Featured at World Whisky Day 2020: In 2015, Penderyn launched their Dragon range, three whiskies bearing the names of Legend, Celt, and Myth, along with the bold red dragon of Wales on the label. The range serves as an introduction to the brand, separated from their more premium malts, the Gold range. One of the few whiskies with a Kosher certificate. The Penderyn Celt was originally (and mistakenly, at first) finished in ex-Kilchoman barrels but now quarter casks from Laphroaig are used.
Distillery: Penderyn
Region: Foreign
Age: NAS
Strength: 43%
Price: $61.99
Maturation: ex-bourbon from Buffalo Trace and ex-Islay quarter casks
Location: Penderyn, Wales
Nose: Green apple, raisin, maraschino cherry, stewed plum, peach, lemon,
Palate: Peat, cinnamon, banana
Finish: Smoke, plum
Comments: Water not needed, but let it sit in the glass a few minutes to open up. Wonder what else has had an ex-Islay finish? See what Balvenie did.
Adam – Given our last experience with a Penderyn, I was more than a little hesitant to bring it back to a World Whisky Day. However, when finding myself at a brand tasting introducing the Dragon and Gold ranges to the market, I was pleasantly surprised. The Penderyn Celt was easily my favorite from the bunch but the others are worthy of exploration too. Priced a little friendlier than our first bottle, the story piqued my interest a bit too. I like seeing what distilleries do with unintended choices or circumstances. This whisky is a tad sharp out of the bottle, so giving it time enough to oxidize is important. The nose is not super strong, but has a nice fresh apple on the outset before it develops into a curious preserved fruit sense. Fascinating. It really has a nice bouquet if you sit with it a while. The palate has a fun earthiness to it, potentially from the ex-Islay finishing, with a little sweet spice sprinkled along the top. Not complex, but pleasant, before finishing with a little puff of smoke that lingers, laced about the edges with more of that preserved fruit from the nose as the remaining bits of liquid evaporate from your mouth. Redemption, thy name is Celt!
Meghan – I wasn’t getting a ton on the palate, which is a bit of a letdown after the enjoyable nose. The sweetness of the plum or the skin of the plum on the nose. I got a bit of peat residue, dry in the mouth and dusty, stale smoke but more peat than smoke. The Penderyn Celt is perfectly nice. I kinda want its flavors to be cranked up. It feels like on a volume scale it is a 5 or 6 and I wish it was a 8 or 9.
It really has a nice bouquet if you sit with it a while.
Michael – Green apple jolly rancher. I get a lot less of the fruit on the palate than the nose, it just kind of fades as the peat comes to the fore.
Ben – I like spending time with the nose. That was good, the grilled stone fruit. The palate wasn’t as interesting as the nose but I did find exploring what was happening between the sourness and the cinnamon heat to be kind of interesting.
Caitlin – The nose is interesting and fun. Every time I smell the Penderyn Celt, I smell something new. It has the burnt sugar smell, but then I drink it and I want the palate to be as interesting as the nose and it isn’t, so I lose interest. I do like the back edge of it, the peat. That is nice. So I like the beginning and the end.
Kate – I’m pleasantly surprised by this. My only thing is that I wish I could dial up or down certain elements. Well done, comeback kid.
Henry – The finish makes you salivate.
