We are proud to unveil the latest addition to our Icons of Wales series, No. 15, The Bells of Rhymney.
The release pays tribute to one of the most enduring poems ever written about Wales, by Rhymney miner and poet Idris Davies, whose words gave a voice to the valley communities shaped by the 1926 General Strike and went on to travel the world.
Finished in a triple cask of peated, vermouth and cava casks and bottled at 46% ABV, The Bells of Rhymney is non-chill filtered with no colour added. It’s one of the most layered whiskies in the series to date, presented with a gold soundwave etched into the glass and a six-panel pack that traces the poem’s journey from the valleys to the world stage, and home again.
A Miner Who Became a Poet
Idris Davies was born in Rhymney in 1905 and went underground at the local colliery at fourteen. When the 1926 General Strike ended in defeat and his pit closed, he set out to educate himself, training as a teacher and beginning to write about the people and places he knew.
His first collection, Gwalia Deserta (‘Wasteland of Wales’), was published in 1938. Within it sits the verse now known as The Bells of Rhymney. It gives eleven Welsh places their own bell: Rhymney, Merthyr, Rhondda, Blaina, Caerphilly, Neath, Brecon, Swansea, Newport, Cardiff and the Wye. Each bell asks, or answers, what a strike, a closure or a mine owner cost a community.
It is a poem of resolve rather than despair written with honesty and pride, and it remains one of the defining works of Welsh industrial heritage.
From the Valleys to the World, and Home Again
Few Welsh poems have travelled as far. In the late 1950s, the American folk singer Pete Seeger set Davies’ verse to music. The Byrds carried it to a new generation, and in the 1980s Welsh band The Alarm, led by the late Mike Peters, brought it home to Wales.
Our CEO Stephen Davies shared his thoughts on this exciting new launch:
‘The Bells of Rhymney tells one of the most powerful stories about Wales. Idris Davies gave a voice to communities that built this country, and his words have travelled the world ever since. Icons of Wales exists to tell stories like this one, and we’ve tried to do it with the care it deserves, from the liquid to the last detail of the pack.’
As with every Icon, we proud ourselves on the detail. The soundwave etched in gold on the bottle is the releases recurring motif: the sound of the bells, made visible. The six-panel pack unfolds to tell the story of the poem, and each bottle comes with a collectible poster celebrating its journey.
Penderyn Club members were the first to pre-order Icons of Wales No. 15, The Bells of Rhymney from 26th October, followed by our newsletter subscribers.
Pre-orders are now open to all with dispatch from late November.
The whisky will be available at our three distilleries in the Brecon Beacons, Llandudno and Swansea Copperworks from 20th November, and from selected UK retailers from 23rd November.