Welsh whisky (Welsh: Wisgi Cymreig; alternative forms: wysgi, chwisgi) is a whisky made in Wales. Whisky was distilled in Wales since the Middle Ages, but died out in the late 19th century. In the 1990s attempts were made to revive the practice, resulting in the establishment of Wales' first distillery in over one hundred years. Today Welsh whisky is represented by Penderyn

History

Like the other Celtic nations, Wales has a long history of alcohol creation; but distillation came in the Middle Ages. '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. However the name "Reaullt" is a High Mediaeval loanword from Anglo-NormanFrench; and "chwisgi" comes from the Irish uisce beatha ("water [of life"), itself a calque from Mediaeval Latin aqua vitae. "The Mabinogion" refers to fermentation but not distillation; and the end of the "Mead Song" in a 16th century manuscript of the "Tales of Taliesin" mentions distillation, although mead is a fermented beverage.

Revival

Manufacturing of whisky in Wales declined during the 19th century, and ceased in 1894. In the 1990s entrepreneurs attempted to revive distillation in the country. The first attempts entailed bottling Scottish blends in Wales as "Welsh whisky", but a lawsuit by Scotch distillers ended the enterprise. In 2000 the foundation of the Welsh Whisky Company (now known as Penderyn) was announced. A distillery was built at Penderyn in the Brecon Beacons National Park. Production commenced in 2000 and the finished product, the first whisky commercially produced in Wales for a century, went on sale in 2004.

Penderyn Distillery (7)