Come to Wales for the Welsh whisky! Next time you’re booking a break at our 4-star hotel on the beautiful North Wales coast you may want to plan a trip to some of Wales’s finest distilleries.
Not only do we have some great craft breweries, but Wales has an ever-growing artisan distillery scene that showcases some truly fine Welsh whisky, whilst there’s also plenty of gin tasting to be had too if that’s your preferred tipple. Distillery tours are fascinating, teaching you about their unique processes, their history and their passion for crafting Welsh spirits.
We thought we’d help make your next Llandudno break a little easier to plan with our top 5 Welsh Whisky Distilleries to visit in 2024:
Penderyn Distillery, Llandudno
You can’t beat a distillery within walking distance of your North Wales hotel. The Penderyn Distillery in Llandudno is just half a mile from us, making it an easy choice when it comes to planning things to do during your hotel stay, especially if you fancy yourself as a connoisseur of single malt.
Head over for an hour-long Distillery Tour and look around their exhibition area including their unique and ‘innovative single copper pot still.’ Find out the history of Penderyn, and how their award-winning whisky is made, then step into the Tasting Bar after for a couple of samples.
Great news!
We’ve teamed up with Penderyn this August to offer one lucky winner the chance to win a getaway to our beachfront hotel, including dinner in our award-winning Chantrey’s Restaurant, plus a Whisky Masterclass at the Penderyn Distillery in Llandudno.
The competition closes 31st August 2024, to enter, complete the entry form here.
Aber Falls, Abergwyngregyn
A short drive along the breathtaking North Wales coast from our Llandudno hotel is the small village of Abergwyngregyn, home to the Aber Falls Whisky Distillery, ‘one of seven whisky distilleries in Wales, and the first in North Wales since the early 1900s.’
Just steps away from the impressive, Rhaeadr Fawr, Aber Falls waterfall, the distillery, which was a slate works during the 1900s, has been lovingly restored and now welcomes whisky and gin lovers alike, to tour and sample award winning spirits.
As well as their distillery tour, Aber Falls offer a ‘Gin Lab Experience’, inviting visitors to ‘become a distiller for the afternoon, using the finest Welsh botanicals’ to create a bespoke gin recipe.
Coles Distillery, Llanddarog, Carmarthenshire
In the south-east of Wales, in the county of Carmarthenshire, discover a timber clad shed that was built in the car park of a 600-year-old inn. Here you will discover something wonderful, the Coles Welsh Whisky distillery. Founded in ‘2014 after the construction of their one-of-a-kind distillery’, inside you will find their four thousand litre pot and column still and enjoy an hour-long tour of this unique distillery that prides itself on their “from grain to glass” process.
Dà Mhìle Distillery, Llandysul, Ceredigion
Get into the spirit of a family-owned and run artisan distillery at Dà Mhìle where you can experience a different kind of tour. Glynhynod Farm, meaning Remarkable Valley in Welsh, offers the ‘Glynhynod Talk and Tasting’ in their impressive 17th century gallery. Here you can sit down to a personal and fascinating talk about the history of the farm and the beginnings of their businesses, and enjoy a look at the still. Your talk will be followed by a tasting, not just of spirits but of a few of their Caws Teifi cheeses and your choice of either their four main gins and rum, or three of their whiskies (depending on availability).
Silver Circle Distillery, Catbrook, Monmouthshire
One for the gin lovers. If you’re all whisky’ed out, discover the Silver Circle Distillery in the beautiful south-west of Wales. Book a tour that promises to ‘whisk’ you around the distillery, teach you how they craft their Wye Valley Gin, offer a sample of their spirits and tell you everything you need to know about their locally foraged botanicals. To top it all off, sit down and sip on delicious signature gin & tonic.
You needn’t be a whisky lover to appreciate and enjoy any tour of an artisan Welsh distillery. Despite whisky having been distilled in Wales since the Middle Ages, production petered out in the late 1800s but small groups began a restoration in the 1900s and now it’s a growing industry. If you’re looking for things to do in and around Llandudno during your North Wales break, look no further than a visit to a local distillery or for the whisky-lovers, why not plan a trip to them all.