Ruins To Riches

A Derelict Farmstead

A Blank Canvas

A Ruin for Renovation

From Ruins to Riches

Our journey from derelict farmstead to distinguished distillery began in 2013... Land in the East Neuk of Fife was leased from Sir Peter Erskine of Cambo Estate and the project was to take place on the historic East Newhall Farm steading. The Wemyss family has strong ties to Scotch and the site of the distillery so it was apt to continue their whisky journey on this land.

Topping Out

Building work at the Distillery began with the preservation of the historic Dutch pan tile roof and 18th century stonework, followed by initial land preparation. The 'Topping out' ceremony took place in June of 2014, paving the way for the interior work to commence. Once this was complete with Stills moved in, water acquifer constructed and local barley acquired, Kingsbarns Distillery started to distil what was to become an award winning Single Malt Scotch Whisky.

The site first opened to the public at the end of 2014 and offers a unique opportunity for guests to watch the process first-hand and be part of the history of the Kingsbarns Single Scotch Malt Whisky in the making.

Opening

On opening day, Director William Wemyss commented:

“Since we bought the Kingsbarns project in 2013, it has been a very exciting year for us. Building a whisky distillery is a once in a generation opportunity and we are looking forward to playing our part in bringing a reinvigoration to the Kingdom of Fife.”

Distilling started in January 2015 and Distillery Manager, Peter Holroyd, and his team were so delighted with the quality of the spirit being produced that it was decided to bottle some for all to try as well as filling it into casks. The first of which was filled in March 2015 and can be seen on display in our preserved Doocot at the distillery.

First Bottling

Peter commented on the new bottling: "It's a great pleasure to share our new spirit with visitors. The spirit itself is an elegant, fruity and floral spirit and I can't wait to see how it is going to develop into Scotch whisky over the coming years. I recommend that water is added to enjoy the fruity flavours at their best."

The Distillery is now in full flow and has produced some charming, mysterious and stimulating single malts. We urge one and all to journey to Kingsbarns and join us in creating our special Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky.