It’s rare enough for a completely new distillery to appear in Scotland, but when the new kids blow up the industry, it’s really big news. That’s precisely what is happening for new kids Kingsbarns Distillery. Founded in 2014 by William Wemyss with the help of his sister, Production Director Isabella Wemyss, it’s not as if the family is a total stranger to Scotch production. Not only can the Weymys family trace its roots back to the 12th century, but it became part of Scotch whisky history in 1824 when ancestor Captain Weymys leased the land needed by James Haig to build Cameronbridge Grain Distillery, the largest of its kind in the world. However, the family became involved directly with spirits production when William started independent bottling company “Wemyss Malts” in 2005.

Kingsbarns produces two core expressions. Its flagship, Doocot Lowland Single Malt Scotch, is a NAS (non-age-statement) whisky matured in ex-fill Bourbon and STR (shaved, toasted, re-charred) ex-fill Portuguese red wine barriques. Its stablemate, Balcome, also a Lowland Single Malt, is matured in 100% ex-fill Oloroso American Oak Sherry Butts. I recently had the opportunity to sample Doocot, which helped me understand the hype surrounding this upstart brand.

Doocot pours a bright golden amber into the glass, immediately releasing light floral notes of honeysuckle, fruity citrus zest, bright vanilla, and fresh-cut apples. Swirling releases hints of banana taffy, peach cobbler, and distant winter spices. The mouthfeel is round and creamy, with a slight minerality and a crisp sweet’n’sour element that reminded me of a lemonhead hard candy. The initial sip releases a tropical fruit salad of flavors, including grilled pineapple, dried banana, mango, orange, and spicy ginger. Mid-sip accentuates the banana with some marshmallow sweetness, zippy pepper, and, toward the end, an oaky bitterness. The finish reveals a surprising kiss of white chocolate, caramel chews, and green tea. The finish is moderately long and slightly sweet, with a drying trail-off.

I am always pleasantly surprised by lowland Scotch whiskeys – they rarely garner the accolades of their brethren, and this example is an excellent reminder that Scotland offers a broad palette of “colors” for every “palate” (see what I did there). This Scotch whisky unquestionably deserves its accolades and goes a long way to putting Lowlands whisky back on my radar. At sub-$60 USD, it competes with some pretty significant challengers, particularly since it’s a NAS whisky. Were it closer to $30 USD, it would likely become my new everyday dram. That said, it’s an excellent whisky deserving of a go for anyone looking for something different from the “usual suspects.” It’s about as opposite to an Islay whisky as you can find and would be the perfect introduction to Scotch for someone who was, say, a bourbon drinker. One way or another, Kingsbarns Doocot Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky is a great find, and I highly recommend you try it!

EDITOR’S UPDATE: We have received conflicting information about who founded Kingsbarns Distillery. Although the information presented in this article is based on the distillery’s own website, we were contacted by Douglas Clement, who states that, in fact, it was he who founded the distillery. The information we received from the distillery’s PR firm states:

“Douglas Clement helped develop the concept for the Kingsbarns brand. He worked with Palm Bay International on the brand’s development.”