Overlooking Cardigan Bay in Wales is a small distillery called In The Welsh Wind. It’s a business with a somewhat evocative name, which compelled us to investigate further. Its founders produce Gins, Whisky and bespoke alcohols, and Jeremy didn’t need to be asked twice when offered the chance to sample some of their wares.
The In the Welsh Wind Distillery could be called an artisan producer as they are more focused on creating excellent alcohol rather than sheer volume. In their beautiful location, the Founders Alex Jungmayr, Ellen Wakelam and Ffion (distiller) source local ingredients to blend with water and create spirits. I will be telling you more about their Welsh Whisky, but first, I will take you through their gins.
Signature Style Gin
A smooth oil-rich gin with a botanical profile inspired by cargoes imported into New Quay. The deep luscious flavours of oranges, cinnamon, clove, ginger and tea-soaked currants. A delightful drink, which I feel works best with a simple tonic.
- Gin 43% vol
- 70cl bottle
- Price: £42.00
Limited Edition Palo Cortado Cask Aged Gin
This cask-aged gin is a beautiful marriage of the award-winning Signature Style spirit, rested in Palo Cortado barrels.
The essences that feel your mouth are Almonds, dried stone fruit and wood spice from the cask perfectly complemented by the underlying warmth of the original gin’s botanical profile.
- Cask-aged Gin 43% vol
- 70cl bottle
- Price: £45.00
New for this year is the company’s Welsh Whisky made from green malt rather than kiln-dried grain. The barley is grown within 10 miles of the Distillery by local farmers. In 2020 Ellen & Alex commissioned their first batch of barley to be raised by local farmers, and 2021 has seen them perfect a production method that allows the grain to be grown and fully processed in west Wales. Head Distiller Ffion Lewis is working on a rarely seen approach to whisky making, utilising green malt.
The In the Welsh Wind distillery uses on-site malting, meaning there is no grain transportation from Wales to the malting houses in England. The company does not have to kiln to remove moisture from the grain. They adopt a traditional floor malting technique, naturally letting moisture disperse. The malted grain is then crushed, and the team move straight to mashing in.
Ffion explains, “Our barley is grown by farmers local to the Distillery and is stored by them until we need it. It is delivered to the Distillery in 1-tonne bags, where we get to work. The grain is steeped and then floor-malted before mashing in. We don’t kiln, preferring to go straight to the still. This way, flavours of the grain shine through in the new make spirit.
Using green malt allows us to retain flavours from the grain through distillation: cucumber, fresh-cut grass, yellow raisin and melon. These flavours are far from those you would expect to find in a traditional Scotch – and will be balanced by the effects of carefully chosen casks, delivering some pretty unique, flavourful Whisky.”
Using green malt allows the company to retain flavours from the grain through distillation that they consider almost unique in the Whisky industry. The cucumber, fresh-cut grass, yellow raisin and Galia melon flavours in the spirit are far from those you’d taste in a traditional Scotch Whisky. The drinker should taste complex and intriguing flavours from the spirit.
As one of a handful of green malt Whisky distilleries globally, In the Welsh Wind are proud to shout about its benefits and overcome challenges in production to deliver a local, natural, sustainable and delicious spirit.
Whisky notes:
Whisky tasting notes: new make is coming out with notes of cucumber, fresh-cut grass, golden sultana and ripe melon – quite different from what you might expect from a kilned grain.
In The Welsh Wind Distillery – Where and How?
The Distillery specialises in creating bespoke spirits tailored to you in their copper pot stills, Meredith and Afanc. They can establish the botanical profile and discover your gin with your influence. Every spirit they produce is unique because of our tiny batch and individual approach.
Website: https://inthewelshwind.co.uk.
Address:
In The Welsh Wind Distillery
Gogerddan Arms
Tan-y-groes
Cardigan
Ceredigion
SA43 2HP
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