IWSC Awards 2019

Welsh Whisky lands 3 Golds at the Prestigious International Wine & Spirit Awards

Jon TregennaProducts, Whisky Business

Welsh Whisky lands 3 Golds at the Prestigious International Wine & Spirit Awards

Penderyn, a unique Welsh whisky distillery based in the Brecon Beacons, is celebrating having taken home three  prestigious gold awards at this year’s International Wine & Spirit Competition. 

The IWSC, which celebrates the finest in new spirits and wine pressing each year, lauded the brand for its Rich Oak and Portwood ranges. Both are widely regarded as some of the finest single malt whiskies currently distilled by the team in Brecon, and now Penderyn can take away the prestige of further international recognition.

Both Rich Oak and Portwood are whiskies available in Penderyn’s celebrated Gold Range, which, fittingly, took away top prizes at this year’s IWSC. Rich Oak, the latest addition to the line, particularly impressed judges. It scored an impressive 95 out of 100 in terms of judge scoring, which makes it one of this year’s ceremony’s best performers.  Similarly, two bottlings of Portwood also took away a gold awards, making it a triple celebration for Penderyn.

The team are thrilled with the result, particularly as it comes following years of hard work at their local distillery.  ‘This is great news for Rich Oak, which has been winning high acclaim the world over,’ CEO Stephen Davies said – ‘Rich Oak was previously released as a Single Cask at 59.8% and a Limited Edition at 50% abv – both winning major international awards.’

“It’s excellent news that, having joined our main range, Rich Oak at 46% has been recognised with a gold medal – and a very impressive score of 95 out of 100.”

Stephen is keen to profess that the news means Penderyn will continue to produce tantalising, award-winning whisky. ‘These are very exciting times at the distillery,’ he confirmed – ‘Sales are growing, and we have some new premium bottlings to be announced over the next few months.’

Penderyn’s gold award is the latest in a line of accolades for the Brecon Beacons based brand.  The distillery is set to celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2020, which makes the prizegiving all the more fitting.

What’s more, the distillery has also celebrated its first operating profit  of  £1 million, making it one of the quickest-growing distilleries in the UK.  Penderyn aims to continue celebrating a fantastic 2019 by rolling out new bottles and blends in the very near future.

With almost two decades of distinct distillation under their belts, the team at Penderyn are always keen to reach for that next big international award.  The all-women distilling team are always innovating with new blends, flavours and themed bottles. 

From a humble distillery based in rural Wales, Penderyn has come a long way in 20 years – and this clutch of gold wins is all the more inspiring for the future.