A Vale distillery has teamed up with a Welsh brewery to create a groundbreaking single malt whisky.

After three and a half years of dedicated work, Hensol Castle Distillery and Tiny Rebel Brewery have announced this exciting collaboration.

Led by master distiller Dai Wakely, the distillery has embarked on a journey of innovation, with previous successful product releases across multiple spirit categories.

This particular collaboration commenced with the expertise blend of Mr Wakely and Mark Gammons, the head brewer at Tiny Rebel.

They developed a bespoke recipe resulting in a 100 per cent malted barley beer wash over the past 18 months, which is the foundation of the distillation process at Hensol Castle Distillery.

The output of this process has resulted in a whisky of 'unparalleled depth and character.'

Exactly a year prior, the first 200L ex-Jack Daniels barrel of Welsh single malt whisky was laid down.

Under the guidance of head distiller Kyle Jones and technical distillery Carl Andrews, the distillery fine-tuned its distillation techniques, with a combined experience of 30 years in craft liquid production.

Mr Wakely has assumed a creative role, overseeing bottle design, cask souring, and marketing strategies.

He will work closely with Mr Jones to select barrels for further maturation, using their expertise to shape the whisky's distinctive profile.

Speaking about the project, Mr Wakely said: "The pinnacle of being a distiller is to create a multitude of original single malts.

"The evolution of the whisky is a fascinating one; initially we noted flavours of banana and bubble gum, which matured into nuanced notes of vanilla, dried fruit and sweet spice, after resting in ex-bourbon barrels for 12 months."

He described working with Tiny Rebel as 'a breeze' and praised the quality, consistency, and remarkable turnaround time of their beer wash.

Hensol Castle Distillery has a capacity to bottle up to six million bottles of spirits per year, and has won multiple gold medals won for its gin since its launch in 2021, as well as 15 gold medals for contract bottling clients in 2023 alone.