger Distillery names, for example Laphroaig, Glenlivet, Arberlour and Old Pulteney. So how does the Penderyn Single Malt Madeira cask finish stack up against its rivals?

Starting with the distillery itself, opening in 2000, the first to open in Wales for well over a hundred years, it is the dream-child of a group of friends. Located in the village of Penderyn itself, the distillery draws on the welsh heritage from the production of the spirit to the branding of the bottle. They have a unique single pot still, designed by Dr David Faraday that takes its technique from the petrochemical industry. What this means is that whole process from wash to new make spirit happens in one single still, and the type of fractioning column they use results in a 92% alcohol by volume, the highest of any malt whisky. According to the notes from the Distillery, this really allows the Whisky to be very fruity, wholesome but light.

The nose from the bottle hints at that still production, with a hint of apple and is followed by slightly richer fruits. This lends itself to being very fresh on the nose and the sweet vanilla after those initial fruit scents gives it a slightly warmer feel. When poured into a glass, has an almost yellowy finish to it that is in harmony with the company’s gold seam logo. When tasting this it is difficult to get away from the fact that it has been matured in Madeira casks as it very sweet, and the strength of the vanilla intensifies. For me the Madeira finish is maybe just too strong and is too sweet however my personal preference does lean towards a peaty flavor.  The high percentage of alcohol of the new make spirit, the young age of the whisky  and the sweet finish leave it with a fiery finish and seems quite spirit.

Although I do like this Whisky, I feel when compared next to another young Whisky from the Cotswolds Distillery, it offers less for the palate to consider. Although added water does open it up and bring out more of the fruity flavours and reduce that strong spirit taste, I’d prefer not to do that. For £37.00 it is a good buy and I would like to try others from this distillery but within its price bracket there are other better entry level single malts. But what do I know because it has won gold awards at various competitions.

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Forres, the famous location in Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, now houses another famous name of Scottish heritage, Benromach. Having first been established in 1898, the Benromach Distillery Company, like many distilleries has passed through various hands across the years and since 1993 has resided with Gordon & McPhail. Their aim with Benromach has been to hark back to a “lost style” of Speyside Single Malt.  By this they mean that they use the traditional method of when distilleries malted their own barley and used peat for combustion, inevitably imparting its subtle but unique “Peat reek” aroma and taste into the Whisky. After periods of being mothballed, the distillery is now producing quality Whiskies in this style. The Whisky that I’ll be taking a look at it is the Benromach 10 year Old.

The Benromach 10 year old was first released in 2009 and is part of the distilleries core range, along with the 15 year old and the Cask Strength Vintage 2008.  The 10 year old since its release has won awards and you can see why when you smell and taste the Whisky itself.  The modern bottle design is really refreshing in a collection of classic bottle designs and the white and black detailing absolutely compliments the Whisky’s golden amber colour. Unfortunately the bottle that I have in my collection is very near the bottom and shows you, readers, how much I have enjoyed this particular Whisky. The nose of this Whisky, gives you the initial hints of toffee and caramel and vanilla, sensing a real creaminess to it. This is then finished off with that distinctive subtle peat and hints at the complexity of this Whisky.

To taste I would recommend having it neat, you don’t want to dilute these flavours. It is very smooth and the toffee aroma that you smell initially comes through in the taste as well, followed by the vanilla coming from the oak and finished off roundly with that soft smoke from the peated barley. Having been finished in Sherry casks, you do get a hint of that sweetness but I wouldn’t say that it produces the strong rich fruity flavours that you find in other Whiskies that have been aged in Sherry casks.

At £39.99 from the Whisky Shop, this Benromach 10 year old is a real steal! For me the aroma and taste of this Speyside Whisky far out perform its price and I would be happy to pay £50.00 for this particular dram. As an introduction to this Distillery’s core range it does the job and as an introduction to Whisky, you really can’t go far wrong for its price and taste.

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Head to the Inner Hebrides off the west coast of Scotland and you’ll find the island of Islay, home to nine active Whisky Distilleries. The distillery we’ll be looking at is the Laphroaig distillery and in particular the 10-Year-old Single Malt release. 

 In 1815 two brothers, Donald and Alexander Johnston, rented the land from the Lord of Islay for raising cattle and with the surplus barley feed they made Whisky. The rumours of especially good Whisky from this area spread throughout Scotland and the Laphroaig distillery was noted for its soft water bringing flavour and peatiness. In 1836 Alexander bought out his brother’s share of the distillery but tragedy struck as only 11 years later, Alexander is thought to have fallen into a Whisky vat and drowned in his own product. In the following years, their neighbouring distillery Lagavulin, owned by Mackie and Co.  saw the potential of the Laphroaig  in a blended Whisky. During the 1850’s, 1860’s and 1870’s the majority of Laphroaig’s Whisky went towards making blended Whisky. Trouble brewed though as Laphroaig continued to earn fame as single malt and terminated their contract with Mackie and Co. leading to a court case that Laphroaig won. Having fought off trouble, the distillery’s production picked up speed at the turn of the 20^th century, through Ian Hunter. This has continued ever since, even having the seal of approval of HRH Prince Charles. The Royal Warrant is on every bottle and is proudly displayed at the distillery.  

Laphroaig is in the unusual position of having its own floor maltings, dried for 12-15 hours with peat and then for a further 10 hours on hot air. Peat is decayed plant matter that when burnt produces ‘peat reek’ and emits phenolic compounds that delivers a smoky or medicinal flavour and aroma. This is evident as soon as you smell the Laphroaig 10-year-old and for me is a very powerful aroma in that first scent. Tasting notes say that you should be able to smell hints of liquorice and spice, and while you get the spice at the end of aroma, the medicinal, smoky scent overpowers any of the more delicate aromas. The first taste of this Whisky really packs a punch and then releases its fuller flavour on the second taste. While the smoke stays with you it allows you to relax into it and really stays on the palate, allowing you taste that American oak that they use to mature the Whisky. Again, like it was on the nose, the medicinal flavour overpowers any more delicate flavours that you might find beneath the surface. This palate is enhanced by the long foreshots that they use in the production process. While drops of water relaxes the peatiness of this Whisky, the reason you drink it is for that signature Laphroaig flavour, that you just don’t get as much with water.  

This Islay whisky is currently selling for £38.00 at Tesco and online at the Master of Malt, representing good value for money as a supermarket Whisky.  If you’re new to Whisky this might be one to steer clear of as an introductory bottle but if you’re ready to try something peaty you cannot go wrong from this signature Islay Whisky, from Laphroaig.  

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This week we are heading to the far north of Scotland, to a small port town in Caithness. The town of Wick is home to the Pulteney Distillery founded in 1826 by James Henderson, at the height of the town’s fishing industry. Known as the Herring capital of Europe, the town prospered with the sales of both fish and its liquid gold, Whisky. This distillery’s history has not been smooth; in 1922 the town voted to become a “dry town”. This meant that no alcohol licenses were given in the area until the end of the ban, 25 years later to the day that it was first implemented.  The resumption of Whisky making was short lived however with the economic climate of the depression era and a first world war, production ceased in 1930. It did not resume until 1951 when Robert Cumming bought the property, off the back of an increasing post-war demand in Whisky. Over the years the distillery has changed hands a number of times and now rests with Inver House Distillers, a subsidiary of International Beverage Holdings.

The 12-year aged Single Malt Scotch that we review today is part of the distillery’s core range, first launched in 1997 and then re-branded and re-launched along with the Huddart, 15 years and 18 years in 2018. With the 12-year aged bottle come the classic Old Pulteney still shaped bottle and the Whisky inside is looks coppery and in the light strengthens in orange hues to amber. The folk-lore of their still affectionately nicknamed the “smugglers kettle” is that it had to be shortened to fit it into the still house and its unusual shape owes itself to this. On opening the bottle, you get an aroma of toffee and dare I say it, a hint of saltiness.  No surprise from The Maritime Malt! Following the initial scents is a lingering vanilla from the American oak ex-bourbon first fill casks, that then over powers the earlier aromas.

In flavour, I would describe it as very fresh and very smooth, with notes of salt coming through. With that freshness is the vanilla that you can not only smell but taste from the cask’s original bourbon contents. The slight hints of spice on the palate at the finish, draws its flavour from the Spanish ex-sherry casks they use to finish the Whisky’s maturation period.  Part of the Whisky’s fragrant character comes from the still shape; their unusually large boiling balls means that the Whisky is more refined due to the increased amount of reflux. The consequences of this are the fruity esters you have on the nose and the palate plus the smooth nature of the Whisky.

For £44.00 on The Whisky Shop’s online store, you can’t go far wrong with this Old Pulteney Whisky, if you are looking for a maritime Scotch that doesn’t present with the peatiness of a Talisker. Its smooth nature gives it a very easy drinking nature and more than one dram is acceptable on an evening. 

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We are taking a step outside of Scotland and into the Midlands of England to look at a very different Whisky to the previous Dalmore that we reviewed last week. This week’s dram comes from within the Cotswolds. An Area of Natural Beauty (AONB) that includes 800 square miles of rolling hills and quintessential English villages, spanning five English counties: Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire, Wiltshire and Worcestershire. Each part has its own feel and identity, but all have the theme of rolling lime and chalk hills, ‘the Wolds’.

The Cotswolds Distilling Company is based in Shipston-on-Stour in the county of Warwickshire and is the brainchild of Daniel Szor. This New Yorker working in London set about combining his love of Whisky and setting up a new business to leave the rat race. The result being the first distillery in the Cotswolds to be established in 2014. Having personally been to the distillery they have very much captured the authenticity of the area and created a warm welcoming environment at the visiting centre that gives members of the public a real insight into the production of both Whisky and their side business, Gin.

They take 100% local barley (Farm displayed on bottle) using only one variety and they still use the traditional method of floor malting in the industry’s ancestral home of Warminster. Having this then kiln dried and brought to the distillery they embark on a slightly different process to other Whisky producers.  Having been milled and mashed they then take their wort and run it into their 8 steel washbacks, where they then add their two types of flavoursome yeast. The fermentation now takes place and they leave this mixture to ferment for just over 90 hours. By doing this it causes bacteria to grow and this draws out more of the fruity esters which they want to have in the finished product. Their very early cut points, in their spirit runs, reflect their desire to have these lighter flavours.

The colour of the Whisky is an orangey amber and this strong colour comes from the fact that it is matured in first fill ex-bourbon casks and then finished with red wine casks for just over 3 years, making this a very young whisky but intense in its colour. Because of this you may think that it has an overpowering profile but on opening the bottle the first aroma that jumps out at you is honey and this lingers in the nose carrying the sweetness of the American Oak.  Aroma profiles may display apricot and peaches with a hint of marzipan, but it is the peach that carries the stronger scent post honey.

When tasting this Whisky, it is important to note that it hasn’t been through the chill filtration process, meaning that anything cold, such as ice will cause the Whisky to become slightly cloudy. By not going through the filtration process and therefore keeping the long chain fatty molecules, those fruity esters are ever present in the taste.  The finish of the red wine casks gives this Whisky a very mild peppery and aromatic finish which doesn’t ruin the very smooth sweetness of it.

Given that this Whisky is an English product, locally sourced barley, traditional methods and bottled at their own on-site plant, the price of the bottle at £55.00 seems like a bargain. However, unfortunately because of its price, it has placed itself in a bracket of very good Single Malt Scotch e.g  Talisker, Glen Moray, Glen Fiddich and I just don’t think it can stand up to them in its taste profile. But if you are in the market for something a little different this Cotswolds Single Malt certainly shows that Whisky doesn’t have to be aged for many years to have a well composed flavour and can be a good addition to anyone’s collection.

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The first thing you might notice about this particular Whisky is the design of the bottle itself. The silver Royal stag adorned on the front of the bottle gives the bottle a premium value and makes it stand out amongst any collection. Of course, this silver Royal stag is the brand logo of the Dalmore distillery and can be found on all their bottles. This stems from the emblem for the Mackenzie clan which is the 12 – pointed Royal stag, whose descendants took over the running of the distillery in 1867, though the distillery itself was founded 28 years earlier by Alexander Matheson.

To celebrate their 180 years in production they have released a 51-year-old Single Malt Scotch Whisky and with only 51 bottles being produced and 40 already bought by a private collector, it comes with a hefty price tag (£55,000 – £69,000). Fortunately, the Whisky that we’ll be looking at is slightly less expensive, coming in at £72.00. Whilst it is a more expensive Whisky than people might wish to purchase for their own personal drinking collection it regularly benefits from offers and the bottle I purchased was a more modest £53.94 (Inc. Delivery).

While in the bottle the liquid looks very dark, however holding it up to the light you can see the blood orange colour that it produces and this is very much the first aroma that hits you as you take out the stopper. The box the bottle comes in states the aroma as orange marmalade and as the Master Distiller at Dalmore, Richard Paterson is known as ‘’The Nose’’ you’d be hard pushed to argue his assessment of the aroma. This orange is quickly followed by a warm cinnamon aroma and while the display box states nutmeg, for the normal nose this is difficult to pick up after the strong scents of the blood orange and cinnamon. The more you smell it, the more likely you are to pick up the scents of dried fruit and is not too different to a rich fruit cake. This comes from the final cask finish where in the last 3 years of its life, it matures in Apostoles and Amoroso Oloroso casks, before being finished with Matusalem 30-year old Oloroso who Dalmore have an exclusive contract with. 

This Whisky is very smooth, you may call it thin, perhaps a little oily but tastes full bodied and rich. Initially the fruitier esters come through with the sweeter flavours of orange and ginger before being finished with richer flavours that you get on the nose. Specifically, those sherry finished flavours of spiced fruit and cocoa. I’ve seen it said that it finishes with a smoky espresso flavour on the palate and I’d definitely agree with that, but this only came through after tasting again. With water, the sweeter flavours come to the fore even more so than without but it loses that richness which I really enjoy from this particular bottle, and the leave the Whisky feeling thinner than it was before.

Overall, being a fan of Dalmore, this Whisky really hits the spot, especially for its price and you can’t go far wrong with its smoothness and rich flavours. However, if you’re used to a stronger peatier palate this one may feel like it’s lacking that something extra and fall a bit flat in comparison.

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