We were driving from Edinburgh to St. Andrews on a spontaneous day trip. Somehow fiddling with Google Map I see we are just about to pass close to Kingsbarns, a distillery name I recognized. A little while later we are pulling up to the visitor centre. Bad luck! We are arriving just as the last tour is returning. The amazing distillery bar — stocked by Wemyss independent bottler who built and owns the distillery — is just closing. But fortune has not entirely abandoned us, for a visitor centre employee takes pity on us and gives a quick tour and a sample tasting, all for free. The style of whisky they are going for — really fruity, even estery — is one I’m already partial to, but the great customer care at the distillery creates an additional positive bias. In the tasting I thought the lightly sherried Balcomie achieved a very nice balance of flavours, and committed it to memory. Some time later, back in Germany, I got myself a bottle. That bottle is now down to its last drops. In this interval Kingsbarns have also launched a couple of new expressions that I’ve obtained samples of. And at the end of the tasting I’ve thrown in a little surprise 😉
Kingsbarns “Balcomie” | NAS | 46% | Official
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Bottle kill review (from September 2023)
⚡Experience
Fruity! Banana, kiwi, red currant, and some grass. Plenty of vanilla, a dusting of cinnamon. On the palate, a silky texture, some fresh berries (gooseberry, red currant), lemon sherbet, and a peppery finish.
💡Thoughts
A young, lively whisky with fresh fruit notes, that to me is endearing, but for those less swayed by light, fruity profiles it might not be very memorable at all. Nonetheless, it has more character and subtlety than many standard bottlings of higher age.
Rewarding
✔️
Kingsbarns “Doocot” | NAS | 46.0% | Official
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Sample review
⚡Experience
Fruity and estery nose (melon, grapefruit, lime, banana), with plenty of vanilla, and a touch of rosé pepper and other floral notes. Somewhat sour, perhaps even a little bit of dishcloth. Fruity (pear and apple sauce), and barely sugary on the palate. Quite creamy and a little spicy.
💡Thoughts
It’s an easy to drink, honest dram, with nice fruitiness. Nothing very memorable though. I finished the Balcomie many months earlier so I can’t directly compare, but I believe that was the better experience.
Rewarding
✔️
Kingsbarns “Bell Rock” | NAS | 61.1% | Official
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Small sample review
⚡Experience
Nose: strawberry laces, shortbread, and sugar coated nuts (pecans, almonds). Some of the Kingsbarns fruitiness shines through, like banana bread. Palate: sweet and a little salty waffles with strawberry jam.
💡Thoughts
It’s tasty as a young and sherry-driven malt. I like that it is not sickly sweet and raisiny, and the bourbon adds a bit of cakey vanilla and freshness. Not at all complex, but that’s OK.
Rewarding
✔️
Kingsbarns new make spirit | 63.5%
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Scotch new make spirit
€15 (20cl)
Bottle review
⚡Experience
First of all, there’s the characteristic honied fragrance of new make. There’s definitely banana, sponge cake, fizzypops candy, buttered popcorn, but also something earthy and grassy. The alcohol singes the palate; with water, we get a barley-sweet experience, with estery flavours, but then drier and spicier in the finish (I’ll take a somewhat crazy and half-serious guess at caraway seeds, bitter almonds, and nettles – the 63.5% are speaking to me).
💡Thoughts
It’s a lovely new make in my book!
At present Kingsbarns is not mindblowing, and there’s tough competition in the Newbie segment, but it’s certainly a an enjoyable tipple and I like where things are going with the light and fruity profile, so I am definitely rooting for Kingsbarns!
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