Western Gold Intersects High-Grade Gold Within Its Newly Discovered Porphyry-Breccia Pipe at Ardlochan Prospect

Western Gold Exploration Ltd. (TSXV: WGLD,OTC:WGELF) (the "Company") is pleased to announce results from 2025 drilling at Ardlochan (Figure 1). Following positive indications from the initial shallow scout drilling campaign at Ardlochan in 202324 (see May 2024 Press Release), the Company completed 741 m of drilling across three holes (Table 1). These tested three target styles: a porphyry-breccia pipe, porphyry stock mineralisation, and a marginal structural zone (Figure 2).

Breccia Pipe Gold Discovery

Drilling confirmed the discovery of a gold mineralised breccia pipe system at least 140m in diameter, containing multiple generations of porphyry breccia (Figure 3). Most of the higher-grade gold mineralisation occurs in late stage breccias with a potassic matrix and within dykes, although their development in this drillhole is limited. Further drilling is warranted to assess how the pipe varies with depth. Copper mineralisation is elevated throughout but does not correlate well with gold.

The entire pipe is anomalous in gold and averages 195m @ 0.36 g/t Au, from 30 m downhole (using a 0.1 g/t Au cutoff). Full intercepts are reported in Table 2 with higher grade zones including¹:

• 4m @ 6.73 g/t Au from 135m, including: 
  
  • 1m @ 23.6 g/t Au from 136m
• 12.2m @ 0.72 g/t Au, from 31.8m*
• 6m @ 0.73 g/t Au, from 71m*
• 1m @ 1.11 g/t Au, 22.4 g/t Ag, 0.45% Cu, from 112m

^1.Using a 0.3 g/t Au cut-off with ≤ 5m consecutive internal dilution
*Reported in previous press release

"The Lorne Project continues to surprise us. Breccia pipe systems can be important hosts to gold and copper mineralisation in porphyry systems, and this pipe is consistently mineralised, with some high-grade gold in the first drillhole into the system," said Harry Dobson, Chairman. "Having identified several other potential breccia pipes, these results give us confidence in the broader potential of the project considering the limited drilling conducted to date."

The second hole, WGLD25-B, drilled towards the top of a resistivity magnetic target, looking for primary porphyry mineralisation. It intersected minor copper (up to 0.33% Cu) and gold (up to 0.27 g/t Au) at the granodiorite contact with the phyllite country rock over several metres. The magnetic anomaly appears to be caused by potassic veining with associated magnetite within the granodiorite, but is essentially barren, downgrading this geophysical target. Mineralisation of interest includes*:

1. Skarned Dalradian metasediments with biotite-feldspar porphyry dykes:
   1. 9m @ 0.18 g/t Au [from 17m], including 1m @ 0.53 g/t Au
2. Dalradian - granodiorite contact:
   1. 7m @ 0.14% Cu, 0.17 g/t Au [from 100m]
3. Veined granodiorite:
   1. 1m @ 0.33% Cu, 0.05% Mo, 0.27 g/t Au [from 114m]

*Using a 0.1 g/t Au cut-off with ≤ 5m consecutive internal dilution

The third hole, WGLD25-D2, tested the structural target but did not intercept the first structural zone, as it was stoped out by later Tertiary dolerite dykes. The MT survey's conductive target zone was intersected and is represented by pyritic granodiorite/monzonite with minor chalcopyrite, associated with potassic alteration; this interval is weakly enriched in copper (c. 200-500 ppm Cu). Drilling terminated in this weakly mineralised and altered zone, characterised by quartz-K-feldspar-biotite veining with minor actinolite and molybdenite.

Figure 1. Aerial image of the Lorne Porphyry District, held entirely within our exclusive Crown Minerals Exploration Licence, highlighting the Ardlochan and Lagalochan centres. 

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Figure 2. (Top) Plan view resistivity map through Ardlochan (-50m slice below sea level), displaying the magnetic-resistive core and conductive ring structure and associated drill collar locations Section Line in Blue. (Bottom) Resistivity cross section through Ardlochan with schematic, hypothetical subsurface geology and associated target types.

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Figure 3. Graphic log of WGLD009_EXT superimposed on a schematic cross section through the breccia pipe, highlighting key gold-intercepts and hypothetical subsurface geology.

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Next Steps

Drilling has confirmed Ardlochan has potential for gold rich porphyry style mineralisation and validated that anomalies from the 2024 airborne MT survey align with key geological features. Late potassic mineralisation identified within the breccia pipe tested in hole WGLD009_EXT has been identified as a key target for future exploration efforts. Historic maps created by a Noranda Phelps Dodge joint venture during the discovery of the Ardlochan area have been recently recovered from the British Geological Survey MEIGA reports and are currently being reanalysed and assessed on the ground by our team of geologists. New exploration targets, with a focus on gold-rich porphyry-breccia's, are currently being refined.

Table 1. Collars and survey details of diamond drill holes. Note: survey data is taken from surface. All coordinates in British National Grid.

Table 2. Composite grade log of half-core assay results from WGLD009_EXT, applying a 0.3 g/t Au cut-off with ≤ 5m of consecutive internal dilution.¹ Uses a 0.1 g/t Au cutoff with 10m maximum consecutive internal dilution. True widths are unknown at this point as drilling is only in the very early stages.

About Western Gold Exploration

The Company is a mineral exploration company that is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "WGLD". The Company is focused on the exploration of mineral properties in Scotland and discovering new opportunities across the underexplored Caledonian Appalachian and identifying locations of gold and critical metal deposits. The Company's principal focus is its Lorne Project, which includes the Lagalochan copper gold porphyry property located in Argyll, Scotland (the "Lagalochan Property"), and the adjacent and nearby properties along the Lorne Fault Zone.

On 29 November 2022, the Company filed a National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects compliant, independent Technical Report (the "Technical Report") on the Lagalochan Property. The Technical Report and additional information about the Company are available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca under the Company's profile and on the Company's website: www.westerngoldexploration.com.

Review by Qualified Person, Quality Control and Reports

David Pym (CGeol), a consultant of the Company, is the Qualified Person (as defined by National Instrument 43-101) who supervised, verified and approved the scientific and technical disclosure in this press release on behalf of the Company. Verification included checking a proportion of the reported assays (excluding historical) in the Company database against the issued laboratory assay certificates. In addition, verification has included checking the location and orientation of the drill collars in the Company database against historic maps and reports.

The Qualified Person has not reviewed the mineral tenure, nor independently verified the legal status and ownership of the Property or any underlying property agreements. The drilling was conducted by specialist contractor Mineral Exploration Drilling Ltd (MED) using a small footprint drill rig. Collars were surveyed using multi-band GNSS for precision positioning, and downhole surveys were measured using a Reflex GYRO survey tool. Holes were drilled using HQ diameter core barrels positioned approximately perpendicular to the interpreted orientation of drill-targets. All core was orientated and recoveries were generally > 95% beneath overburden. All core was logged, photographed, split to half-core and sampled at the Company's onsite technical facilities. Intercept widths are not true widths and are subject to ongoing interpretation. All drill core was shipped directly to ALS Loughrea, IDA Business Park, Dublin Road, H62 PN80, Loughrea, Co. Galway, Ireland, for analyses. The Company can guarantee the chain of custody. Gold was assayed by 30g fire assay analysis with AAS finish (Au-AA23). Base metals and silver were analysed using four-acid digestion ICP-MS (ME-MS61). All ALS Geochemistry sites operate under a single Global Geochemistry Quality Manual that complies with ISO/IEC 17025:2017, coupled within a global LIMS platform. There is no relationship, fiduciary or otherwise, between ALS and the Company. The Company's QA/QC program for drill core samples includes the regular insertion of blanks and standards into the sample shipments, as well as instructions for duplication. Standards and blanks are inserted every 20 samples.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements" under applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to timing and completion of any drilling and work programs on the Company's properties, estimates of mineralisation from drilling, geological information projected from drilling results, potential for minerals and/or mineral resources, and statements regarding the plans, intentions, beliefs, and current expectations of the Company with respect to the future business activities and operating performance of the Company that may be described herein. Forward-looking statements consist of statements that are not purely historical, including any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Such information can generally be identified by the use of forwarding-looking wording such as "may", "expect", "estimate", "anticipate", "intend", "believe" and "continue" or the negative thereof or similar variations. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are based will occur.

By their nature, forward-looking statements involve numerous assumptions, known and unknown risks and uncertainties, both general and specific, that contribute to the possibility that the predictions, estimates, forecasts, projections and other forward-looking statements will not occur. These assumptions, risks and uncertainties include, among other things, the state of the economy in general and capital markets in particular, accuracy of assay results, geological interpretations from drilling results, timing and amount of capital expenditures; performance of available laboratory and other related services, future operating costs, and the historical basis for current estimates of potential quantities and grades of target zones, as well as those risk factors discussed or referred to in the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis for the year ended December 31, 2024, and the period ended June 30, 2025 available at www.sedarplus.ca, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release. Except as required by law, the Company disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Additionally, the Company undertakes no obligation to comment on the expectations of, or statements made by, third parties in respect of the matters discussed above.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

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