Yes, Virginia, they make whisky in Wales. And as in Scotland, they spell it without the E.

Penderyn is the best known Welsh whisky on the market, probably because it’s the only operating distillery left in the region.

Penderyn makes several bottlings, but this, in the company’s “house style,” is one of its best-known, a single malt which is matured in bourbon barrels and finished in old Madeira wine casks. It bears no age statement but is lightly golden in color and the balance indicates it’s quite young.

Wood and leather notes are surprisingly prominent in the body, which exhibits a buttery, honey-like consistency. The Madeira character is considerably different than in, say, Balvenie’s Madeira-finished Scotch, ending not so much with wine-like notes but with bittersweet chocolate and more cask wood character. I’d like more balance and cohesion in all of these flavors, but I do appreciate this whisky’s moxie.

92 proof.

B+ / $52 / welsh-whisky.co.uk