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Penderyn Welsh Whisky laced with gold flakes will be sold in China and Taiwan following the signing of an agreement between the Valleys-based distiller and Gold Nano Tech (GNT) of Taiwan.

GNT has provided Penderyn with consumable gold flake which the distiller has been adding to its single malt Welsh Whisky. The first consignment of bottles have already been sent to the Far East..

The initial order, which has been dispatched to Taiwan, comprises 10,000 bottles which will retail at around $100 US dollars.

Penderyn’s managing director Stephen Davies said: “The nano-grade edible gold flake has a thickness of only 30 nanometres – a quarter of the thickness of traditional top-grade gold flake.

“ It is only gold flake approved by Taiwan’s Ministry of Health and Welfare for manufacture of cake, chocolate and alcoholic beverages and is believed to contain health giving properties.

“When bottled it blends with the distinctive gold seam that distinguishes the Penderyn brand from all others.”

The only distillery in Wales, founded in 1998, Penderyn began distilling in 2000 and now has 30 employees and a turnover of £4m. Its first Penderyn single malt whisky was launched by Prince Charles in 2004 and sold out on the first day.

In addition to its range of whiskies, which are stocked by major retailers including Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Morrisons and Tesco, the company also produces vodka, gin and a cream liqueur

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Mr Davies said: “At Penderyn we produce just one cask per day of the finest malted barley spirit, which, when matured, is recognised worldwide as one of the finest malt whiskies.

“The majority of our spirit goes into cask for ageing in our cellars. Our unique distilled single malt whisky is matured in bourbon barrels and finished in Madeira casks to impart a generous flavour of subtle complexity. Minute quantities are diverted to craft our other award-winning products

The Madeira finish single malt Welsh Whisky is distilled in a unique copper pot still, matured in bourbon barrels, finished in rich Madeira wine casks and bottled at premium strength, giving the single malt a smooth, light character and soft gold colour.

Mr Davies said: “The growth of the business has been constrained by a lack of production capacity rather than a lack of demand, so this investment will help us to propel the company forward.

“We have established a strong brand and business and we are now at the stage where we want to capitalise on that and look for expansion which what the joint venture with GNT has done.

“Whisky is a competitive marketplace but we are fully confident we can increase sales both at home and abroad.”

After securing £900,000 in finance from its bank last year it plans to triple production of its single malt whisky and boost export sales.

Having invested in new distilling equipment which includes a still, pot stills and mash tuns, production at the distillery will this year rise to 160,000 bottles, a 10% increase on last year’s output with year-on-year growth expected over the next five years.