Kingsbarns Distillery Coaltown

If you’re familiar with the blogs we post here at Great Drams, you’ll likely have noticed that we regularly review a wide range of whiskies from regions such as Islay, Speyside, and the Highlands. One trend I have noticed recently, is that I’ve not reviewed as many lowlands whiskies as I’d have liked. I want to do something about that today.

Today, we’re venturing to a stunning part of the Scottish Lowlands, Fife, to review an exceptional drop from Kingsbarns Distillery. The whisky we’re looking at today is something a bit different, from a new up and coming distillery who look destined for big things.

The whisky in question is known as ‘Coaltown’ and will appear to those who are looking for just a touch of peat in their whiskies.

From Golf Course to Distillery

Kingsbarns Distillery is located in Kingsbarns, Fife, and is one of the newer distilleries in the region. It was founded by a former golf caddie named Douglas Clement, in 2014.

Scotland has a rich and storied history of golf. In fact, many consider Scotland to be the ultimate golf haven. Take one look at the Old Course at St. Andrews, or the rugged coastline on the 14th hole at Fife’s very own Crail Golf Course, and you’ll know why golf lovers from across the globe consider it to be so special.

Working as a caddie, one thing Douglas noticed time and time again, was that visiting golfers would often express their disappointment at the lack of a whisky distillery in the region. I can understand this, as there’s no better way to lift your spirits after shooting 20 over par in the pouring rain, than by enjoying a wee dram or two to warm up.

Clement was able to secure a business loan and obtained an investment of around £3 million, from the Wemyss family, for the construction of a new distillery.

Owned by Wemyss Malts, the first casks were filled in 2015, with Kingsbarns Distillery officially unveiling its first single malt Scotch in 2018. The distillery has gone from strength to strength and recently unveiled plans to expand, and take on the American market.

Kingsbarns Coaltown

What do you do if you want to create a whisky for people who want just a suggestion of peat in their whisky? You go ahead and bring in Master Blender Isabella Wemyss, to create a whisky matured exclusively in ex-peated casks.

Named in honour of a mining village located near Wemyss Castle, named Coaltown, this malt whisky is created in honour of the Wemyss Family, who have deep ancestral roots in Fife, not to mention the whisky world.

What I love about Coaltown is the fact that, by maturing the whisky in ex-peated casks, rather than peat-dried barley, not only is the peaty, smokiness toned down, but Kingsbarns are also able to reduce their carbon footprint, something we’re especially passionate about here at Great Drams.

So, there’s a quick backstory, but what can you expect from this exceptional dram?

Non-chill filtered, and with an ABV of 46%, this Lowlands single malt Scotch has a natural pale toffee colour that’s very pleasant on the eye. One look at it will have your mouth watering.

On the nose, the spirit is surprisingly mature. You get sweet, caramelized pineapple and banana aromas, coupled with wild Scottish heather and citrus peel. Initially there isn’t much smoke, but don’t worry, it’ll soon hit you. The smoky, ashy notes from the peated casks quickly become apparent, though they’re smoothed out somewhat with a sprinkling of cinnamon sugar.

On the palate, it has an amazingly rich and creamy mouthfeel. There’s overripe banana bread, summer berries, candied ginger, black pepper, and sandalwood. Again, the smoke takes a while to arrive. Then comes the charred smoky notes, accompanied by toasted orange peel and buttery shortbread. A very complex dram this one. You might need more than one sip to pick up all the flavours.

The finish is lengthy and drawn out. There’s salted caramel popcorn, subtle bonfire smoke, bonfire toffee, charred oak, and a touch of tobacco leather. The finish lingers and is somewhat dry in the mouth.

If you’d like to learn more about your favourite whiskies, or treat yourself to a wee dram or two at the same time, head on over to GreatDrams.com and take a look at what we have to offer.

With an impressive selection of limited-edition, rare, and award-winning whisky, as well as heaps of whisky info on our blog, it’s the perfect spot for any whisky lovers out there.

Photo Credit: Kingbarns

Tags: CoaltownKingsbarns Distillery

Greg

My name is Greg, and I’m a brand strategy consultant, writer, speaker, host and judge specialising in premium spirits. My mission is to experience, share and inspire with everything great about whisky, whiskey, gin, beer and fine dining through my writing, my brand building and my whisky tastings.