The Minty’s Spirits Week: Penderyn Welsh Whisky with Southern California Whiskey Club
Penderyn Welsh Whisky
I have to be honest, I attended the Southern California Whiskey Club event with Penderyn Welsh Whisky because the special guest was an actual Welsh corgi! A puppy and whisky, what could be better?
The club meeting was held at Lost Property Bar in Hollywood.
Here’s the pour list:
Southern California Whiskey Club
While Wales had made whisky for hundreds of years, there weren’t any more distilleries after the late 1800s. Then the Penderyn distillery was launched in 2004 and it remains the only Welsh distillery to this day.
What’s really cool about Penderyn is the distilling and blending team is all female. Blender Aista Jukneviciute is the “nose” if you will. It’s her job to decide when a whisky is ready and lead the distillery.
Penderyn Welsh Whisky
I first tried Penderyn back in the early 2010s from a Welsh friend. I don’t remember if he had brought it back from Wales or not but I thought it was really good, if a little fiery. This was early on in my whisky drinking and didn’t realize it was a higher ABV.
Penderyn Welsh Whisky
Initially Penderyn was imported by the Sazarac company and so you might occasionally see older versions on shelf. Grab them and compare to the newer bottlings imported by JVS like we did at our tasting.
If you like whiskys that have been finished in wine casks, give Penderyn a try. I liked the sherrywood but the madeira was what really caught my imagination. And it is what they consider their house style – aged in ex-bourbon casks and then finished in madeira.
Also there was a bonus #secretstash bottle that night. Lost Property co-owner Rhino is Welsh and brought out his own Penderyn bottle he carried back from Wales. Penderyn created an Icon of Wales series and the third in that series is named after Welsh poet and writer Dylan Thomas. This was matured in both bourbon and Olorosso sherry wood.
We also got a taste of Welsh food and the corgi was very well behaved. What a great night with friends.
Southern California Whiskey Club – join the club!
Lost Property Bar 1704 N Vine St., Hollywood, CA 90028 — (323) 987-4445 © 2019 The Minty