The Welsh drinks to try this Saint Dwynwen’s Day

Experience the best drinks Wales has to offer on this Welsh national holiday.

Though 25 January is perhaps best known for being Burns Night, another national holiday falls on this day: Dydd Santes Dwynwen, or Saint Dwynwen’s Day.

Saint Dwynwen is the Welsh saint of lovers, and is celebrated every year on 25 January. Legend has it that in the 5th century, Dwynwen fell in love with Maelon, but was forbidden by her father to marry him. She ran to the forest, distressed, and was greeted by an angel who turned Maelon into a block of ice, to help Dwynwen forget him. Dwynwen was then granted three wishes by God: she wished that Maelon be thawed, that God help true lovers and that she should never marry. Dwynwen became a nun, set up a convent on Llanddwyn Island, Anglesey, and is still celebrated as the patron saint of lovers to this day.

Think of it as a lesser-known, older version of Valentine’s Day, but with added Welsh mythology.

So, what better way to celebrate than with the one you love over a Welsh drink? With Wales’ drinks industry booming, producing, wine, beer, whisky, gin and more, there are plenty of options to help you celebrate Saint Dwynwen’s Day in style.

Penderyn Whisky

Image: instagram.com/penderyn.distillery

For whisky fans, it has to be Penderyn Distillery. This award-winning single malt whisky is distilled on the edge of the Brecon Beacons, South Wales, on a site chosen for its natural supply of fresh spring water. Its Welsh influence goes beyond its makers’ aim to make whisky as “pure and precious as Welsh gold”. With whiskies named after Welsh icons such as Dylan Thomas, Bryn Terfel or ‘That Try,’ commemorating the rugby match on the 27 January 1973, when Gareth Edwards scored what has been declared as ‘The Greatest Try Ever Scored,’ there is no doubt about the origins of this whisky.

Penderyn also produces an award-winning Dragon range, with whiskies named Legend, Myth and Celt. So if you feel spoilt for choice, go back to basics with the original Penderyn house-style ‘Madeira,’ which has been aged in ex-bourbon barrels and finished in ex-Madeira wine casks.

Though Wales might not be known for its whisky in the same way as the Scottish or Irish, stills dating back to the 4th century have been found across the country, and the nation boasts a famous whisky maker in Evan Williams. Though perhaps best known for his Kentucky Bourbon, he began making whisky in Pembrokeshire in 1705, before emigrating to what is now the USA. Penderyn Whisky has made a name for Welsh whisky over the past 15 years, and is definitely the one to try this year.

Aber Falls Gin and Liqueurs

Image: Aber Falls

Gin lovers have to try Aber Falls, from the distillery based in Abergwyngregyn, North Wales. The Small Batch Welsh Gin is the Aber Falls classic, using Welsh-inspired botanicals and influenced by ancient flavours dating back to Druid times. For something a little more modern, try the Orange Marmalade Gin, or for a taste of home, try the Rhubarb & Ginger Gin, both of which are great for making cocktails. For a London-inspired gin made made with soft Welsh water, try the Welsh Dry Gin, which is a much more traditional, juniper forward gin than the two previously mentioned varieties.

For a cocktail making date, Aber Falls has an award-winning range of liqueurs. Try the Violet, inspired by your favourite childhood sweets, or Salted Toffee, made with Anglesey sea salt and praised by Gordon Ramsay, Heston Blumenthal and even Barack Obama. Or, there’s the Coffee & Dark Chocolate, inspired by the classic Espresso Martini. With Aber Falls’ own cocktail recipes ready for each flavour, you’ll have no problem getting creative with your drinks this Saint Dwynwen’s Day.

Purple Moose Beer

image: Purple Moose

For Welsh craft beers, head to Purple Moose Brewery, or Bragdy Mŵs Piws. This award-winning 40-barrel micro-brewery based in Porthmadog, North Wales, brews beers such as Chocolate Moose, with chocolate and vanilla flavours, and Mwsh, which is a German Kölsch-style larger.

Try beers from Purple Moose’s core range, such as Dark side of the Moose, (the brewer’s favourite), a dark ale brewed from Welsh mountain water which has a “rich malty flavour balanced with fruity bitterness,” or Elderflower Ale, a pale ale with a “superb floral bouquet and a delectable sweet citrus finish”.

What’s more, all Purple Moose’s beers are suitable for vegans, perfect for beer fans trying Veganuary. You can also customise your own case, which would make a great gift for a loved-one this 25 January.

Glyndŵr wine

Image: Glyndŵr Wine

What could be a more romantic way to spend Saint Dwynwen’s Day than over dinner and a glass of wine? Try Welsh wine from Glyndŵr Vineyard, the oldest family estate in Wales,  established in 1979. With a name inspired by the 14th century hero and the last native Welshman to hold the title ‘Prince of Wales’, Owain Glyndŵr, this wine remains close to its roots.

This South Welsh wine has won multiple awards, and produces white, red, rosé and sparkling varieties of wine. Glyndŵr is even the proud owner of Wales’ first brandy made with Welsh grapes.

 Condessa liqueurs

Condessa began in Chester, way back in 1969, but this award-winning, family-run business moved to Anglesey in 1989, and has been inspired by its Welsh location ever since. With drinks such as the Original Welsh Cream and Welsh Blas Aur (Golden Taste) Apricot liqueur the influence Wales has has on this drinks company is not hard to see.

Condessa also produces various other liqueurs, gins and rums, such as Limocello, Black Cherry and Sloe Gin, which makes them a great go-to company for cocktail ingredients. Condessa even has cocktail recipes using their liqueurs on their site, so you won’t be short of inspiration.

The Dyfi Distillery

image: ginfoundry.com

Impress your loved one with a limited edition Welsh gin, Pollination by the Dyfi Distillery. Dyfi, in mid Wales, is recognised by UNESCO as a World Biosphere Reserve, which allows the distillery access to a range of Welsh gin botanicals. Produced using botanicals from Snowdonia and the Dyfi Forest, local spring water and pure grain spirit, the Pollination gin is unique to its area.

As Dyfi cannot produce Pollination year round, in order to remain sustainable, the bottles are extremely limited, and are hand signed and lot-numbered. The gin is produced in two 100-litre stills, in a method they call precision-distilling, and they only run one distillation per week.

A family-run business, the Dyfi Distillery is big on sustainability and respecting their environment. Co-founder, Pete Cameron, is a hill farmer, forager, beekeeper and experimental scientist, while fellow co-founder and brother, Danny Cameron, is a highly experienced wine and spirits professional, making them the perfect duo to produce world-class gin.