The Story Behind Kingsbarns’ First 10-Year-Old Whisky

In the Scottish Lowlands a story like no other unfolded, just over two decades ago. Let's dive into the story of Kingsbarns Distillery and how it came to be.

The story of Kingsbarns Distillery begins with the dream of a golf caddy. Douglas Clement has been dreaming for years of opening a whisky distillery in Fife. His plan is to open a distillery near the Kingsbarns golf courses. With this in mind, he established The Kingsbarns Company of Distillers in 2009.

Clement has to gather quite a bit of money to realize the distillery. Over five years, he tackles this task. He manages to find investors from his former golf club and also receives a substantial injection of funds from the government.

The sum of over 760,000 pounds (equivalent to almost 900,000 euros) is not enough to actually build the distillery. A total of over 1.6 million pounds is needed to accomplish it. Finally, in 2013 Clement decides to sell his company. Thus, the dream of the former golf caddy goes up in smoke.

Kingsbarns is sold to Wemyss Distillery Ltd., a company run by William and Isabella Wemyss. The Wemyss family had already established Wemyss Malts in 2005 that specializes in creating independent bottlings of single malts and blended whiskies.

In 2013, Wemyss rents a piece of land in East of Neuk, Fife. The new distillery is to be built on the site of the historic East Newhall Farm, but a substantial amount of demolition needs to be done first.

The farm was built with 18th-century masonry and a Dutch tile roof. Both elements must be preserved as the site is prepared for the construction of the new distillery. A water supply is installed that runs water from 100 meters deep. It is fed by the nearby Cambo Burn, which runs all over Fife.

By mid-2014, it's time for the work at the future distillery. The large copper vats and the two stainless steel washbacks are placed while the first barley is bought from local farmers.

In November 2014, the doors of Kingsbarns Distillery and its visitor center officially open. From then on, the distillery is open to the public, but not a drop of whisky has yet been produced. The first spirit only trickles from the stills in January 2015.

Part of that spirit is bottled and shared among the distillery employees. The rest goes into casks, destined to become the inaugural whisky of Kingsbarns Distillery. After three years of maturation, the first Kingsbarns single malt is bottled in 2018 under the name Kingsbarns The Founders’ Reserve Inaugural Release.

The whisky matured in first fill ex-bourbon barrels from Heaven Hill Kentucky Distillery and has been bottled at cask strength of 62.1 percent alcohol by volume (ABV).

By now, Kingsbarns Distillery has released many varieties. Many of the whiskies from this Lowlands distillery are available in our country. Various places in The Netherlands sell the fan favorite - Dream to Dram, as well as the Doocot expression.

For the name of the Doocot whisky, the Fife distillery drew inspiration from the old farm. During the refurbishment, it was decided to preserve the oldest space, the dovecote. The Scottish word for dovecote is Doocot, and that's reflected in the steady expression of the whisky brand. Oh, and if you're still debating about the Doocot whisky, feel free to check out our review. In it, we tell you more about the Distillery's flagship.

Building a legacy with more releases, the distillery in the Scottish Lowlands makes a reputation for itself. Meanwhile in the warehouse a few casks slumber quietly. They contain a spirit that will form an important milestone for the distillery in 2025. The first single malt whisky with an age statement of 10 years is finally releases.

Isabella Wemyss, one of the owners of the distillery, tells the release brings everything together, from the hard work to de satisfaction of all of the releases

What will Kingsbarns Distillery have in stock for whisky lovers next?

Photos: Kingsbarns Distillery