David Archer Architects, Keith Collie · Penderyn Distillery Visitor Centre. Brecon Beacons

Keith Collie

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The Visitor Centre, which completed in July 2008, is located on the site of the distillery on the edge of the Brecon Beacons National Park. It offers the public the opportunity to learn about the distilling process in one of the smallest distilleries in the world and Wales’ only distillery.

Keith Collie

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The visitor centre which won a RIBA 2009 award is housed in one of the site’s existing buildings, which has been reclad in black stained whaney edged sawn oak panels to give a robust and distinctive presence. Characterising the Penderyn brand, a restrained aesthetic synonymous with authenticity and attention to detail, the new visitor centre is deliberately understated with a handcrafted quality. The entrance borrows the motif from the whisky bottle label, a seam of gold in black backdrop, and replicates it in brass and slate.

Visitors enter into a light double height white entrance lobby through to a tasting room, which is lined in sawn timber with a hand painted finish. Barrels are stacked to act as space dividers, guiding visitors through to a tasting bar, made of black slate with brass inlay. The centre offers views into the still, bottling area and cooperage store, drawing in the rich aroma of the whisky and sherry soaked casks used for aging.