This Icons of Wales #14 – Penderyn ‘The Village’ – this is an Amarone Cask Finish at 46% abv. A whisky inspired by the dreamlike Italianate village, released in celebration of Portmeirion’s 2026 centenary.

The enchanting Portmeirion village was brought to life by visionary Welsh architect Sir Clough Williams-Ellis between 1925 and 1973. Nestled along the rugged North Wales coastline, a celebration of whimsy and elegance, where each structure is meticulously crafted to evoke timeless beauty and a design that appears to dance with the landscape itself. Architecture critic Lewis Mumford, in 1963, marvelled at this “artful and playful…  fantastic collection of impish modern fantasies.”

Visiting luminaries such as Noël Coward, George Bernard Shaw, George Harrison, Ingrid Bergman and Gregory Peck were all captivated by Portmeirion’s unique allure, and it captured the imagination of a wider audience when it was used as the location of The Prisoner, the 1960s cult television series in which Patrick McGoohan declared, “I am not a number. I am a free man.”

Today, the village remains a place of quiet wonder, owned by a charitable trust, with its buildings now serving as elegant hotel rooms, self-catering cottages, charming shops, quaint cafés and fine-dining restaurants.

TASTING NOTES

Nose: On the nose, layers of ripe fruit and oak spice intertwine with whispers of vanilla and cocoa, followed by delicate honey and gentle toasted oak.

Palate: The palate unfolds luxuriously — velvety and full-bodied — revealing red berries, ripe plums, soft spice, and a honeyed sweetness touched by floral undertones.

Finish: A long, warming finish lingers with candied fruit, spiced oak, and a subtle trace of grape tannins — a graceful echo of fading light over the vineyards.