WEMYSS & KINGSBARNS - WHISKY FOR EVERY TASTE - Blog post by Luka Gottschalk

I have recently had the pleasure of receiving a set of samples from Wemyss Malts, through MacY and Whisky.dk. These are three different expressions from the Kingbarns distillery owned by Wemyss, as well as three different blended malts and a single single malt from Wemyss.

Blog post by Luka Gottschalk

Kingsbarns produces 'craft-presented' single malt whisky, which in short means that their whisky is not bottled with less than 46% alcohol, no colorants are added and no cold filtration is used. In conjunction with the tastings, I had the opportunity to take a virtual tour of the Kingsbarns distillery, led by the distillery's operations manager; Peter Holroyd. This was quite an enjoyable experience. Particular emphasis was placed on Kingsbarns's mission to produce pure, smooth and fresh Lowland-style whisky. This is achieved by carefully extracting the very finest part of the raw distillate before the raw spirit is put into casks. This is a method that all distilleries practice to some degree, but at Kingsbarns they take it to extremes. The majority of their raw distillate is either re-distilled and some of it is not recycled at all. Only the absolute finest part of the raw spirit is allowed to enter the barrel. In addition to a thorough refining process of the distillate, Kingsbarns uses local water, local barley and local barrel aging. After meeting the tasters, I would definitely say that they are achieving their ambition of producing a smooth Lowland whisky.

Kingsbarns - Dream to dram -46% off
The first dram I tasted from Kingsbarns was their 'Dream to dram' bottling. All bottlings in the core range are unaged and this one is no exception. During the tour, Peter Holroyd revealed that the contents of this bottling have been aged for around 3.5 years in 90% fresh Bourbon casks and 10% STR casks. The result is a smooth, approachable and slightly one-dimensional whisky.

The aroma was pure Lowland style with floral and fruit notes. The barley malt shone through here too! It was gentle, fresh and simple.

The palette introduced a lot of vanilla, some yeast notes and a bit of pepper.

The finish offered some lemon peel and a spicy character.

As mentioned before, it's no secret that this is a very young whisky. However, I don't think it offends anyone in any way with rancid notes that might otherwise occur in such a young whisky. This is possibly due to the gentle distillation process that I briefly mentioned earlier. It is mild and pleasant and works well as an introduction to the Kingsbarns distillery first and foremost, but also to the Lowland style in general. Dream to dram is on its way out of the core range and will be replaced by their relatively new expression; Kingsbarns Doocot.

Kingsbarns - Doocot - 46% ABV
The Doocot bottling is the heir to Dream to dram and is barrel-aged according to the exact same concept, 90% fresh Bourbon casks and 10% STR casks, the only difference is that Doocot has been aged for about 7 years. We continue in a very familiar vein, but the extra years in cask still add a lot of character to the whisky. The name Doocot refers to an antique dovecote found at Kingsbarns.

The aroma was again fruity and floral, but this time there was also a delicious 'toasted' note of nuts and salted caramel on top.

The flavor was much deeper and had a slightly darker feel to it. The vanilla sweetness and yeast flavor intensified and deepened.

The aftertaste was again vanilla, barley malt, bread and lemon zest.

Doocot is, in my opinion, a perfect replacement for Dream to dram. It is richer, deeper and more powerful, even though the alcohol percentage is the same.

Kingsbarns - Balcomie - 46% ABV
The last single malt bottling from Kingsbarns that I had the pleasure of dealing with was the sherry-aged bottling; 'Balcomie'. The contents are said to have spent about 5 years in cask and 1st fill Olorosso sherry casks are used. The sherry cask has had a huge influence on the whisky and almost dominates the experience. It brings rich and delicious flavors at the expense of some of the balance. The name Balcomie is based on an old castle called 'Balcomie' which is a stone's throw from the distillery.

The aroma brought notes of cocoa, coconut, prunes and new-make spirits. There was also a dusty element to the scent.

The palette was quite classic for an Olorosso-aged whisky, with lovely notes of cocoa, raisins and figs. The taste, for me, is the strength of this whisky, as it was rich and full-bodied.

The aftertaste flew by quite quickly, leaving just a slight fruity touch in the mouth. This is where the whisky loses a bit of balance.

Balcomie was quite a pleasant acquaintance, even if the pleasure is a tad too short.

Overall, it is my personal impression that the Kingsbarns distillery produces quite tasty young whisky at a sharp price. There is great potential in their raw distillate and I am excited to taste an older whisky from Kingsbarns if the opportunity arises one day!

Kingsbarns The distillery is far from the Wemyss family's only whisky project. In addition to a wide range of vintage bottlings from well-known distilleries, they also release a range of blended malts. For those in doubt, a Blended Malt is a blend of different Single Malts. This means that only barley malt and copper kettles are still used in the distillation process. Personally, I'm a big fan of blended malts, as several single malts often complement each other brilliantly.

Wemyss - Spice King - 46%
The first Blended Malt I tasted this time around was Spice King. Despite the slightly awkward name, Spice King offered a really positive experience. Officially, it hasn't been announced exactly which single malts Spice King contains, but we were told during the tour that there is a large component of Orkney whisky in the blend. The sweet, slightly smoky heather honey note from a very specific Orkney distillery is certainly not denied in this blend!

The aroma was delicious and yes, spicy with notes of gingerbread, heather honey, burnt butter, lemon zest and campfire smoke.

The taste was also really nice with notes of coconut, spice cake, chocolate, cinnamon and gentle smoke. The smoke is pleasant, but a lot more than you'd expect, especially considering the name 'Spice King'.

The finish was dusty, dark, malty and medium long. A fitting end to a successful blend!

For fans of: Highland Park, Clynelish and Oban

Wemyss - The Hive - 46%
After a trip to the spicy Highland region, it was time to taste a Blended Malt from Speyside. The contents are again secret, but we still got a hint... There is a high proportion of Single Malt from James Bond's favorite distillery in the blend! The name ''The Hive'' can be roughly translated to a beehive in Danish, as the bottle design suggests. Speyside- true to the region, we have here an incredibly sweet and gentle whisky.

The aroma was incredibly inviting and approachable with lovely notes of honey, raspberry and PX sherry.

The honey note dominated the flavor experience, along with some orange peel, vanilla and cream. A true dessert whisky!

In the aftertaste, the honey flavor stepped aside and gave way for the vanilla to take over. The vanilla was kept in the company of a modest dry tingle on the tongue. This is a blend that is incredibly well balanced.

For fans of: Macallan, Aberlour and Mortlach.

Wemyss - Peat Chimney - 46%
The last Blended Malt from Wemyss in this round has been given the masculine name; 'Peat Chimney'. As promised, the smoke chimney delivered a heavily smoky and spicy whisky. In fact, I would venture to say that this whisky has a lot in common with the aforementioned 'Spice King'. However, this is a significantly smokier whisky with a high content of Single Malt from Islay. There is still a waxy highland character in the background.

The aroma was robust and powerful, with notes of peat, licorice, pepper and again a honey sweetness. This time, however, the sweetness was significantly toned down!

The taste was also a positively challenging experience with notes of peat, licorice, salt water, banana and fresh oregano. Interesting and different flavor profile!

In the aftertaste, the whisky calmed down and offered gentle notes of chocolate and tobacco. This whisky is a great example of what a blended malt can really do. It takes the hard expression of Islay and combines it with the spicy expression of Highland.

For fans of: Caol Ila, Craigellachie and Ledaig.

Wemyss - A midsummer meadow - 62.6%.
The tasting was appropriately finished with a vintage bottling at full cask strength. This is a bottling from Glentauchers, which has been given the idyllic name: ''A midsummer meadow''.

The glory has spent 14 years in sherry hogsheads and is bottled at 62.6% alcohol.

The aroma offered student bread, marzipan, dark chocolate and raisins. It smelled almost like stepping into a pastry chef's shop early in the morning!

The taste did not disappoint with plums, blueberries and freshly grated nutmeg. The fruitiness is huge in this whisky and elegantly masks the massive amount of alcohol.

The tannic chocolate and plum notes lingered long after drinking and will please any whisky lover with a penchant for sweetness and sherry.

It must be said that it has been an exciting and sometimes different pleasure to move through part of the Kingsbarns and Wemys range. The base level is high and there is a kind of quality to all of them, some more than others. My personal favorite was 'Spice King', maybe your favorite is completely different?

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