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Welsh whisky brand Penderyn expands with third site

Welsh whisky brand Penderyn is opening a new distillery and bottling plant in Swansea, as part of a billion-pound city regeneration project.

The new site – its third – will be at the Hafod-Morfa Copperworks in the Lower Swansea Valley, as part of the Shaping Swansea project which aims to rejuvenate seven different areas across the city. Originally announced back in 2018, the Copperworks has already received funding from the National Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) worth £3.56million, which is being used to refurbish the site’s Powerhouse to create the distillery and visitor centre.

One of 11 major copperworks established on the banks of the River Tawe during the Industrial Revolution, the historic Hafod site was built in 1808 and was joined 20 years later by the Morfa works on adjacent land. The 12.5acre complex  becoming one of the largest of its type in Europe and although copper smelting came to an end in 1924 as demand dwindled, the manufacture of finished copper products continued until 1980 when the site was closed and fell into disuse.

The new site follows Penderyn’s expansion into Llandudno, North Wales last year, in the middle of the pandemic, which chief executive Stephen Davies said “spoke volumes” about the team’s incredible dedication to its whisky lines.

Davies added the Shaping Swansea scheme was a “transformative opportunity for local businesses across the region” and would enable Penderyn to broaden its reach both across Wales and internationally.

“We’re confident our Swansea site will help us to upscale our production of old favourites – while enabling our creative distillers to really get their teeth into some new ideas and projects. 2023 is going to be an immensely exciting year for Welsh whisky lovers,” he said.

The distiller’s main distillery and HQ will remain in the Brecon Beacons, which is also home of sister company, Siddiqui Rums. This is part of partnership with California-based Siddiqui Rums Corporation, whereby Penderyn produces Siddiqui Rums for international markets.

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