KINGSBARNS DISTILLERY: ONE OF THE NEW BREED
Kingsbarns, near St Andrews in the Kingdom of Fife, is set in the heart of golf territory and Douglas Clement. A former caddie at Kingsbarns golf course, Douglas used his contacts to raise the initial capital. Unable to raise the considerable amount of money required, Douglas looked around for an appealing buyer, found the perfect owner and sold the distillery to the Wemyss family that has interests in bottling. The distillery, which is built in an old farmstead, opened in 2014 and the first Whisky appeared in 2018.
Overall, it took five years for Kingsbarns Distillery to grow from a brainwave of former golf caddie Douglas Clement into a working whisky distillery, but just 18 months to build. As with all new distilleries, regardless of the scale, working capital is a priority but something Clement had none of. What he did have, however, was a box full of business cards gathered from 13 years spent carrying bags for wealthy golfers at Kingsbarns Golf Links on the Fife coast, a few miles from St Andrews.
Realising there was no nearby whisky distillery to satisfy the curiosity of the course’s visitors, and having come across a derelict 18th-century farm steading on the Cambo Estate, situated just a short distance from Kingsbarns, Clement decided to build his own.
The initial £100,000 seed capital was raised from 32 investors, many of whom were golfers Clement knew from Kingsbarns, which enabled him to secure planning permission to transform the farm steading into a working distillery. Two years of further fundraising through crowdfunding sites and government grants failed to procure the £1.6 million needed to actually build the distillery. Even when a Scottish government grant of £670,000 was given to the project in 2012, Clement still fell short of his target.
But his efforts attracted the attention of the Wemyss family, owners of Wemyss Malts, who incidentally have a historical link with the site, as the seventh Earl of Wemyss owned part of the Cambo Estate between 1759 and 1783. In January 2013, Clement sold the business to the Wemyss family. With Clement remaining as a director and funding now fully in place, work began on Kingsbarns distillery within six months and was up and running within 18 months. The distillery, built on an old farmstead, opened in 2014 and the first Whisky appeared in 2018. Their output is limited at this moment but picking up speed. All their products from three to seven-year-old whiskies can be found at this link.
KINGSBARNS DOOCOT
Lowland Single Malt | 70cl | 46% ABV
Kingsbarns, the award-winning distillery in the Kingdom of Fife, has unveiled a new flagship whisky, Doocot just this past weekend, 03 March 2023. Doocot whisky is the first global launch for the brand, as the new flagship malt is being unveiled across 34 markets in the UK, Europe and the United States simultaneously. Now available, the new single malt whisky is a natural evolution from the distillery’s highly-popular and multi-award-winning ‘Dream to Dram’. Kingsbarns Doocot is the brand's new flagship whisky, replacing the former, which has been retired.
Distilled from barley sourced less than six miles from
the Kingsbarns Distillery, the flagship single malt Doocot has enjoyed a longer
maturation in cask, maintaining balance and developing complexity. Non-chill-filtered and bottled at 46% this Lowland single malt is full of sweet, fruity character, and is priced at an affordable £45.
Production Director Isabella Wemyss has carefully
selected a combination of Ex-Bourbon and STR (shaved, toasted and re-charred)
ex-Portuguese red wine casks to mature Doocot.
Full of sweet, fruity character, Doocot is light, intensely fruity, floral and complemented by a rich colour coming from the high-quality casks it has matured in.
DOOCOT: THE WHISKY NAME
|
DISTILLERY |
KINGSBARNS |
 |
|
Description |
Doocot
Lowland Single Malt Scotch |
|
|
Year
Bottled |
2023 |
|
|
Alcohol
ABV |
46
% |
|
|
Cask
Strength |
No |
|
|
Cask
Wood Type |
Bourbon
& STR Red Wine |
|
|
Single
Cask |
No |
|
|
Packaging |
Original
Box |
|
|
Bottler |
Distillery |
|
|
Country
of Origin |
Scotland |
|
|
Stopper |
Cork |
|
|
Bottle
Type |
Standard |
|
|
Bottle
Size |
70cl |
|
|
Neck
Level |
Full
Level |
|
|
HTFW
Cat. No. |
LP17546 |
The Scots word for dovecot, the name, Doocot, pays tribute to an architectural feature at Kingsbarns Distillery. As Spring transits into the warmer months, Doocot is the perfect refreshing, fruity dram that is guaranteed to take whisky fans on a stunning flavour journey. The distillery's doocot is a free-standing structure, which, with Adam-style crenellations and Gothic detailing, looks to all the world like a miniature fortified tower.
Nose: Wensleydale with apricot pieces, dried pineapple and green banana. Buttery pastry and creamy almond frangipane. Pears poached in vanilla syrup. Some grassy and hay-like notes, with blueberry yoghurt and delicately floral blossom honey. Some orange blossom water.
Palate: Medium-full. Lots of sweet vanilla cream up front, backed by fresh stone fruit: peach and plums in particular. French toast with more of those pears and vanilla syrup. Some egg custard and pastry notes, too. Miscellaneous background florals.
Finish: Medium-long. Ends on baked pear preceded by a subtle hint of spiced latte.
Comment: Elegant and summery. Lunch alfresco. An easy-going sip and the dessert-like flavours are well balanced.
|
DISTILLERY |
KINGSBARNS |
 |
|
Description |
Balcomie Cask Strength |
|
|
Year Bottled |
2022 |
|
|
Alcohol ABV |
59.9 % |
|
|
Cask Strength |
Yes |
|
|
Cask Wood Type |
Sherry |
|
|
Single Cask |
No |
|
|
Number Bottled |
3600 |
|
|
Packaging |
Original Box |
|
|
Bottler |
Distillery |
|
|
Country of Origin |
Scotland |
|
|
Stopper |
Cork |
|
|
Bottle Type |
Standard |
|
|
Bottle Size |
70cl |
|
|
Neck Level |
Full Level |
|
|
HTFW Cat. No. |
LP17594 |
Balcomie Cask Strength is a limited edition bottling from the Kingsbarns Distillery. This sweet and fruity Single Malt was matured in American oak butts that were previously used to age sherry within a traditional solera system. This means that the harsh wood characters have been removed, resulting in an elegant whisky where the sweet spirit is balanced perfectly by gentle sherry notes of the cask which nurses it to maturity.
|
DISTILLERY |
KINGSBARNS |
 |
|
Description |
Dream To Dram |
|
|
Year Bottled |
2019 |
|
|
Age |
3 YO |
|
|
Alcohol ABV |
46 % |
|
|
Cask Strength |
No |
|
|
Cask Wood Type |
Bourbon STR Red Wine |
|
|
Ratio |
90% to 10% |
|
|
Single Cask |
No |
|
|
Packaging |
Original Box |
|
|
Bottler |
Distillery |
|
|
Country of Origin |
Scotland |
|
|
Stopper |
Cork |
|
|
Bottle Type |
Standard |
|
|
Bottle Size |
70cl |
|
|
Neck Level |
Full Level |
|
|
HTFW Cat. No. |
LP12663 |
Product Description
The erstwhile flagship single malt from Kingsbarns Distillery in
the Lowlands, owned by the Wemyss family, which has been replaced by the Kingsbarns Doocot and thence retired.
Under the supervision of the whisky expert Jim Swan a
carefully considered combination of 1st fill ex-Bourbon and 1st fill STR -
that's Shaved, Toasted and Re-charred ex-Portuguese red wine casks- were used
to mature this classic whisky, the ratio being 90:10%.
Kingbarns Dream to Dram is light, intensely fruity,
floral and balanced, with a rich colour coming from the high-quality casks it
has matured in.
Nose: Pleasant maltiness. Clear notes of newmake, but a
fine newmake at that. Clearly matured in 1st fill bourbon with lots of vanilla
and tropical fruits. Hints of camphor.
Taste: Medium body and fairly low sweetness. Comes
across as young. Apples with cereal notes as well as malt and vanilla.
Finish: Medium to short finish. Apples still. Drier
towards the end. Hints of vanilla and tropical fruits.
Opinion: A fine whisky effort; we can expect a lot of
great things from Kingsbarns. The Dream to Dram will be available at specialist wine stores.
KINGSBARNS BALCOMIE SHERRY CASK WHISKY |70cl | 46% |RRP |£ 46.95
|
DISTILLERY |
KINGSBARNS |
 |
|
Description |
Balcomie
Sherry Cask |
|
|
Year
Bottled |
2020 |
|
|
Alcohol
ABV |
46
% |
|
|
Cask
Strength |
No |
|
|
Cask
Wood Type |
Oloroso
Sherry |
|
|
Single
Cask |
No |
|
|
Packaging |
Original
Box |
|
|
Bottler |
Wemyss
Malts |
|
|
Country
of Origin |
Scotland |
|
|
Stopper |
Cork |
|
|
Bottle
Type |
Standard |
|
|
Bottle
Size |
70cl |
|
|
Neck
Level |
Full
Level |
|
|
HTFW
Cat. No. |
LP13087 |
|
|
Year
Bottled |
2020 |
Product Description
This Single Malt from the family-owned distillery in
the Kingdom of Fife has been distilled using Fife barley and matured in 100%
ex-Oloroso American Oak Sherry Butts from Jerez previously used for maturing
Sherry. These casks were specifically chosen by Isabella Wemyss for their
gentle oak flavours and sherry-rich sweetness to compliment the fruit character
of the Kingsbarns spirit. The perfect balance between the spirit and the wood.
Nose: Treacle, sultanas, fruit loaf with cinnamon
icing, a touch of dark chocolate with summer berries.
Palate: Sweet tinned pineapple up front, orange peel,
cake spice.
Finish: Lots of dried apricot and a hint of roasted
hazelnut on the finish.
KINGSBARNS DISTILLERY SINGLE CASK 7 YO WHISKY |70cl | 46% |RRP |£ 74.95
|
DISTILLERY |
KINGSBARNS |
 |
|
Description |
Single Cask |
|
|
Age |
7 Year Old |
|
|
Alcohol ABV |
46 % |
|
|
Cask Strength |
No |
|
|
Cask Wood Type |
Ex-Bourbon |
|
|
Cask Number |
1510110 |
|
|
Single Cask |
Yes |
|
|
Number Bottled |
318 |
|
|
Packaging |
Original Box |
|
|
Bottler |
Distillery |
|
|
Country of Origin |
Scotland |
|
|
Stopper |
Cork |
|
|
Bottle Type |
Standard |
|
|
Bottle Size |
70cl |
|
|
Neck Level |
Full Level |
|
|
HTFW Cat. No. |
LP17076 |
Product Description
Given the wonders of natural oak cask maturation,
Kingsbarns Single Cask Whisky is celebrated for the nuances and variations that
develop in both aroma and flavour. This particular expression was matured in a
single ex-bourbon cask for 7 years.
Nose: Tropical fruits, toasted almonds, and floral
scent of geranium.
Palate: Kiwi fruit up front and hard-boiled pineapple
sweets.
Finish: Upside-down pineapple cake, vanilla, and touch
of sea salt.
KINGSBARNS SINGLE BOURBON CASK 5 YO WHISKY |70cl | 61% |RRP |£ 89.95
|
DISTILLERY |
KINGSBARNS |
 |
|
Description |
Single Cask |
|
|
Age |
5 Year Old |
|
|
Alcohol ABV |
61 % |
|
|
Cask Strength |
YES |
|
|
Cask Wood Type |
Ex-Bourbon |
|
|
Cask Number |
#1712007 |
|
|
Single Cask |
Yes |
|
|
Number Bottled |
249 |
|
|
Packaging |
Original Box |
|
|
Bottler |
Distillery |
|
|
Country of Origin |
Scotland |
|
|
Stopper |
Cork |
|
|
Bottle Type |
Standard |
|
|
Bottle Size |
70cl |
|
|
Neck Level |
Full Level |
|
|
HTFW Cat. No. |
LP17076 |
Product Description
Only 249 bottles are available of this single ex-bourbon
cask matured Whisky from Kingsbarns, making the Single Malt cherished
and waiting to be served and savoured.
Nose: Fragrant scent of violets, sweet vanilla icing,
and freshly cut grass.
Palate: Tinned pears, dried apricots, and vanilla pods.
Finish: Dry spice with grapefruit and cayenne pepper.
KINGSBARNS SINGLE SHERRY CASK 4 YO WHISKY |70cl | 61.1% |RRP |£ 94.95
|
DISTILLERY |
KINGSBARNS |
 |
|
Description |
Single Cask |
|
|
Age |
4 Year Old |
|
|
Alcohol ABV |
61.1 % |
|
|
Cask Strength |
YES |
|
|
Cask Wood Type |
Ex-Sherry |
|
|
Cask Number |
1732158 |
|
|
Single Cask |
Yes |
|
|
Number Bottled |
662 |
|
|
Packaging |
Original Box |
|
|
Bottler |
Distillery |
|
|
Country of Origin |
Scotland |
|
|
Stopper |
Cork |
|
|
Bottle Type |
Standard |
|
|
Bottle Size |
70cl |
|
|
Neck Level |
Full Level |
|
|
HTFW Cat. No. |
LP17078 |
Product Description
Although this is quite a young Whisky at 4 years, the
aroma and flavour are very nicely balanced; this result is primarily due to the
wonders of single sherry oak cask maturation.
Nose: Sultanas, Zante currants, and candied mixed peel.
Palate: Spicy up front with apple and cinnamon boiled
sweets and cherry cola.
Finish: Strawberry & rhubarb crumble, a hint of coconut, and crystallised ginger.
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