Yn niwedd y 19eg ganrif sefydlwyd distyllfa wisgi yn y Fron-goch gan y ‘bonheddwr mawr o’r Bala’, R. J. Lloyd Price, Plas Rhiwlas. Er gwaethaf buddsoddiad arianol sylweddol, byrhoedlog fu hanes y fenter. Yr achos am hyn, mae’n debyg, yw’r ffaith bod y wisgi ei hun ddim yn taro deuddeg, ond mae’r bardd yma o’r farn mai’r Methodisdiaid bondigrybwyll oedd ar fai!
Despite Wales having a whisky distilling tradition harking back centuries, by the end of the 19th century the situation was very dire, until R. J. Lloyd Price of Rhiwlas Hall near Bala, decided to take a stand. His ‘Royal Welsh Whisky’ however did not stand the test of time, to the disappointment of many, including the author of this song, who blamed the puritanism of the darned Methodists! So this is a tribute to that hearty liquid, as the chorus proclaims: ‘there is nothing better for a man than a tipple of Tryweryn’s water’.
Nora Brown continues to bring nuance and resonance to her modern interpretation of Appalachian folk and bluegrass on her latest LP. Bandcamp New & Notable Aug 30, 2022