KinGlassie Double Matured 8 year old Vintage 2017 Fife Single Malt Scotch Whisky 70 cl 46,3%

Once a year, when December closes in over Fife, somebody lights the peat. A few days of it, then it's over. The rest of the year Inchdairnie makes something quite different, but those days are where KinGlassie comes from.

Expert description

KinGlassie Double Matured 8 Year is a Fife Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in ex-bourbon and Amontillado casks and bottled at 46.3%.

It is Inchdairnie's first single malt. Ian Palmer founded the distillery, and the first spirit ran from the stills in December 2015. The name has mostly been tied to RyeLaw, the rye whisky, so a heavily peated single malt was not what most people expected. The bottle reached the market on 8 May 2025 alongside its sibling, KinGlassie Raw.

The barley is grown in Fife and peated to 50+ ppm with mainland peat from St Fergus in Aberdeenshire. The distillery runs this peated make only once a year, in December, for less than a week. The spirit is double distilled and double condensed, which gives it extra copper contact and strips out sulphur notes along the way. This bottle is from 2017.

The casks come in two acts. Five years in ex-bourbon American oak first, which gives vanilla and sweetness to build on. Then three years in Amontillado casks from Montilla, which add almonds, nuts and tobacco on top. The smoke doesn't disappear, it just gets company. The whisky is non-chill filtered and of natural colour. In 2026 it won Gold at the World Whiskies Awards.

Tasting notes

Nose

Sea spray and seaweed arrive first, then lemon, peach and a little smoky orange zest. Further down sit dried tobacco leaf and walnut.

Palate

Mineral and fresh, with peppery smoke building steadily. Strawberry and vanilla, ginger biscuits with pecan and a hint of leather.

Finish

Long and dry, with ash, peat smoke and a small bitterness at the end. Stewed fruit and ginger linger.

Specifications

Name: KinGlassie Double Matured 8 Year Fife Single Malt Whisky
Distillery: Inchdairnie
Region/Country: Fife, Scotland
Type: Fife Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 8 years
ABV: 46.3%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Ex-bourbon casks and Amontillado casks
Peated malt: 50+ ppm
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distillation method: Double distilled and double condensed
Distilled: 2017
Bottled: 2025
Edition: Double Matured
EAN no.: 5060916320185

Flavour profile

Smoky · Peated · Sherry-matured · Nutty · Fruity · Maritime

Did you know?

KinGlassie is also the name of a small village close to the distillery in Fife. The name comes from the Irish Saint Glaisne and roughly means church by the burn.

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Frequently asked questions about KinGlassie Double Matured 8 Year

What does Double Matured mean on KinGlassie?

Double Matured means the whisky has spent time in two different cask types, one after the other. KinGlassie takes five years in ex-bourbon casks and three years in Amontillado casks from Montilla. The bourbon casks bring sweetness and vanilla, the sherry casks nuts and tobacco. The result is heavy smoke with a softer backdrop.

How peated is KinGlassie Double Matured?

Very. The malt is peated to 50+ ppm, which puts the bottle among the heavily peated. The smoke is more peppery and ashy than medicinal.

Is KinGlassie an Islay whisky?

No, it is made in Fife, not on Islay. The peat comes from the Scottish mainland, and the smoke is dry and peppery rather than medicinal and briny. The Amontillado casks and the sea spray on the nose may still tempt Islay fans.

How should you serve KinGlassie Double Matured?

Neat, at room temperature, in a tulip-shaped glass. A few drops of water open up both smoke and fruit. Ice dulls the nuts and the finer notes from the Amontillado casks, so let it stand alone.

Why is KinGlassie limited?

Because the peated make is only run once a year, in December, for less than a week. The volume is small compared with the distillery's other production, so each vintage is limited.

What kind of distillery is Inchdairnie?

Inchdairnie is a young distillery near Glenrothes in Fife, founded by Ian Palmer and running since December 2015. It is best known for the rye whisky RyeLaw and for experimenting with grain, yeast and smoke. KinGlassie is the distillery's first single malt.