Penderyn Single Malt Whisky

This wonderful dram from the land of the Druids could make you believe in magic again.


Fine Single Malt Whisky had been produced in Wales for centuries. But then — inexplicably — all of it stopped in 1894. Crazy right? Well the Welsh Whisky Company was founded in 2004 to put an end to this tragic Welsh drought and bring the magic spirit back to the land of King Arthur. But they didn’t just start a new distillery, they decided to do it a bit differently.

They contacted scientist Dr. David Faraday — grandson of the famous physicist — to design a special pot still that would yield a more pure distillate at a higher ABV. And this single, one-of-a-kind still has a full capacity of only one cask of spirit per day. We, the Whisky nerds, think that’s cool as heck. Today, these fine blokes produce what they call “the smoothest Whisky on Earth” and they make a strong argument with their award-winning range of finished-wood Whiskies, Gin, Vodka and a Merlyn Welsh Cream Liqueur that will tickle your wizard’s hat.

So, we already told you about that special Faraday still, right? Well, the “new wine” spirit comes out of that copper-pot baby at a whopping 92% ABV — that’s THE highest initial ABV of any Single Malt distillery we’ve ever heard. You could launch fighter jets with it for goodness sake. But instead, they place this magic malt juice into ex-Bourbon casks. Can you imagine all the flavor that jet fuel strips from the oak?

But this ain't all. Next, they finish that Whisky with a little more aging in ex-Madeira Wine casks from Portugal. Then it is cut with a little pure, natural spring water and bottled — without chill filtering — at a full 46% ABV. If you know your Single Malt Whisky, those are magic numbers indeed. If not, then you’ve just got to try it for yourself and see what we are talking about.