In the late 1990s, friends in a pub in the village of Hirwaun came up with a bold plan: to put Wales, which had not had a legal whisky distillery for over a century, back on the whisky map. In 2000, a remarkable copper still was installed — designed by Dr. David Faraday — which achieves a purity of about 92 percent in a single distillation, resulting in a lighter, fruitier spirit than the classic double distillation.
Whisky chemist Dr. Jim Swan immediately recognized the potential of this unique spirit and became Penderyn's first master distiller. Swan opted for maturation in Madeira casks, a combination that grew into Penderyn's recognizable house style. On St. David's Day 2004, the first bottle was launched, with Prince Charles in attendance — the official proof that the Welsh whisky tradition had been revived after more than a hundred years.