Welsh whisky

Welsh whisky ( _cy. Wisgi Cymreig; alternative forms: "wysgi", "chwisgi") is a distilled spirit made in Wales.

Like the other Celtic nations, Wales has a long history of spirit distillation. It started life as far back as the 4th century, with a man known as Reaullt Hir distilling on Bardsey Island off the North Wales coast. The ingredients of this early spirit, known universally as “aqua-vitae” or gwirod in the Welsh language, was a mix of barley, yeast and honey distilled to make a basic raw spirit.A further very old claim states that distilling was known in Wales in the 6th century because the famous Welsh bard Taliesin mentions distilled mead in his 'Mead Song'. Finally, distilled alcoholic drinks are also said to feature in "The Mabinogion", a collection of Welsh sagas possibly dating from the 11th century, but containing elements that pre-date Christianity.

'The Great Welsh Warrior' Reaullt Hir is said to have distilled 'chwisgi' from braggot brewed by the monks of Bardsey Island in 356 AD. These monks then allegedly developed the art of distilling further. (The Monks of Ynys Enlli, published in 1992).

In more recent times, there was a small commercial distillery at Dale, Pembrokeshire, opened in 1705. This distillery was owned by Evan Williams's family who later emigrated to the USA and helped found the Kentucky whiskey industry. A number of high quality bourbons are sold under the Evan Williams name to this day. [ [http://www.evanwilliams.com/history_article.shtml History of Evan Williams Kentucky Bourbon, Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey ] ]

In the 19th century a whisky distillery operated at Frongoch near Bala, Gwynedd in North Wales under the chairmanship of a Mr Robert Willis. In the late 1800s, the “chapel building mania” in Wales with its associated temperance movement, combined with the unfortunate death of Mr Willis under the wheels of a horse cart, conspired to put an end to distillation in Wales for more than 100 years.

In 1998 a new Welsh Whisky Company Ltd was formed and a distillery was built at Penderyn in the Brecon Beacons National Park. Production commenced in 2000 and the finished product went on sale in 2008. [cite web |title=Rebirth of Welsh whisky spirit |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7374969.stm]

See also

* Whisky
* List of whisky brands

References

External links

* [http://www.welsh-whisky.co.uk/ The Welsh Whisky Company]
* [http://www.thescotchblog.com/ The Scotch Blog] – News and comment on the whisky industry