Penderyn 15 Year Bourbon Matured Single Cask #B105

For this release, Penderyn aged their whiskey for 15 years in an old Buffalo Trace bourbon barrel resulting in only 114 bottles from the cask and bottled them at 59%. This is the oldest Penderyn that I’ve had and am eager to try it as their previous single cask versions of the 10 year Madeira Cask and 13 year Rich Oak were incredible. The nose is lighter and not as rich as previous single casks, but you still get those Penderyn fruits starting with a fruit mix of apricots, mangoes, guavas and lemon zest followed by candied almonds, then comes fresh baked blueberry muffins dusted with cinnamon sugar then bourbon caramel over a piece of medium charred sourdough toast with medium ethanol burn. The taste is a medium mouthfeel starting with that fruit mix of apricots, mangoes, guavas and lemon zest followed by blueberry special k cereal then a high spice along with medium tannic oak overwhelms blocking the other flavors with high ethanol burn that slowly fades into a medium finish with guava, orange peel, lemon grass, vanilla cupcake, Sichuan pepper and medium tannic oak. Overall this is an enjoyable but underwhelming drink that the additional years in the cask seem to have made it thinner than previous releases, toned down those rich fruit flavors and added a high chili pepper spice along with tannic oak that doesn’t improve the experience. In comparison to the 10 year Madeira Cask and 13 year Rich Oak, this unfortunately comes in last of the three proving that older is not necessarily better.

Nose - cereal grain, apple, sawdust, honey, oat, floral notes, pineapple, mango, guava, orange, lemon pith, dry oak, cinnamon, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - guava, tangerine, salted caramel, vanilla, lemon zest, allspice, ginger, spearmint, pineapple skin, cereal grain, bitter walnut, sour oak, moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium short with citrus zest, tropical fruit, and sour oak flavors. My final Penderyn is a 15 Year single cask aged in an ex-bourbon barrel. The nose is light, fruity, and dry. The tropical fruit notes, which accompany all Penderyns I’ve tasted, are out in full force. There are citrus and baking spices as well, but everything is underpinned by an unfortunate sawdusty graininess. The palate has the tropical fruit, but there’s a strong citrus quality, a bitter nuttiness, and a minty, gingery zing. This is better than average, but the balance is all off here. The tropical fruit notes are nice, but it’s too grainy, sour, and bitter to be a particularly enjoyable dram. The 13 Year Rich Oak single cask was the standout of the four Penderyns for me. My overall impression of the distillery is that there are gems to be found, but some overpriced mediocrity as well. I’m putting it solidly in the try before you buy category. A huge thank you to @pkingmartin for providing all of the Penderyn samples. It was great being able to take a deep dive into Welsh whisky.