Tasting

Welsh whisky rarely tastes of smoke, more often of fruit and caramel. The Faraday still naturally produces a mild, almost delicate new-make spirit. Maturation in bourbon, then Madeira casks, layers on vanilla, honey and dried apricot.

Penderyn Madeira shows this pattern most clearly: golden colour, a hint of ginger, plenty of raisin. Coles Single Malt from Carmarthenshire tastes quite different, having spent five years in a Jack Daniel's cask, which gives it a slightly earthier, nuttier character. The first Aber Falls Single Malt from 2021, meanwhile, carries a light salty note, one that many attribute to its closeness to the sea and the mountains of Eryri.

It's best to start neat, in a nosing glass, which concentrates the aromas toward the nose. Hold your nose just above the rim rather than diving in, or the alcohol will numb your sense of smell. After the first sip, a splash of still water helps open up the fruit notes without making the whisky taste thin.

The new-make spirit from the Faraday still is naturally clean and mild by nature. That's why connoisseurs consider Welsh whisky a good starting point for anyone more used to smoky or very cask-strength bottlings.

Line the three up side by side and the whole range becomes clear in a small space. Mild and golden from the south, earthy and rounded from Carmarthenshire, lightly salty from the north. If you're trying all three in sequence, start with the mild Aber Falls, then move to Coles, and finish with the sweeter Penderyn Madeira. That way, the differences between the casks become immediately clear on the palate.