Penderyn Celt Peaty & Citrusy - 40%

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 40% | Chill filtration: No | Colouring: No

Special Features:

Celt is a Welsh single malt whose smoky character comes not from peated malt but from cask maturation. After maturing in ex-bourbon casks, it is finished in quarter casks that previously held peated whisky. As a result, the bottling combines gentle peat smoke and maritime impressions with warm orange marmalade on toast and a fresh citrus character.

Celt belongs to the Dragon Range, introduced in 2015 and designed around the red dragon as a Welsh national symbol. The latest packaging update gave the bottle and gift packaging a new look, while a lighter bottle and less cardboard reduced the overall packaging weight. The whisky is bottled at 40% in a 0.7-litre bottle, with no added colouring and without chill filtration.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: The nose brings together gentle peat smoke, the impression of a rocky coastline in the early morning and warm orange marmalade on toast.
• Palate: The palate begins with pronounced sweetness before smoke and a lightly medicinal note emerge.
• Finish: A delicate bitterness leads into a long finish with lingering freshness.

Distillery/Bottler:

The idea for Penderyn emerged in the late 1990s among a group of friends in Hirwaun, South Wales. They chose the nearby village of Penderyn on the edge of Brecon Beacons National Park for the new distillery, partly because of the natural spring available there. Spirit first flowed on 14 September 2000, and the first Penderyn whisky was unveiled on St David’s Day in 2004, reviving commercial whisky production in Wales after more than a century.

A defining feature of the distillery is the copper still with an attached column designed by Dr David Faraday. The vapour passes through several perforated plates before the spirit is collected at up to 92% alcohol; the process is designed to produce an especially pure yet aromatic new make spirit. Whisky expert Dr Jim Swan joined Penderyn in 2002 as its first Master Distiller and helped develop the distillery’s style and expand its range of cask finishes, including casks previously used for smoky whisky.

Facts: