The whisky may not be ready yet – but Penderyn distillery in the north of Wales clinches top award

The new £5 million Penderyn Distillery in Llandudno has been named the north of Wales’s top attraction at the region’s tourism ‘Oscars’.

There might be a three to five year wait before its whisky, a sister to the popular range produced at the original Penderyn distillery, near Aberdare, can be sampled, but its Visitor Centre is already packing them in.

It received its accolade at the Go North Wales Tourism Awards at Venue Cymru in Llandudno sponsored by leading Harlech Foodservice and hosted by journalist Sian Lloyd who hails from Wrexham.

The occasion was also a 30^th anniversary celebration for organiser North Wales Tourism which was founded in 1990 and now represents more than 1,500 members across the region.

The Llandudno distillery is housed in the Grade II listed Old Board School in the town’s Lloyd Street and only opened in May.

A delighted Distillery Manager, Dafydd Pesic-Smith, said: “It is going very well and it’s great to be in such a brilliant town.

“We’re a well-known and trusted brand and people are out and about now and they’re enjoying visiting us and seeing what we do.”

‘Hardest year’

Plas Dinas Country House in Bontnewydd near Caernarfon – once home to Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon – was named as the Hotel of the Year.

The leasehold for Plas Dinas Country House was bought by Daniel and Annie Perks in 2019 after they fell in love with the building.

Back in the 1960s, it provided a bolthole for Lord Snowdon, formerly  Anthony Armstrong-Jones, and Princess Margaret, hidden away from the glare of London life.

It was also where Lord Snowdon used as a base to plan Prince Charles’s investiture at Caernarfon Castle in 1969.

The judges were particularly impressed with how the current owners had used the lockdown to redesign the nine bedrooms and 80 per cent of the public areas, including the Gunroom Restaurant.

A delighted Annie Perks said: “This has been the hardest year we’ve ever had but it’s also been remarkable.

“The fact that we’re preserving this story of royal romance and being able to tell it through the design and the character of this unique property and in a pandemic has just been amazing.”

Also honoured at the event was Dr Shyam Patiar MBE, the former Director of Hospitality and Catering at Coleg Llandrillo, who received the Go 30 Years in Tourism Award, sponsored by Tir Prince Leisure Group,

The accolade was to recognise the immense contribution to the tourism and hospitality sector made by Dr Patiar who has dedicated his professional life to preparing young people to excel in the tourism and hospitality industry.

Many of his protegés have gone on to have stellar careers, including the likes of TV chef Bryn Williams, who runs acclaimed restaurants in London and Colwyn Bay.

Dr Patiar is currently training young people in the industry to compete against the best in the World Skills Olympics which will take place next year in Shanghai, China.

‘Absolute nightmare’

According to Chair of the judges Jim Jones, the chief executive of North Wales Tourism, the amount of investment going into improving the infrastructure of the tourism and hospitality sector was a vote of confidence in the future of the industry in the north of Wales.

Before the pandemic, the tourism industry was flying with the overall income generated increasing to an all-time high of £3.6 billion in 2019 when the number of visitors rocketed to nearly 37 million.

After a massive slump, the staycation boom this summer showed that North Wales was still a hugely popular destination for holidaymakers.

Jim Jones said: “Like everybody else, the tourism industry has endured an absolute nightmare over the past 20 months and, because of the nature of the business, our sector was disproportionately affected during the lockdown periods.

“I would like to congratulate the winners and the other finalists tonight because was they have achieved is utterly remarkable, particularly under the most difficult of circumstances.

“I would also like to stress that all the nominees are playing an absolutely vital role in leading the economic recovery here in North Wales and I would like to thank them for their incredible ongoing contribution.”

David Cattrall, the managing director of Harlech Foodservice, said: “We were delighted to have the opportunity to be the headline backer of the awards and to sponsor two individual categories because the tourism and hospitality industry represents our core customer base.

“Although we’ve all had an extremely tough time, there are reasons to be optimistic for the future and the scale of investment going into North Wales shows there is a strong belief that this is a first-class, must-visit destination.”

North Wales Tourism used the occasion to raise money for their nominated charity, St David’s Hospice in Llandudno.

Winners

Go Best B&B/Inn of the Year sponsored by Colliers Hotels

• Plas Tan-Yr-Allt Historic Country House – Porthmadog, Gwynedd.

Go Self Catering of the Year sponsored by Pario Leisure Group

• Lyons Pendyffryn Hall, Penmaenmawr, Conwy.

Go Caravan, Camping or Glamping of the Year sponsored by Harlech Food Service

• Graig Wen Arthog, Dolgellau, Gwynedd

Go Holiday Park of the year sponsored by Thornley Leisure Parks

• Marine Holiday Park, Rhyl.

Go Pet Friendly Award sponsored by Pero Foods Ltd

• Y Shed, Meliden, Prestatyn

Go Responsible and Sustainable Green Award sponsored by Adventure Parc Snowdonia

• GreenWood Family Park, Y Felinheli

Go Business Events and Incentive Travel Award sponsored by Heart North Wales

• Venue Cymru, Llandudno

Go Attraction of the Year sponsored by Development Bank of Wales

• Penderyn Distillery, Lloyd St, Llandudno

Go Activity of the Year sponsored by Design 2 Print

• Mynydd Sleddog Adventures, Bwlch Hafod Einion near Llyn Brenig and Alwen Reservoir,

Go Taste of North Wales Award sponsored by Bwydlyn Butchery

• Three Eagles Bar & Grill, Llangollen

Go Resilience and Innovation Award sponsored by North Wales Live

• St David’s Hospice, Llandudno

Go Tourism & Hospitality Hero sponsored by Aber Falls Distillery

• Glenn Evans, from Ruthin – Royal Oak Hotel, Betws y Coed

Outstanding Contribution to Tourism Award sponsored by Grwp Llandrillo Menai

• Michael Bewick – JW Greaves Lts, Managing Director, Llechwedd, Bl Ffestiniog, Gwynedd

Go Hotel of the Year sponsored by Castell Howell Foods Ltd

• Plas Dinas Country House

Go 30 years of the Tourism Industry sponsored by Tir Prince Leisure Group

• Dr Shyam Patiar MBE, Llandrillo College