Kingsbarns Distillery Kingsbarns Distillery Exemplifies the Independent Lowland Spirit
Proudly independent and quietly determined, Kingsbarns is a young Scottish distillery that makes beautiful single malt whiskies in its own way. Located in Fife, on Scotland’s East Coast, Kingsbarns showcases the native riches of the Scottish Lowlands, with each whisky telling the story of its homeland and the talented people who craft it.
This passion for Scottish heritage comes from Kingsbarns’ founder, William Wemyss, whose family has lived in Fife since the 12th century. The Wemyss’ connection to whisky, however, dates to the 19th century, when James Haig opened Cameronbridge Grain Distillery on land leased from Captain Wemyss. Inspired by this history, William established Wemyss Malts in 2005 and Kingsbarns Distillery in 2014. He runs Kingsbarns with his sister, Isabella, who has become a leading female voice in the traditionally male-dominated whisky industry. She serves as Production Director and Master Blender, overseeing the creation of every Kingsbarns whisky, alongside Master Distiller Peter Holroyd.
While tradition is at the root of Kingsbarns — including the distillery building itself, which is a renovated, 17th-century farmstead — the Wemyss family is focused on the future. Experimentation and sustainability guide the distillation process, starting with locally sourced, top-quality ingredients: Fife-grown barley, pure spring water from the distillery’s aquifer, and two strains of yeast. The whisky is carefully distilled with a long fermentation and taken from a high cut point, then paired with hand-selected oak casks. At the end, a circular model of sustainability ensures that everything possible is returned to the land.
As a result of this painstaking process, Kingsbarns whisky is light, fruity, perfectly balanced, and its style beautifully reflects its Scottish Lowland home. The distillery remains boutique, with an output of 240,000 liters annually, but they’ve earned major industry acclaim — including “Best Scotch Lowlands Single Malt” at the World Whiskies Awards, 90+ point ratings from the International Wine & Spirits Competition, and a gold medal from the Drinks Business & the Spirits Business Autumn Tasting. Though the awards have raised Kingsbarns’ profile, the team doesn’t plan on becoming a behemoth. They remain a proudly small, family-owned distillery, true to their Lowland home, their people, and their independent spirit.
Kingsbarns Distillery Highlights
Established in 2014, Kingsbarns Distillery crafts exceptional single-malt whiskies in Fife on Scotland’s East Coast.
A proudly independent, family-owned business, Kingsbarns is run by founder William Wemyss and his sister, Isabella, who serves as Production Director and Master Blender.
Kingsbarns single malt whiskies are made with locally sourced barley, the distillery’s own spring water, and two carefully chosen strains of yeast.
Isabella hand selects the oak casks for each spirit, tailoring the barrels to the specific style of whisky she wants to create.
Huge industry acclaim includes “Best Scotch Lowlands Single Malt” at the World Whiskies Awards, 90+ point ratings from the International Wine & Spirits Competition, and a gold medal from the Drinks Business & the Spirits Business Autumn Tasting.
Kingsbarns’ Noble Farming Tradition
Kingsbarns Distillery lies on the outskirts of the centuries-old village of Kingsbarns, in the East Neuk of Fife on Scotland’s East Coast. Originally an agricultural settlement, Kingsbarns takes its name from the old barns that stored grain before it was transported to Falkland Palace, a historic royal residence located just a few miles away. The community’s agricultural legacy continues today, as the fields surrounding the distillery are still used for farming — including, of course, the barley that’s grown for Kingsbarns single malt whisky.
Locally Sourced, Top-Quality Ingredients
Three simple, but significant, ingredients combine to create Kingsbarns single malt whiskies: barley, water, and yeast. Barley has been grown in Fife for almost a thousand years, and the team sources its “Laureate” barley from local farms, supporting Scottish farmers in a sustainable way. An aquifer located 100 meters / 328 feet below the property provides the distillery and visitor center with fresh spring water, naturally filtered through 300-million-year-old sandstone. Finally, the team uses two different strains of yeast — one from Britain and one from France. By utilizing local and top-quality ingredients, Kingsbarns crafts distinctive whiskies that are in harmony with their beautiful Scottish homeland.
A Circular Model for Sustainability
Kingsbarns Distillery has created an intentionally circular distilling process to protect Fife’s precious environment and reduce waste. Spent mash grain from distilling feeds cattle on neighboring farms, and local farmers use waste as fertilizer. Kingsbarns sources water from an aquifer beneath the distillery, and wastewater flows back into the land, naturally filtered through reed beds beside the distillery. Moreover, the visitor center is powered by 100% green renewable energy, and the facility packs their whisky in Forest Stewardship Council certified cartons. In the next few years, Kingsbarns will move warehousing and bottling closer to the distillery in Fife, which will help reduce their carbon footprint and extend their sustainability efforts to another aspect of the business.
The Careful Crafting of Kingsbarns Single Malt Whisky
Isabella, Peter, and the entire Kingsbarns Distillery team know that great single malt whisky cannot be rushed. Fermentation lasts between three to five days, longer than at most whisky distilleries, to allow Kingsbarns’ fruity, Lowland-style characteristics to develop. The washbacks are made from stainless steel, which also preserves the spirit’s light, fruit-forward profile. Distillation occurs in copper stills, with an extremely high cut point to ensure purity of flavor.
Next, Isabella chooses specific oak casks to mature each new make spirit, depending on the style she wants to achieve. For example, Kingsbarns’ flagship single malt, Doocot, ages in 90% ex-Bourbon American oak barrels and 10% STR (shaved, toasted, and re-charred) ex-Portuguese red wine casks. Once the whisky is matured, Isabella’s team then blends the casks together and returns the spirit to the original casks for one month to meld the flavors, resulting in an elegant, approachable, and beautifully balanced whisky.
The Kingsbarns Distillery Dream Team
While her brother, William, founded Kingsbarns and runs the business operations, Isabella Wemyss serves as Production Director and Master Blender for Kingsbarns Distillery. Before joining Kingsbarns, Isabella trained as a lawyer and worked for the family tea growing business. Today, she oversees all aspects of the production of Kingsbarns whisky, with her greatest talents lying in the finer details of maturation, quality control, and blending.
Working alongside Isabella, distillery manager/distiller Peter Holroyd holds a degree in brewing and distilling. He brings expert knowledge and a passion for whisky that has helped shaped Kingsbarns’ signature style. Every single bottle of Kingsbarns single malt whisky features a gold-embossed signature from Peter — giving each dram a personal touch and his proverbial stamp of approval.
