Review by: Raygun
A quick note before anything else for the sake of transparency. This review was done with an industry sample provided free of charge, with no expectations beyond drinking them. As always, I do my best to provide my unbiased opinion, and readers can decide how they want to take this review. For more information, see our Ethics & Transparency statement.
Penderyn was founded in 2000, the first whisky distillery in Wales in over a century. Penderyn has two Faraday stills, an unusual design that’s sort of a hybrid between a pot and column still, allowing complete distillation from a single still. They also have two standard pot stills, and sometimes use a mix of both. These casks were selected by La Maison du Whisky for their Ex Libris line of world whiskies, and are named after famous Welsh books. Rested about 15 minutes. Reviewed from samples.
24.147 Red wine and cola sangria spritzer
The Black Book of Carmarthen
Distillery: Penderyn
Bottler: La Maison du Whisky
Region/style: Welsh single malt
ABV: 56.6%
Age: 19 years. Distilled in 2004 and bottled in 2023.
Cask type: Bourbon cask, #22/2004. 148 bottles.
Color: 0.9 amontillado. Natural color. Non-chill-filtered.
Nose: Malty, and it’s got the same minty scent that I noticed from my previous Penderyn samples. Also pine and rosemary. Pomelo, peach, and hibiscus tea.
Palate: Oh, that’s nice. Considerable more fruit here. Peach, passion fruit, pomelo, and apricot, dolloped with whipped cream and drizzled with caramel. Then the herbal flavors pop back in, not to be forgotten. Mint and rosemary garnishing this fruit bowl. Both rich and fresh.
Finish: Cake donuts with caramel. Peach and passion fruit, though I’m losing the citrus here. Mint and a dash of chocolate syrup. Slightly drying, but not too woody. Sweetness is just about perfect for me.
The White Book of Rhydderch
Distillery: Penderyn
Bottler: La Maison du Whisky
Region/style: Welsh single malt
ABV: 58.8%
Age: 13 years. Distilled in 2009, bottled in 2023.
Cask type: Bourbon cask, #89/2009. 134 bottles.
Color: 0.8 deep gold. Natural color. Non-chill-filtered.
Nose: This leads with malt as well, in a vanilla vein. Freshly baked cookies. An herbal smell here too, but not mint. Almost vegetal.
Palate: Caramel, pineapple, papaya, and…what the heck is this? Arugula? Something close to that. Something vegetal and a little peppery. It’s strange. A hint of cocoa and maple sugar. Get some heat on this one. Evolves rather nicely with time.
Finish: Caramel cookies, pineapple, peach tea, and some of that peppery flavor. Less vegetal here, more like a mild cayenne or de arbol. I wasn’t sure about the nose, but the palate and finish work well.
Conclusion: I continue to enjoy Penderyn. Always love tropical flavors, and those show up in both of these in different ways. The herbal flavor, mint in particular, seems to be something of a signature with Penderyn. Rhydderch was a little strange at first with the peppery flavor, but calmed down with some time. Still, Carmarthen was clearly better in my opinion. One of the better bourbon cask whiskies I’ve had in a while, in fact. Rich and bright at the same time. Lovely stuff.
Buy a bottle? I would search out Carmarthen, if the price isn’t crazy.
Score:
Carmarthen: 87
Rhydderch: 78
Scoring Legend:
- 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
- 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category. (Kavalan Solist Manzanilla)
- 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram. (Kavalan Solist Vinho Barrique)
- 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff. (Green Spot Chateau Leoville Barton)
- 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting. (Amrut Peated CS)
- 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better. (Taketsuru Pure Malt)
- 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink. (Hakushu Distiller’s Reserve)
- 50-59: Save it for mixing. (Bushmills 10 Malt)
- 0-49: Blech.
Malt Runners 
