Take a first look inside the long-anticipated Penderyn Distillery in Swansea, which has officially opened its store and announced that tours are a matter of weeks away. Whisky lovers can now head to the attraction, which has been built on a substantial part of the former Hafod Morfa Copperworks site, to stock up on the spirit.
The shop opened on Father's Day, and customers will soon be able to have a good look around, as tours will be available to book from Friday, July 14. They will last 90 minutes, and during the session you'll learn about the story of the whisky brand and be able to enjoy some tasters.
The Penderyn Distillery buildings were saved, improved, and newly built on behalf of Swansea Council on the historic site which dates back to 1809. Get Swansea stories straight to your inbox with our newsletter.
READ MORE: Penderyn's new whisky distillery buildings in Swansea are complete
A spokesman for Penderyn said: "During the tour you will learn about the founding of Penderyn, how our award-winning whisky is made and what makes it so unique. You will also see our 'copper tunnel', reflecting the history of the site. See our mill, our mash tun, our innovative single copper-pot Penderyn stills and a pair of pot stills.
"At the end of your tour sample some of our products in our tasting bar. The stills are in and due to be commissioned. Customers so far have marvelled at the site! It is our third in Wales, after our HQ in Penderyn and the Llandudno distillery which we opened in May 2021."
A team of conservation artisan tradesmen worked "tirelessly" to overcome reconstruction challenges of the listed buildings, according to a spokesperson for John Weaver Contractors, which carried out the work on behalf of Swansea Council. Some structures seemed to be beyond repair at times and archaeological artefacts were also unearthed.
The project received £4 million in funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and £500k from Welsh Government economy and transport funding to transform the industrial site which once made Swansea a copper-making world superpower in the 18th and 19th centuries. Additional works to other historical buildings as part of the project have been supported by Welsh Government targeted regeneration investment funding.
