Penderyn Distillery – the Welsh whisky giant – is no stranger to winning awards. Their 2023 is off to a strong start, too – as their Brecon Beacons distillery today reveals they’ve won a coveted GOLD Award on behalf of Visit Wales.
The accolade, offered to tourist attractions and venues across Wales that strive for excellence in customer care – is Penderyn’s first big win of the year, setting the tone for what will hopefully be a glowing few months to come.
The award arrives on the back of Visit Wales touring the company’s Brecon Beacons distillery, with a successful VAQAS accreditation rewarding the distillery’s attention to excellence.
“We’re delighted that our HQ has claimed the Gold Award for 2023,” says Stephen Davies, CEO of Penderyn. “Our Brecon Beacons distillery is the heart of our operation. It’s where we first started, and it’s where we create new innovations for the year ahead. It’s really fitting that our HQ has claimed this award so early in the year. We’ve had a fantastic few years filling the awards cabinet – and we honestly couldn’t do it without our hard-working team behind the scenes. We’re immensely grateful for all the support we receive from whisky fans all over the world, too.”
It’s not Penderyn’s maiden Gold Award from Visit Wales. In fact, the brand’s Llandudno distillery – which only opened in May 2021 – claimed the same accolade in December 2022. So far, it’s two for two – and with Davies and co eyeing up an expansion in Swansea soon, it’s fair to say they’ll be looking for a hat trick in the near future.
“2023 is going to be an enormous year for Penderyn,” says Davies. “It’s fitting that we can start the New Year right with appreciation from Visit Wales.”
The award not only pays tribute to Penderyn’s delicious range of award-winning single malts, but also their enduring commitment to customer service and tourism. Following the end of lockdowns across the UK, Penderyn re-opened their Brecon Beacons site for tours, refitted to allow for social distancing.
Penderyn’s flexibility during the pandemic has helped to push the brand forward during an impossible time for Welsh tourism up and down the country. By offering online tastings from home, the distillery continued to share their celebrated bottlings with fans from afar.
Now, however, visitors can enjoy both a tipple or two as well as a full tour of both the Brecon Beacons and Llandudno sites. For Davies and the team, their recent Gold Awards are fantastic celebrations of the hard work they’ve all put in coming back out of lockdown.
“When tourism opened back up again, no one was sure what the landscape really looked like,” says Davies. “We wanted to bring distillery tours back to our visitors, but it wasn’t clear right away what demand would look like. Thankfully, we’ve welcomed scores of people back through our doors in Llandudno and Brecon Beacons. We’re always working to build on our standards, and rest assured, we always listen carefully to feedback. Our team’s attention to detail is a key reason why Visit Wales has offered us our Golds – we’re immensely proud!”
Davies assures Penderyn fans that there will be more news to come as 2023 gets underway. Alongside the brand working with Paiverse on an NFT release, the distillery is promising some exciting new bottles to look forward to by the end of the year.
“I don’t want to give anything away just yet,” says Davies. “However, we think our fans and followers are going to be very happy with the treats and surprises in store this year. All I can say is watch this space – and to come and enjoy our Brecon Beacons and Llandudno tours if you get the opportunity!”
Penderyn’s rise to international success is just part of their fantastic story over the past few years. The brand is deeply proud of its Welsh roots, having built leading distilleries and tourist locations that are – deservedly – getting recognition from far and wide.