- West Red Lake Gold Mines (TSXV:WRLG) reached commercial production at its Madsen mine in Ontario’s prolific Red Lake District on January 1, 2026
- The mill produced 3,215 ounces of gold in December, 7,200 ounces in Q4 and 20,000 ounces in 2025
- The company is also advancing a high-grade deposit at the nearby Rowan property towards production
- The Canadian gold stock has added 83.33 per cent year-over-year
West Red Lake Gold Mines (TSXV:WRLG) reached commercial production at its Madsen mine in Ontario’s prolific Red Lake District on January 1, 2026, surpassing the company’s internal threshold of 30 consecutive days at 65 per cent mill capacity or higher.
The mill averaged 689 tons per day (tpd) in December, representing 86 per cent of permitted throughput, producing 3,215 ounces of gold at an average recovery rate of 94.6 per cent.
In Q4, Madsen processed 534 tons of ore per day averaging 5.06 grams per ton (g/t) of gold at a recovery rate of 95 per cent, pouring 7,200 ounces of gold sold at an average of US$4,150, generating US$30 million in revenue.
Looking back on 2025, the mine produced 20,000 ounces of gold, sold for an average of US$3,650 per ounce for revenue of US$73 million, with West Red Lake Gold ending the year with C$46 million in cash and gold receivables.
Mill feed in Q1 2026 will predominantly be sourced from the 4447 area, a high-grade zone in South Austin defined in 2025, with material expected to average more than 6 g/t gold. The company plans to release 2026 guidance in Q1.
Management commentary
“We are delighted to announce commercial production at the Madsen mine, achieved only seven months after completion of the bulk sample,” Shane Williams, president and chief executive officer of West Red Lake Gold Mines, said in Monday’s news release. “Achieving commercial production is a major milestone for any producer and it comes after a strong December that saw tonnage, grade, recoveries and production all perform to plan. Credit and gratitude go to the site operations team, who delivered a responsible and methodical mine ramp up. I also want to thank our partners the Lac Seul and Wabauskang First Nations and the community of Red Lake for their longstanding support. We will continue to ramp up from this strong base, and I anticipate Madsen will reach sustained permitted capacity by mid-2026.”
“We are drilling at Fork with a view to bring that deposit into the mine plan this year,” Williams continued. “The shaft is nearing operation and work to date has revealed a path to potentially increase shaft tonnage significantly in the medium term. We are starting to delineate a new high-grade area in Lower Austin called the 904 Complex that is similar to 4447, the high-grade area in South Austin that we advanced through definition drilling, mine design and access development within 8 months so that today we are mining this high-margin mineralization. The immediate impact of mining these jewelry box-type areas was realized when material from 4447 lifted the gold grade through the Madsen mill to levels reaching 8.9 g/t gold in December. We look forward to pulling a majority of our ore tons from the 4447 area through Q1. It has taken immense work to get here and it is fantastic to see our methodical approach generate the results and opportunities we knew Madsen could deliver.”
About West Red Lake Gold Mines
West Red Lake Gold Mines is a mineral explorer and producer active on its flagship 47-square-kilometre Madsen gold mine in Ontario’s Red Lake district. The company is also advancing a high-grade deposit at the nearby Rowan property towards production.
West Red Lake Gold Mines stock (TSXV:WRLG) is up by 5.77 per cent trading at C$1.10 as of 9:36 am ET. The stock has added 83.33 per cent year-over-year.
Join the discussion: Find out what investors are saying about this Canadian gold mining stock on the West Red Lake Gold Mines Ltd. Bullboard and make sure to explore the rest of Stockhouse’s stock forums and message boards.
Stockhouse does not provide investment advice or recommendations. All investment decisions should be made based on your own research and consultation with a registered investment professional. The issuer is solely responsible for the accuracy of the information contained herein.
For full disclaimer information, please click here.