Penderyn Icons Of Wales - Rhiannon No. 7-50 - 2019 Release 1
We are delighted to announce the 7th in our Icons of Wales Series. ‘Rhiannon’ is a Sherrywood Grand Cru finished whisky at 46% abv.
Written in the Welsh language in the 11th century, The Mabinogi are the earliest prose work in the history of Britain. They were transcribed from the oral tradition and have since been translated into many languages. The Mabinogi is generally agreed to be a single work in four parts, or ‘Branches.’ The interrelated tales deal in mythology, history, political themes, romances and magical fantasies.
The stories feature strong women characters, and none are stronger than Rhiannon – an enchantress and a horse goddess who could ‘out-run any pursuer even whilst riding slowly’. She was famed for being intelligent, generous, strong-willed, otherworldly, adept at strategic planning and gifted with both supernatural and physical powers. On her journey Rhiannon uses magic to rid herself of a suitor, is falsely accused of infanticide, and later becomes one of only four survivors of a magical thunderstorm. Rhiannon in Welsh means ‘Great Queen’ or ‘Divine Queen.’ Her parents were the Fairy King and Queen of Gwent (in reality a sizeable Welsh Kingdom of ancient Britain), who educated her to handle sovereignty and governance. Rhiannon also possessed a number of magical birds who could soothe the living into a deep slumber, or wake the dead from eternal sleep.
Rhiannon later became the subject of Stevie Nicks’ song on the eponymous Fleetwood Mac album (1975): ‘She rules her life like a bird in flight…’ More recently Rhiannon has turned up in modern fantasy novels.
Nose : Spicy sweetness with the hint of vanilla; oak tannins, red berries, blackcurrants, hazelnuts, pears, sultanas and sweet marzipan
Taste : Smooth velvety sweetness; creamy caramel, figs, red berries, delicate frangipane, chocolate ganache and a touch of coffee
Finish : Sweet and dry with long lingering oak tannins
About Penedryn
Penderyn produce award-winning single malt whiskies and spirits at their distillery on the foothills of the Brecon Beacons (Bannau Brycheiniog) National Park, Wales, UK. They opened two other distilleries in Llandudno (2021) and Swansea (2023).
Distilling in Wales was a lost art, but in the late 1990s, in a Hirwaun pub in the Welsh valleys, a group of friends chatted about establishing the first whisky distillery in Wales in over a century. They dreamt of creating a whisky as pure and precious as Welsh gold, represented today by Penderyn’s ‘gold seam’.
The village of Penderyn was chosen because of the site’s own supply of fresh natural spring water.
A unique copper single-pot still designed by Dr David Faraday, a relative of the great 19th-century scientist Michael Faraday, was installed in 2000, which produces a spirit at an industry high draw of 92%, meaning Penderyn's whiskies are light, fruity and flavoursome.
This business seemed a curiosity - a Welsh whisky? - but when the Scottish whisky expert, Dr Jim Swan, became our Master Distiller, things got serious. Dr Swan got involved because he said the still created a world class spirit. He said we should finish in Madeira casks, so this became our house style. This quickly advanced to sherry casks, peated casks, port casks, and a number of other casks used for finishing. Nigel Short invested in the business, bringing Stephen Davies in as CEO, and the distinguished drinks designer Glenn Tutssel also became involved, who created the brand design.
On St David’s Day 2004 Penderyn whisky was launched in the presence of HRH Prince Charles. An expansion in 2013/14 included a replica of the Faraday Still, and two lantern stills being installed.
With investment, inspiration, hard work, attention to detail, the finest barley, expert female distillers and the best American oak bourbon casks, Penderyn Whisky has quickly gained a worldwide reputation for its range of whiskies, winning over 100 Double Gold/Gold/Masters awards en route. Today Penderyn is now very much part of the world whisky conversation, and is available in over 50 countries, including key markets in France, Germany, USA and China. Indeed only around a handful of countries were exporting whisky when we began, and now most countries do, so Penderyn really was a pioneer in the world whisky industry.
Penderyn is a privately owned company, with over 60 shareholders.
From Wales to the world...
43% ABV
70cl
