Wye Valley distillery set to bring first ever single-malt Welsh whisky in Monmouthshire

MONMOUTHSHIRE could see the the first ever single-malt whisky being distilled in the county.

Silver Circle Distillery, an independent distillery in Penallt is set to make the first distilled and mature single-malt whisky in Monmouthshire.

They have been making winning spirits in the Wye Valley since 2019, and have now moved onto their next project.

The company was founded by Nina and Joe Howden, they have been based at Humble by Nature Farm for two years but the distillery was founded in 2019.

A crowd funder is ongoing and the money used will be going towards their project including buying some new equipment which they don’t already have that is specific to making whisky such as fermenters, different tanks, cooling systems and the barrels to age whisky in.

They have already raised enough money to get the project going so they can buy the first fermentation tank they need and for anyone wanting to be a part of the project they can pre order a bottle to receive in three years time.

As part of the crowd funder people have the opportunity to be a part of the Silver Circle Whisky Club where people can be invited to the distillery once a year to see the progress of the whisky maturation.

“Even if we don’t reach our goal right now we will still be keeping the project going, pre-selling bottles from the cask over the next few years,” said Nina.

Welsh single malt has been a protected category since 2023. There is only a handful of distilleries making Welsh single-malt and to be allowed to do that HMRC are required to inspect premises so it’s a very controlled production. The owners said they have also conducted a lot of research beforehand which is how they know they are going to be the first distillery in Monmouthshire to be a part of this story.

Making whisky is expensive and its a multi- step process. To make it can take a lengthy amount of time. In order for it to be classed as whisky the spirit needs to age in casks for a minimum of three years resulting in significant costs, followed by a long wait before a bottle of whisky can be sold.

The same still they have used to make gin can also be used to make whisky, therefore they can use some of there existing equipment. As part of the process they will also get wooden casks to fill with the spirit where the whisky will take a lot of its flavour from the chosen cask.

In Wales five distilleries produce whisky under this protected status including: Penderyn, Aber Falls, Dà Mhìle, Coles and In the Welsh Wind.

Over time the business owners have visited whisky distilleries in Wales, Scotland, England and America and have met with distillers and brewers. During this period have conducted research into how distilleries their size can achieve something like this.

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