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Wales
 scrapes in  decent  good  excellent  sublime
Celtic Spirit, 12-Year-old Single Malt (Wales) 
An attractive nose of heather, malt and a hint of ginger leads into a smooth, straightforward palate, characterised by light toffee sweetness. The finish is long, with a suggestion of delicate smokiness and some drying oak. Not the most complex single malt in the world, but extremely drinkable, and at its best neat. 40.0% ABV, 70cl, £22.50, distillery website, specialist whisky merchants.  |  |
Celtic Spirit, Danzy Jones Wysgi Licor (Wales)
A whisky (wysgi in Welsh) liqueur, named after a journeyman stonemason who, in the custom of many Welsh working men of the late 19th century, added herbs and rosehip syrup to his whisky, which he drank in the form of a toddy. Eventually, the drink became so popular that Jones began to make and sell it in the Old Fountain Inn in Buith Wells, continuing to do so until the late 1940s. Danzy Jones Wysgi Licor is produced to his original recipe.
A pleasingly complex nose of malt, honey and spices. Very sweet on the palate, with honey and rosehips, plus molasses. Finally, maple syrup over vanilla ice cream. A sophisticated offering for the lover of whisky-based liqueurs.
40.0% ABV, 70cl, £16.00, distillery website, specialist whisky merchants. |  |
Penderyn, Single Malt Welsh Whisky (Wales)
The Welsh Whisky Company Ltd has been making Penderyn single malt in its purpose-built distillery in the Brecon Beacons National Park since 14th September 2000. Penderyn is produced in a unique still, designed by David Faraday, and unlike most malt whisky which is processed in a both a wash still and a spirit still, here the entire business of distillation takes place in the one vessel.
Penderyn also differs from Scotch single malts in that while in Scotland mashing and fermenting on site is a legal requirement, in this case wash is transported from the brewery of SA Brain & Co in Cardiff once a week for distillation.
A youthful Penderyn was launched on St David’s Day in March 2004, and the spirit is usually finished in Madeira casks after initial maturation in Bourbon barrels. There have also been limited edition releases of whisky made using peated malt and some matured in ex-Oloroso Sherry butts.
On the nose, intense, peachy sweetness overlays grainy, gummy, young spirit. The palate is spicy and fruity, with a suggestion of custard powder towards the end, which finishes with raisins and vanilla. Better balanced now than some of the earlier releases sampled, but there remains a nagging doubt that the full-bodied Madeira finish is masking what is essentially rather immature spirit.
46.0% ABV, 70cl, £30.95, specialist whisky merchants. |  |
Penderyn, Single Malt Welsh Whisky – Peated (Wales)
This variant of the Welsh single malt has not been made using peated malt, as might be supposed, but was matured initially in ex-Buffalo Trace Bourbon casks before being finished in second-fill casks from the Scotch whisky industry that had previously held heavily-peated spirit.
Quite refined, sweet smokiness on the nose. Vanilla and apple notes develop and the smoke fades. As with the Sherrywood, obviously relatively young and a little assertive, with wood smoke, ginger and nuts. Smokiness lingers, along with a mildly citric note.
46.0% ABV, 70cl, £35.00, specialist whisky merchants. |  |
Penderyn, Single Malt Welsh Whisky – Sherrywood (Wales)
Following on from its initial release of spirit matured in ex-Madeira cask, the Welsh distillery of Penderyn proceeded to offer a Sherry cask-finished expression and a variant made with peated malt. The Sherry wood version was initially matured in Buffalo Trace ex-Bourbon casks before spending time in casks that had formerly held Oloroso Sherry.
The result is a nose of sweet Sherry, almonds and peanuts. Caramel and ginger emerge, along with notes of vanilla. Clearly quite youthful on the palate, somewhat sharp-edged, fruity, with developing nuttiness and more caramel, both of which last through the lengthy and slightly metallic finish.
46.0% ABV, 70cl, £35.00, specialist whisky merchants. |  |
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