We travelled to our very own Kingsbarns Distillery in the East Neuk of Fife to meet with our distillery manager, Peter Holroyd. Peter is a vital cog in the Kingsbarns machine, using his passion and expertise to assist in the production of our award winning whiskies such as our flagship spirit, Dream to Dram.
How did you get to the stage of making whisky?
Well, I’ve always had a love of food and drink, in fact when I was a wee boy I wanted to be a chef. When I realised you could do a Brewing and Distilling course at university, I jumped at the chance to do it. I studied the Heriot Watt Brewing and Distilling course and then I worked for a couple of breweries making beer before a slight change in tack into making whisky. I joined Kingsbarns in 2014.
What is it about whisky that captivates you?
First and foremost it’s the flavour and aroma of it; whisky is a nostalgic drink, it brings back memories of childhood, people and experiences I’ve had in the past; that’s what makes it quite special for me. It’s also such an iconic product, it’s the drink of Scotland. It’s a mix of so many things; tradition, history, technology, science, and tourism. You can get so many different flavours from so many distilleries which are using the same ingredients, that’s what's captivating, there's always so much more to learn about it.
Do you think regionality is still important in whisky?
There is definitely historical significance in the different regions of whisky. Historically it was probably more related to blending and what blenders would use and how they would use different regions to give an accent to a whisky. I think perhaps today it's maybe a little less relevant, you have some distilleries in the lowlands making peaty whisky, whereas in Islay you can get some whiskies that are a touch floral. So things have been a little bit more mixed up but that’s not to say that location isn’t relevant. I think where a distillery is sited has got to have some bearing on the taste, whether that be from the water source that it’s using, the location of the barley fields or even the microclimate of where these casks are maturing. Remember that wood is breathing the whole time, so I think there's got to be some significance to the provenance of a product. I know for us at Kingsbarns, that’s certainly something that we’ve been very, very passionate about, when we’ve been striving to drive as much of the locality into the dram as we possibly can.
If you could have a dram with anyone living or in the past throughout history, who would it be?
That’s quite a tough question. I would probably say my grandmother because I never managed to meet her and it would be interesting to hear some stories I reckon, so that’s who I’d have a dram with.
To find out more about Peter and his job at the distillery, check out Behind the stills.
WRITTEN BY KRISTEN MCGHIE
Introducing our newest single malt whisky, matured exclusively in ex-peated casks.
These casks impart a range of smoky flavours, which Isabella Wemyss expertly blends to ensure consistency and introduce a sweet, soft smoke.
Coaltown of Wemyss is a mining village situated near Wemyss Castle, the ancestral home of the Wemyss family, who have deep roots in Fife and a long-standing connection to whisky, Drawing inspiration from this rich heritage, we are delighted to introduce Coaltown to our core range of Kingsbarns Single Malts.
We pride ourselves on maintaining an expert balance between our light spirit style and the quality cask influence, ensuring that the casks compliment rather than overpower the whisky. This expression is a testament to our dedication to creating harmonious and nuanced Lowland whiskies.
Coaltown captures its heritage in its flavour profile, featuring a delicate sweet smoke note that compliments our classic fruity, slightly floral Lowland spirit. This release is perfect for newcomers to smoky whiskies and offers seasoned drinkers a complex and nuanced Lowland dram to explore.
Category Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Region Lowland
Cask Type Ex-peated casks
ABV 46% alc./vol
Chill Filtration Non-chill filtered
Colour Natural
Notes
Nose Grilled banana, delicate waft of sweet smoke, hints of heather.
Palate Rose water, buttercream, touch of leather and delicate charred citrus zest.
Finish Soft salted caramel, subtle campfire smoke and cinder toffee.
Our Journey
In 2023, we launched Doocot, the next evolution of our Distillery's flagship whisky, showcasing how additional years of maturation have refined and enhanced our classic Lowland spirit style. Since then, Doocot has been honoured with the World Whisky Award gold for Lowland Single Malt, a testament to the expertise and craftsmanship that define every expression we create.
Building on this success, we are excited to introduce Kingsbarns Coaltown, designed to demonstrate our mastery in achieving a delicate balance of cask and spirit influence in our whiskies. Kingsbarns Coaltown will become the third expression in our core range, offering a truly unique Kingsbarns flavour experience. This new release represents our Lowland take on a smoky whisky, showcasing our innovative spirit and dedication to excellence.
*This product does not come with a gift box*
