Whisky Process - El Borbollon X Penderyn Distillery

Roast strength  

• Farm: El Borbollon

• Location: Santa Ana Volcano

• Altitude: 1400m

• Process: Washed then Whisky Barrel Aged

• Varietal: Red Bourbon

Cupping notes:

Boozy christmas cake, walnuts, ginger spice, dark chocolate, clotted cream, and of course, sweet Penderyn whisky. 

More information: 

We’re delighted to bring to you our 2025 Whisky Barrel Aged Coffee, brought in partnership with Penderyn Distillery, and commissioned by this year’s 2nd Annual Welsh Whisky festival.

From the misty peaks of Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) to the sunlit slopes of Santa Ana Volcano, El Salvador, this coffee’s story starts in 2020, when Aista Phillips, Master Blender at Penderyn Distillery, poured her spirit into an ex-bourbon barrel - beginning a five-year journey to create the award winning Penderyn ‘Legend’ whisky. 

Meanwhile, over 5000 miles away, on farms nestled 1400m above sea level, red bourbon coffee cherries were being carefully hand-picked and processed at the El Borbollon mill by the Alvarez family and their team of 40 skilled women, each paid above average for their expertise.
Fast-forward to September 2025 at our Nantlle roastery where the worlds of whisky and coffee finally meet. The green beans rest and roll gently in that same Penderyn whisky barrel for 4-6 weeks, absorbing its deep, lingering aroma. 

El Borbollon is a mill we have come to know and trust for its high quality of farming, ethical practice, and consistently excellent coffee. They are behind one of our roastery favourite’s ‘Bosque Lya Natural’, a coffee that’s featured in both our Nadolig blend and premium range in recent years. This year we are delighted to have secured enough of this washed crop to be able to showcase both the barrel-aged bean, and the bean itself, giving you the opportunity to taste the difference that the barrel gives the coffee, as well as simply enjoy an already fantastic coffee in its own right.