Penderyn Legend

Review by: The Muskox

I was intrigued to see this bottle sitting on the buffet at a family function a few days ago. Legend is one of Penderyn’s entry-level bottlings and is finished in Madeira casks. It’s also, somehow, the first Penderyn I’ve had the opportunity to try. Unfortunately, we here in Canada seemed to get the 41% ABV version of this whisky, rather than the American 43% version.

Distillery: Penderyn.

Bottler: Official bottling.

Region: Wales.

ABV: 41%. Cask strength.

Age: No age statement.

Cask type: Finished in Madeira casks.

Price: $65 CAD.

Color: Full gold. Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.

Nose: Soft and sweet, with a particular buttery richness. Ripe apples, lemon bars, buttercream, and cinnamon babka. An extremely subtle hint of woodsmoke.

Palate: Light texture, but rather creamy considering the proof. Very soft arrival, mostly nectarine. Creamy again on the development, with slightly stronger woodsmoke than on the nose. Gentle oak.

Finish: Medium, creamy again. Peach tea and golden raisins, finally some Madeira-ish flavours. Ripe pears. Another soft hint of smoke.

Possible SMWS bottling name: “Baby dragon’s birthday cupcake”

Conclusion: It’s solid for what it is. I like the full texture considering the low proof – is that a result of the lack of chill-filtration? I picked up next to no obvious Madeira influence, which is a bummer, but if the dram as a whole is tasty (it is), then I’m not too bothered by that. It’s certainly a step ahead of whiskies like Tomatin Legacy, or Cardhu 12, or various Singletons, even Glenfiddich 12. It really reminded me of Glengoyne 10 actually, both in terms of flavour and how much I enjoyed it.

Final Score: 76.

Scoring Legend:

  • 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
  • 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
  • 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
  • 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
  • 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
  • 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
  • 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
  • 50-59: Save it for mixing.
  • 0-49: Blech.

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