We talk to the team at Penderyn Distillery
As part of our latest Winter Release 2021 we bottled our very own Penderyn Single Cask. We decided to catch up with David Cover (Global Brand Ambassador) and the team at Penderyn to see what’s next for the Welsh Distillery.
How and when did Penderyn begin distilling?
Penderyn distillery started in the Brecon Beacons in South Wales in the year 2000 as Wales’ first distillery in over 100 years. It was the dream of a few local friends, who put everything on the line to realise the project, despite a widespread lack of belief that there would be a market for Welsh whisky (this is long before the world whisky scene really arrived). What they did have was a source of incredible water and a unique still that had never been used before, something that attracted the interest of the late Dr Jim Swan, who, at that time, had set up a consultancy business for distilleries. Penderyn became one of his first clients and was one of only two distilleries that he was the official master distiller of. And, after a tough few years waiting for the whisky to mature, the distillery has since gone from strength to strength, gaining international acclaim, winning a great many gold medals, and, much more importantly, putting a smile on a lot of faces.
How would you describe your new make style?
The style of the Penderyn spirit tends to be very light and delicate. Fruity also, due to longer fermentation times, which is then accentuated with barrel aging. And despite being light, the style is very distinctive. We often hear people saying they could pick Penderyn out in a blind tasting and that the style runs through the entire range, no matter the barrel type.
Of course, we need to be very careful with maturation and cask management when aging such a delicate spirit, because we would never want to lose that style. It’s what makes Penderyn Penderyn!
Why do you think Madeira works well for your spirit style?
I think it has to do with the fruitiness, and perhaps also the viscosity. When Dr Swan was first looking at the spirit and what types of casks it would mature well in, he was drawn to Madeira wine to bring out that distinctive fruity flavour, and we are still one of the only distilleries using Madeira casks for a mainstream expression of their whisky. It just adds to the individuality of the malts in such an interesting way.
And like Sherry, there are lots of different styles of Madeira, which I don’t think many people realise. There are heavy, sweeter styles like Malmsey and drier ones like Sercial, and we make use of them all.
If you could choose only one cask type to mature your new make in, what would it be?
A difficult question because there are so many delicious choices… Madeira of course is what we are most well-known for and work really well, but personally I love Port aged Penderyn’s as well. The juicy flavours of the port work so well with the spirit and the texture becomes almost syrupy, but never quite too sweet either. We are very lucky to work with some fantastic producers and sometimes receive Port casks that are up to 80 years old. Certainly, worth seeking out Penderyn in Port.
Are you running/planning to run any experiments regarding other grains, either modern strains, or heritage varieties?
We are not currently experimenting with our barley too much as there are so many other factors that we can tweak to see how it affects the whisky. However, a few years back, we did use exclusively Welsh barley for a short period. In the end, it was deemed unsustainable as there just wasn’t enough for us to keep producing. Turns out it rains too much in Wales, and it isn’t too good for the barley.
Once we have a new distillery, in Swansea’s old copper quarter for example, perhaps it’s something we could experiment with at that site…
Any food matching pairings with Penderyn you are especially proud of?
I’m a big fan of dark chocolate and whisky. I just find that the bitterness of the chocolate (my favourite being 74-75% cocoa), brings out wonderful things in the whisky and vice versa. And the food pairing that sticks out in my mind was dark chocolate coated cherries with our Sherrywood expression.
What is the Faraday still and why did you choose to use this type of still?
The Faraday still is a unique set up in the world of whisky. Not quite a column still, but not really a pot either. It is a batch distillation, designed by a Dr David Faraday, that utilises columns and plates to purify the alcohol to a much higher strength off only one distillation. From this single distillation we get a new make spirit that is over 90%abv, and therefore lighter, but still nicely characterful.
We chose the still because it was what was available to the founders at that time, but they took a big risk using it because it had never really been properly tested on making whisky. But Penderyn wouldn’t be what it is without these stills, because it gives our whiskies their true character and style.
What’s next for Penderyn?
We have recently opened our second distillery in Llandudno in North Wales, utilising another Faraday still, but using peated barley for the first time. It’s going to be really interesting to see how that spirit develops and matures over the next years.
And then, because we don’t do things by halves, we are opening our third distillery in Swansea’s old copper quarter this year. And again, although we’ll be using a Faraday still at that site, we’ll also be looking to make some more experimental whiskies as well.
Lots of exciting stuff to come!
If Penderyn was a band/album, which one/ones would it be?
This caused some interesting debate among us! But it’s a great question. We decided on Welsh artist Gwenno.
Gwenno is a female pop singer from Wales. Her songs often use the ancient Welsh language, and she performs in a variety of musical styles. Like Gwenno, Penderyn are rooted in Welsh tradition and customs. Gwenno’s music is artistic and well produced, and she creates classic pop whilst introducing new and different elements. Gwenno knows what Welshness, passion and excellence are all about, and like Penderyn, is never afraid to experiment. And both are now part of international conversations in music and whisky.
