Welsh whisky wonder

Jack Daniels was from Wales

The whisky makers of Scotland and Ireland are facing unexpected competition from their Celtic cousins in Wales.

The Welsh Whisky company has just opened the first distillery in Wales since the 1800s.

What's even more remarkable is that the business came about after a conversation in a pub amongst a group of drinkers.

Jack Daniels

Brian Morgan, chairman of the Welsh Whisky Company, is also a lecturer in entrepreneurship at Cardiff University.

"We had been at a conference in Builth Wells to talk about how we could encourage a new generation of entrepreneurs in Wales," says Brian.

"Someone talked about how the Jack Daniels himself and the people behind the Kentucky bourbon industry had all come from Wales.

"We were bemoaning the fact that although whisky making in Wales goes back to the sixth century, we no longer had our own whisky industry and the seeds were sown," adds Brian.

Bottle of the whisky cost around £30

Brecon Beacons borehole

That was five years ago.

Since then, Brian and a group of six friends have taken over premises at Penderyn in South Wales.

A borehole at the site gives them access to water straight from the Brecon Beacons.

The Brains brewery at Cardiff prepares the barley that is used to make the single malt.

The company have built their own still and last year, on St David's Day, Welsh whisky was launched on the market.

It has cost £2.5M to develop the drink, ten times more than original expectations.

In a nod to that old Welsh tradition, Jack Daniels barrels are brought back to Wales from America and used to mature the whisky.

It is then finished off in old Madeira casks to add flavour.

Whisky winner

The whisky has won several awards already and has been praised within the industry.

The Whisky Buyer's Bible gave the drink a score of 91 out of a hundred.

Production is still small scale, at around 300 bottles a day, but the firm now employs 20 people and there are ambitious plans to grow quickly and even open a visitor centre.

The whisky costs around £30 a bottle and is aimed at the connoisseur.

But the company has found a growing demand in the valleys of South Wales, with drinkers keen to get a drop of locally-made whisky for the first time in more than a century.