Kingsbarns 'Dream to Dram' Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky 46% ABV, 70cl

Product Information

The finish is long and fragrant. There is mainly some lingering notes of sugary puff pastry and chrysanthemum flowers. This is accompanied by very very subtle oakiness and nuttiness, and a gentle ginger zing, fading away into the darkness. The Service has been prepared by us solely for information purposes to Members and the Service is based on information we consider reliable and we obtain the contents of the Service from a number of different third party sources (including Contributions), but we do not endorse, support, represent, warrant or guarantee the completeness, truthfulness, accuracy, or reliability of the Services and any information therein. Quality matters more to me now than age, as I’ve had worse older whisky. Others might take issue with how young and expensive this is, but this is good whisky. The ethanol sensation is inoffensive despite the ABV and the youth. I like the potential of this. Hopefully when this ages more, the flavors become more clear. They taste like a jumbled mess at the moment. Score: 5/10 We may, but are not under any obligation, to release new functionalities and tools or other features for the Service every now and then. Any new functionalities, tools and features shall be part of and governed by the Terms from the moment they are launched and/or available. Further, we reserve the right to modify, change, discontinue the Service, add or remove features, update the Service, change its appearance, temporarily and permanently, at any time, in whole or any part thereof.

IW: For me I’m afraid it’s water. It brings out the different flavours and some of the complexity of the spirit. IW: Yes, it was great. Because you could see the way different types of spirits and different styles interacted with the different casks. No partnership, joint venture, agency, or employment relationship is created as a result of your use of the Service. Regardless of whether the Service offers the functionality to contribute, you are solely responsible and liable for any content and information that you create, upload, post, publish, link to, duplicate, transmit, record, display or otherwise make available on the Service or to other Members, such as chat messages, text messages, videos, audio, audio recordings, music, pictures, photographs, text and any other information or materials, whether publicly posted or privately transmitted (“Contributions”).

MoM: You’ve just released your first single malt. Do you have anything else in the pipeline, as it were? If any provision of these Terms is held invalid, the remainder of the Terms shall continue in full force and effect. Today’s line up are Kingsbarns’ new make spirit and Dream to Dram. The new make is labeled as “spirit drink” since Scotch regulations require a cereal grain-based spirit be at least three years old before it can be counted as a whisky. Despite a government grant and two years of crowdfunding, the project fell a little short of the amount required and progress stalled. Fortunately though, all was not lost. Clement’s venture had captured the imagination of the brother and sister team of William and Isabella Wemyss and in 2013, they took over the development of the distillery and before too long, spirit was running from a set of newly installed Pot Stills.

Everything is geared up to produce a fruity, pure spirit, from the unpeated local barley to the two types of yeast used (for all the whisky geeks out there, they are Anchor and Safwhisky M1). Fermentation takes between three and five days and, according to Peter Holroyd, the distillery manager, the two yeasts produce lots of “fruit esters”. When it comes to distillation, he takes a very narrow cut from the 4,500 litre spirit still to ensure a light, clean spirit with no heavy elements. A long, slow production process in copper pot stills is at the heart of distillation: a 3 – 5 day fermentation period, wash stills that run for 8 hours and a slow running spirit still with high cut points. That will never change and the stills will never run any faster. IW: It’s on a high, but we’re very much at the craft distilling end. So that’s where a lot of the growth is. The result is a beautifully light, clean yet complex Lowland style malt whisky which perfectly captures the essence of this quiet and enchanting corner of Scotland. There can be few new distilleries as beautiful as Kingsbarns. It’s set in rolling Fife farmland and housed in a converted 18th century farmstead, complete with a dovecote that looks like a wee castle. The Wemyss (pronounced Weems) family is old Scottish nobility with its seat at a proper castle nearby called, naturally, Wemyss Castle. This part of Scotland attracts visitors from all over the world to the home of golf, St Andrews Links. As William Wemyss put it, “We’re bringing together golf and Scotland’s other great export.” He means whisky, not shortbread.The natural elements on Kingsbarns Distillery’s doorstep, combined with superior wood choice and long, slow fermentation give Dream to Dram its remarkably complex and distinctive Lowland character: light, intensely fruity, floral and balanced, with colour and richness coming from the wood. On the nose there is banana, pineapple syrup and summer berries, with a slight herbal note. There is soft toffee, custard pastry and redcurrants on the palate, with a finish of ginger syrup. This bottling, aptly named Dream to Dram, is from some of the earliest casks filled at Kingsbarns. The whisky has been matured in 1st fill ex-Bourbon American Oak casks, and shaved, toasted and re-charred barriques (STR casks). Unchillfiltered and natural colour. Last week, we met with Isabella and William Wemyss, the brother and sister team behind Kingsbarns Distillery in Fife, for the launch of Dream to Dram, the duo’s first commercial single malt Scotch whisky release. You can really smell those first-fill bourbon casks. There’s vanilla and creme brulee plus lots of new make character, tropical fruit, and quite pronounced alcohol.