Whisky Discovery #241

Penderyn 'Portwood' NAS (41% abv, OB Bottled 2012, 70cl)

Welsh Single Malt Whisky

circa £35.00 70cl

Penderyn Portwood 41

Until recently Portwood 41 was only available in mainland Europe and direct from the distillery, but due to popular request is now on general release and seems to be available at all the usual on-line retailers as well as a good number of Welsh suppliers.

The spirit for this is matured in ex-bourbon casks for 4-7 years and are then filled into Port casks for 8 months. This gives the whisky a distinct rosy hue of tarnished copper.

Official tasting notes

Aromas of rich dried fruits with fresh blackberries and dark chocolate accompany the blush tint of Penderyn Portwood. After these first impressions fresh honey drizzled over mixed tropical fruits emerges and carries on into the taste. This is a powerful whisky, bone dry, yet convincing the taste buds of immense sweetness. The overall effect is one of a fresh, clean and fruity whisky easy to drink and with an attractive lingering finish.

So What Did We Think?

Kat Said: I sampled this alongside another recently released Penderyn; Red Flag. For the Portwood I was able to pick up a dry & wet character all at the same time with a light woody aroma. This reminded me of the smell of a pile of dried autumnal leaves where the top surface is dry but the bottom layers of leaves are still damp. Apart from this, the rich fruity characters of the Port are the only other aromas that I can pick out.

I found the Portwood to be not quite as sweet as the Red Flag and there is a bitter dark chocolate note, like a high 70% cocoa content. There is a kick that’s more like that of a fiery chilli instead of the heat you get from black pepper. as with the Red Flag, the rich Port flavours are bold in this whisky and nicely balanced.

The finish starts and ends with a chilli cocoa mix that fades to the end giving a long finish. I'm already partial to Madeira and Port, so was happy that both of these whiskies delivered the flavours of the finishes very well.

Dave Said: Initially I found the nose to be quite woody; fresh green lumber, but after some time in the glass the fresh blackberries start to come through complete with their brambles. Slowly the fruity notes evolve with more sweet hedgerow berries and some glacé cherries. I'm not sure if it's the pinkish hue, but I was also finding rose petals. There is a good touch of pepper on the nose too

The palate is sweet, although as Kat points out, not quite a sweet as the Red Flag, and with a little vanilla pod, a touch of citrus zest and a good pinch of pepper that bites. The sweet berries return on the palate too. my second glass seems sweeter than the first tasting and notes of  milk chocolate evolve before wine notes and dried fruit. The sweetness starts to fade as the peppery spice builds at the end.

A good length finish with the spice notes balanced by a light honied sweetness along with some slightly drying oak.

Many thanks to Penderyn for supplying the tasting sample. For more information about the award winning Welsh distillery visit www.welsh-whisky.co.uk