THE founders of Cardigan distillery In The Welsh Wind have been named Food & Drink Entrepreneurs of the Year for Wales at the Great British Entrepreneur Awards 2020.

Alex Jungmayr and Ellen Wakelam set up their business in 2018 at Plas y Wern, Tresaith and have since transferred to the former Gogerddan Arms site on the main coast road just north of Cardigan.

In The Welsh Wind is not the first or the only distillery in Wales but it stands out for its flexible and unconventional approach to the distillery business.

The distillery has been focused on creating custom-branded spirits for other businesses and has developed and distilled more than 35 gins for different brands and businesses.

With its own Signature Style dry gin launched in July this year, the distillery now has its sights set on developing a ‘grain to glass’ Welsh whisky.

The whisky will be distilled using barley grown by local farmers in fields at the distillery and around the area. The barley will be malted in Wales, something which hasn't happened for over 100 years, so that the whisky produced by the distillery will be 100 per cent Welsh.

During the current coronavirus pandemic, the distillery produced free hand sanitiser for local key workers.

Ellen, co-owner and director of In the Welsh Wind, said: “We are really excited to win this award in Wales.

“The other businesses shortlisted in our category would all have made worthy winners and it’s an honour to have been recognised for everything we’ve put into the business. We’re looking forward to the national final.”

Francesca James, founder of the Great British Entrepreneur Awards, said: “Alex and Ellen have a wonderful entrepreneurial story and I’m delighted for them to win this award.

“I’ll be keeping a very close eye on what they do in the years to come and look forward to welcoming them to the community.”

Alex and Ellen will join all the other winners of from each category at the National Final of the Great British Entrepreneur Awards, with a date to be announced due to restrictions on large events.

Now in its eighth year, the Great British Entrepreneur Awards in partnership with Starling Bank celebrate the hard work and inspiring stories of entrepreneurs in the UK, rather than the business’ balance sheet.

The ‘food and drink’ category recognises entrepreneurs that have combined their expertise in their sector with their business prowess to create an established food and drink company that delivers a product as tantalising in taste as their entrepreneurial story.

With Covid-19 restrictions preventing the regional finals taking place at a live event, Alex and Ellen won the award during a virtual award ceremony joined by finalists across every region.