Part Two
Once we had overcome the initial excitement of committing to build a new single malt scotch whisky distillery, the reality dawned on me on the enormity of the project and all the parts we had to bring together to get to the start line.
First up were the necessary construction consents. We call it ‘planning permission’ in the UK as the decrepit structure was in fact a wonderful Grade B listed building, dating back to the 1800s. This meant that any alternations needed the permission of Historic Scotland – and the buildings were never ever conceived as a distillery!
The most striking feature of the building was the ‘Doocot’ (Scots word for dovecot) which was originally built to house plump pigeons in order to provide meat & eggs for the landowner next door. We have restored all the six hundred or so ‘doo boxes’ as part of the construction process, and this is now where the first ever cask of our single malt proudly sits.
Next up was water, or the lack thereof. As Kingsbarns is not located on or near a water course, we had to ascertain whether the quality and flow from a bore hole would be sufficient for both the production and cooling processes. Thankfully, after extensive testing, it was. Hence, all the water used to make our whisky comes from a bore hole around one hundred metres below the distillery itself.
Looking back on it, I suppose the one advantage we may have had was that our sister company, Wemyss Properties, is involved in construction, albeit mainly residential housing. This allowed us to assemble a project team to take the Kingsbarns project forward. However, we lacked critical distillation knowledge, and specifically how to procure, install and commission a new distillery. Back in 2013, few new single malt distilleries had been built from scratch, Kilchoman, Arran and Ardnamuchan to name but a few, and consequently we were fortunate Ian Palmer (now of our neighbour Inchdarnie Distillery) was prepared to join the project as our distillery engineer. Without Ian’s input we would have struggled as our expertise was in blending, bottling, marketing and the distribution of Wemyss Malts. Key distilling words such a grist, washback, heads and tails meant little to us back them. Now they do, thankfully.
Once the relevant permissions were granted, we started on site in earnest and the construction process took around two years until commissioning and the running of our first spirit from the Forsyth stills. Our pair of stills were specifically designed, since we were restricted in terms of the ridge height of the building; this meant that our pairs of stills had to be squat, with short lyne arms, and consequently quite distinctive. I remember many, many twists and turns during the construction process, as I suppose was inevitable bringing back to life a very old building.
Part three of the ‘building a single malt distillery’ will relate our journey as the project nears completion and we look to determine the style of single malt we wished to produce at Kingsbarns.
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*
Comments
Ingonga Geoffrey said:
Quite a remarkable journey William.
Soar high champ. The lion was once a cub!
Thumbs up.