Penderyn Distillery (The Welsh Whisky Company) is releasing its special Hiraeth whisky, with £1 from the sale of every bottle going towards the Hiraeth.Live campaign for Welsh homelessness and mental health issues.

The initial release will be in the UK with global distribution to follow. This long-awaited release delayed by supply chain issues is finally arriving in limited quantities for 2021 with growing availability next year.

Hiraeth is the 8^th in Penderyn’s Icons of Wales series, which has previously included bottlings celebrating Dylan Thomas, Sir Bryn Terfel and Rhiannon from medieval Welsh literature. The whisky is an ex-Bourbon cask finish, bottled at 46%, and is a milestone release for Penderyn as it is the first time the distillery has released a core range expression single malt mostly based on the production on the more traditional double distillation still we introduced in 2014. 

The Welsh language is one of the oldest in Europe and one of the most evocative Welsh words is “Hiraeth” – a powerful word, especially to the Welsh people around the world. Hiraeth can mean “yearning” or “homesickness” and is often considered by many to be untranslatable. BBC broadcaster Roy Noble, and one of our directors summed it up very well as, “a longing for your homeland, your heritage and your very being.” 

Penderyn was among a number of Welsh businesses who set up a campaign: www.hiraeth.live –  raising money for two Welsh charities, Hafal and Llamau. Hafal works with people across Wales who live with mental illness, or care for someone who does. Llamau’s mission is to end youth homelessness and homelessness for women in Wales.