Penderyn's Icons of Wales series is a rotating run of limited-edition bottlings, each dedicated to a person, event or institution that has helped shape Welsh identity. Past releases have honoured figures such as Dylan Thomas and moments from Welsh history, with the livery and cask selection changing with each edition. The series has become a collector's favourite and a vehicle for the distillery's more experimental cask work.
This edition pays tribute to the Royal Welch Fusiliers, one of the oldest infantry regiments in the British Army, formed in 1689 and with battle honours stretching from Blenheim to the Somme. The whisky is a single malt from Penderyn's Faraday still, finished in a combination of casks selected to complement the commemorative theme. Like all Icons of Wales releases, it is bottled at 43% and presented in numbered packaging.
The nose offers dried apricot, milk chocolate and polished leather, with a flicker of orange oil lifting the weight. The palate is generous and soft — toffee, raisin bread and cocoa nib — with a gentle citrus thread running through the middle. The finish is medium-long, carrying dark honey and dried fruit into a whisper of oak spice.
Icons of Wales bottlings sell through quickly and often appreciate, but their real value lies in what they are: small, carefully chosen tributes from a young distillery to the country that gave it its voice. This one pours for remembrance as much as for pleasure.
