ImpEx 2021 Selection STR Finished Whisky
I have been waiting to review this bottle for some years now. I had initially purchased the bottle a full year after it was released and have been trying to track down another ever since. Without completely giving away my review; this is easily my favorite Penderyn bottle I’ve tasted to date.
I’ve been lucky enough to taste some incredible single casks from Penderyn, largely thanks to the relationship between Jack Rose and ImpEx in the DC area. Penderyn’s malt consistently brings out wonderful cereal notes I’ve grown fond of, regardless of the cask it’s aged in. We are overdue for some new selections, and I find myself eagerly anticipating any new releases.
Distillery: Penderyn.
Region: Pontpren, Aberdare, UK.
ABV: 58.1%.
Age: 13 Years.
Cask type: ~10 years in Buffalo Trace ex-bourbon barrel, ~3 year STR finish. Cask #D1062.
Price: $145.
Color: 1.8, Old Oak. Natural Color. Minimal filtration.
Tasting Notes
Tasted neat in a Glencairn with 15+ minutes of rest. Dilution was added for the second half of the tasting with an additional rest of upwards of an hour. This review encompasses my initial impression to the final glass.
Nose: Brilliant fruits on the nose like a fine Cognac or calvados. It’s a common theme with Penderyn’s malt and I find that the apple and pear spirit notes come through consistently. A rather sweet nose with spun sugar, turbinado, and dark corn syrup. There’s a toasted almond aroma that reminds me of amaretto. I hadn’t realized this was from a former Buffalo Trace cask and I find it interesting I got that classic cherry forward bourbon note even in the malt. Lastly, a vegetal and grassy twist on the overtly sweet nose. I’ve found similar notes in other Penderyn bottles before, and for this one at least, it’s caramelized sweet potatoes with walnuts and brown sugar.
Palate: Layers of oak to peel back here on the palate. Nothing is excessively tannic as the STR cask brings out more sugars to balance the malt. Grass forward cereals present a bran aspect I didn’t anticipate. With jammy dark fruits, it reminded me simply of Raisin Bran of all things. Sweet flavors of prunes and fig cookies. Salted butter and graham cracker pie crust. The vegetal aspect of the nose delivers an uncommon character for malt on the palate. I can best describe this as roasted, well seasoned tomatoes with some sweeter green olives. If you’ve ever tasted olive oil cake, you will understand where I’m trying to go here. It’s a lovely sweet and savory balance.
Finish: The finish brings an unexpected, yet delicious, combination of flavors. More of the sweet and savory harmony with a touch of acidity I didn’t recognize previously. Cranberry and sultana reduction, glazed over a charcoal grilled steak. It’s the burnt ends of a brisket. I’m finally tasting all those expected barrel char notes here on the finish. Bruleed sugars from that toasted oak and chocolate coated wheat biscuits. At the very end, a sneaky tobacco aroma perks up your olfactory senses.
Overall
What started as a very straightforward malt, ended up with one of the wildest combinations of flavors in a bottle I’ve ever experienced. I tried my best to describe these irregular quirks because they aren’t common. They don’t even necessarily meld with one another in harmony, you just noticeably pick out both sweet and savory elements from this whisky.
Now my palate has changed over the years and certainly, my preferences have as well. I likely would have turned up my nose to the herbaceous elements in this whisky a decade ago, but today, I’m all for it. This bottle brings all the oddities and I’m thrilled about it. Every sip was a delight and I couldn’t ask for a more climactic finale of a finish. Brilliant whisky.
Final Score: 100
