As we neared completion of the construction phase, we needed to recruit a production team and start preparing for the spirit to flow from our stills.
We hired Peter Holroyd, a brewer by trade, to become the inaugural distillery manager, and he arrived a few months before production started to ensure the equipment was fitted to his satisfaction.
The mash tun, fermentation vessels and grist mill all came from different suppliers, but Peter, with the help of our industry friend Ian Palmer, managed to install and test all the equipment without any insurmountable challenges.
Peter, together with my sister Isabella, have been responsible for production from the distillery from day one, and whilst it is exciting for the rest of us to now see & taste our Kingsbarns single malt, it must be doubly so for them with all the effort they and their production team have exerted.
We also had to define the type of spirit, and therefore ultimately single malt, we wanted to produce, and this is where the help of the Dr Jim Swan came in. Our aspiration was (and still is) to produce a style of single malt which is true to the Lowlands; that is light, floral and very sweet, where the character of the spirit is complemented, but not over-powered by the cask maturation. I may be biased, of course, but I believe we have delivered on this ambition in spades with both Balcomie, our sherry-matured single malt, and Dream to Dram, our mainly Bourbon matured whisky. Our single malts are now sold in over thirty countries around the world, and every year at our distillery visitor centre we’re delighted to welcome new Kingsbarns enthusiasts to see how we craft our spirit.
Apart from the style of spirit being important, we also wanted all the elements of production to be as local as possible to the distillery itself. This includes barley that is grown by family friend Bill Whiteford not many miles from the distillery in Fife; the water from an aquifer below the distillery and maturation takes place locally too. Casks for maturation were, however, not something we could source locally.
I clearly recall as we approached commissioning that the sourcing of casks was an issue. We had never even considered this as major risk, since we assumed we would be able to source them easily through a cooperage. How wrong I was. Our wonderful European Sales Manager, Ginny Boswell secured contact with Heaven Hill distillery in Kentucky and this is still where all our Bourbon casks come from. We source our other casks from cooperages and now have over fourteen different types of casks maturing our spirit, since we are always looking to see the impact of different wood types on our light and fruity spirit. Out of all this experimentation, we genuinely believe we will find some interesting combinations of spirit and wood, but that will of course take time. Some will no doubt be less successful, but that is what experimentation is all about.
Before we could start distilling, we needed our Distilling License from Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs (HMRC) and this, I remember, was a frustrating wait as we were itching to see (& taste) our first spirit run. Thankfully, patience prevailed and we started distilling in March 2015, with a wonderfully enjoyable launch party on St Andrew’s Day in November 2014, where many of our partners were kind enough to come from all corners of the world to help us, as a team and family, celebrate the momentous moment.
WRITTEN BY WILLIAM WEMYSS
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*
