Penderyn Whisky- A Dram for any Occasion!

CONTENT: Yiew Kai Jie

A few weeks ago, we had the opportunity to be invited to a prestigious event at Conrad Centennial Singapore, where a small enclave of whisky lovers gathered around bottles and drams of Wales’s first and only whisky- Penderyn Whisky. The event focused on a five course whisky pairing dinner that showcased the vibrant flavours that Penderyn had to offer as well demonstrating the adaptability of the elixir when it came to pairing it with different types of food!

The night started off with Penderyn’s ambassador, Mr Michael Wheeler greeting the guests and giving a short introduction about the only Welsh whisky in the world. He then proceeded to serve the Dragon Range (Celt, Myth, Legend) to the enthusiastic guests while answering their eager questions. One of the most common questions was why were the Dragon range of whiskies being kept in wine shaped bottles? Just like every other company, Penderyn had a strict budget to adhere to and chose a wine bottle for bottling due to its lower cost. Eventually, the founders decided to market the Dragon range whiskies as a unique concept from Wales. Mr Wheeler also revealed that the inception of the Dragon range was due to the French needing a lighter tasting whisky as their Gold range of whiskies was too strong for them as they drank it as an aperitif- therefore the Dragon range was born.

Once the guests were slightly flushed from the whiskies that they imbiled, Mr Wheeler sat everyone down at the dining table and started off the Gold Range whisky pairing dinner by paying homage to St David’s Day, a regional holiday in Wales. He began by introducing the five bottles of whisky as a more advanced range of whiskies for consumers as well as stressing that the key to Penderyn’s success is mainly due to the distinct casks that the golden elixirs are matured in. He also divulged that another distinctive quality is that the scent and taste of the Gold range is different from each individual sense that only shows the amount of effort and time put into showcasing the complexity of the range.

Here’s what we had:

Salmon Carpaccio with Madeira whisky– Upon the first whiff, the protein smelled sweet with a mild herbal scent thanks to the dill and fennel flowers in the sauce. The combination of the protein with creamy cheese helps to create a creamy-sweet harmonious finish on the palette. The whisky helped to provide a clean, dense cleansing with a mild burn to the finish and brings out the flavour of the fish with a tinge of sweetness at the end!

Pork Belly with Cauliflower Puree and Coffee Sauce with Sherrywood whisky– The Sherrywood whisky is a much more spicier whisky, that leaves a rather harsh lingering taste at the end. To counter or balance the jarring taste, the coffee sauce of the pork belly helped to mellow out the taste of the whisky, while helping to melt the fat and protein into the palate into a smoky-sweet finish.

Beef Brisket and Foie Gras with Peated whisky– The most smoky and heaviest tasting whisky of the Gold range, the peated whisky is best paired with rich meats to either complement or pair the proteins- its the only whisky in the range that is capable of balancing out the heavy taste. In this instance, the rich, creamy polenta coupled with the richness of the protein might be too much for some diners. To that end, the peated whisky helps to snap the palete back to its senses while adding definition to the aftertaste with a rich yet rustic finish.

Crab Toast with Papaya Relish and Rich Oak whisky – The newest whisky in the Gold range, this whisky was produced in small batches in order to test the feedback from the market. The whisky turned out to be surprisingly mild without any burn lingering in the throat with an additional sweet aftertaste to it. The whisky blended well with the herbs on the crab and helped to enhance the flavour of the protein. Due to how crab tends to light flavoured, the choice of this mild flavoured whisky is a perfect match as it will ensure that the drink does not overpower the main star of the dish.

Seven Texture Chocolate with Portwood whisky– Perhaps the first and only time that we’ve heard about a whisky designed for desserts, the Portwood whisky smelled uber sweet, has a sweet lingering aftertaste that has little to no burn that incorporates itself well with the dessert. While consuming the seven chocolate dessert with its sweet, sour and bitter chocolate taste, the Portwood whisky helps to parry the harshness while leaving a final mild sweetness to the palette, making it a perfect companion as a “dessert whisky”.

The dinner was a grand success as not only did it demonstrated the ability of Penderyn whiskies to be highly adaptable to suit different taste buds, but it also showed great potential to be able to compete with more popular brands of whiskies due to its wide range of flavour profiles. Despite its relatively young age for a distillery, they have already won a multitude of awards and we can’t wait to see what the one and only Welsh distillery in the world will do next!