Serpent's Tears

The 46% abv peated single malt whisky will launch via DTC and specialist whisky retailers (rsp: £80/70cl) later this month

Penderyn Distillery has unveiled Serpent’s Tears – the first new whisky to come from its north Wales distillery in Llandudno.

The 46% abv peated single malt whisky will launch via DTC and specialist whisky retailers (rsp: £80/70cl) later this month, ahead of a wider release across grocery in the autumn.

“This is a proud moment for our team and for Welsh whisky as a whole,” said Penderyn Distillery CEO Stephen Davies.

Serpent’s Tears was the “first of its kind” peated whisky to be made in Wales since Frongoch Distillery closed over 100 years ago, Penderyn claimed.

It offered notes of “dry leaves, orchard fruits, wood smoke” alongside “sweet peat, soft vanilla cream, sugared pancake with burnt edges” on the palate, according to the distillery’s master blender Aista Phillips.

The finish was one of “warming soft peat that lingers in the mouth with a barley sweetness”, Phillips added.

Penderyn’s £5m Lloyd Street Distillery opened in Llandudno in 2021 in a former Grade II listed school building. The facility includes an exhibition area, shop and tasting bar.

It was part funded by a £1.4m grant from the Welsh government and has so far created 17 new jobs in the town.

Penderyn Distillery has three active production sites in Wales, including its original distillery in Bannau Brycheiniog, the distillery in Llandudno and a third in Swansea – commissioned in 2023.