Ceredigion distillery, In the Welsh Wind, is celebrating a landmark achievement for its debut blended Welsh malt whisky.

Brychan won a gold medal and was judged category and country winner for Best Welsh Blended Malt 2026 at the prestigious World Whiskies Awards 2026.

Creating Brychan is not only an important achievement for In the Welsh Wind, as an artisanal, spirit-producing distillery, but a significant milestone in the history of Welsh whisky – it’s Wales' first blend of single malt Welsh whiskies to come to market.

The awards affirm Brychan’s place as a whisky of exceptional quality, taste and appeal. It’s also a testament to the passion, creativity and excellence ethos of In the Welsh Wind, based near Cardigan.

This new whisky is a carefully curated blend of Welsh single malt whiskies aged in bourbon, port and red wine casks, with only 10 casks selected for this small-batch release.

Ellen Wakelam, In the Welsh Wind co-founder and director, said: “We are delighted and immensely proud to have won these awards. For us, Brychan is the culmination of many years of dedication to whisky-making here in West Wales.

“To have our first blended malt recognised at this level and to be judged as gold award-winning standard is incredibly exciting and rewarding for us as a craft distillery and for Welsh whisky as a whole. Brychan, however, is just the beginning. Watch this space!”

Ellen explained that the original ambition when crafting Brychan was to create a uniquely special blend that would become far greater than the sum of its parts.

Brychan's special character has been achieved through distinctive cask selection: bourbon casks for depth and warmth, port for richness and red wine casks for a softer red-fruit character.

In the Welsh Wind is planning two further distinct blends of Welsh malt whiskies later this year.