A FAMILY AFFAIR

It has been wonderful to see how their investment has transformed into a sleek distillery Wemyss Malts have hit the ground running with their Fife gin and whisky distillery, and Blair Bowman is delighted to try out their highly quaffable drams

Blair Bowman visits family-run Wemyss Malts, finding the Fife Distillery's latest offerings highly quaffable

Property development in Scotland, tea plantations in Kenya, avocado farming in Australia and vineyards in France – it’s all in a day’s work for the team at Wemyss Development Company. Well accustomed to jumping headlong into a new challenge, siblings William and Isabella Wemyss, who head up the business, seized the opportunity to build on their already extensive business portfolio by turning their hand to the world of whisky.

In addition to launching Wemyss Malts in 2005, which is now an award-winning independent bottler and blender celebrating its 15th anniversary this year, they have also taken on a whisky and gin distillery in Kingsbarns, Fife – a region in which the family can trace its ancestry back over six centuries to the Earl of Wemyss. With the help of leading industry experts, including acclaimed whisky writer Charlie Maclean who acted as chair of the tasting panel, Wemyss Malts quickly became known for producing exceedingly high quality blended malts and single cask bottlings.

Their core range of products consists of three flavour-led blended malts – The Hive, a sweet, light whisky with floral honey notes; The Spice King, a rich, spicy blend with a hint of peat; and The Peat Chimney, which is intensely peaty and smoky – all of which are 46% ABV and non-chill filtered. They also have limited release, batch strength editions of their core range, bottled at around 55% ABV. Personally, I find the choice of three flavour profiles ideal, with a dram to fit all occasions and moods.

Their single casks have flavour-led names too. The current releases include Heather and Leather (a 1987 Bunnahabhain), Buttery Maple Fudge (a 1988 Invergordon) and Cherry Bakewell Tart (a 1996 Glen Keith) to name but a few. Since these are not ‘official’ bottlings, meaning they aren’t bottled by the distillery on the label, the price point is incredibly good value for money.

Like a few other well-established, independent bottlers, the Wemyss family decided to move into whisky production, acquiring Kingsbarns Distillery as their starting point. Loyal readers of this column may recall my ‘Kingdom of Fife’ piece from June 2018 which summarised the region’s long-standing whisky distilling history.

Kingsbarns Distillery was founded in 2009 by Douglas Clement, a caddie who saw an obvious gap in the Fife market for a new whisky hub. Frequently caddying for Americans who were playing the area’s famous golf courses, he was always asked where the nearest distillery could be found, which – at the time – was Tullibardine, a good 60-mile drive away. Despite spending five years raising the funds for a distillery next to Kingsbarns Golf Course, Clement fell short of the amount required and sold to the Wemyss family.

With a new distillery under their management, the Wemyss’ hit the ground running. It has been wonderful to see how their investment has transformed a formerly derelict farm steading into a sleek, modern single malt distillery which is now recognised as a five-star visitor centre. Their whisky is now of age and the core release from Kingsbarns is their Dream to Dram whisky – a deliciously light, sweet and fruity dram that is a classic example of how soft Lowland-style whisky should be.

Fifteen years may not seem hugely significant in an industry that sees whisky companies trading for over 200 years, but for Wemyss Malts it is still a landmark worth celebrating. I was delighted to join William and Isabella, along with several of their importers and distributors, at a gala dinner to mark the occasion at the stunning Gosford House in Longniddry.

At the dinner we were treated to some fantastic drams, including a 1989 single cask Bowmore called Black Gold, and even had the chance to taste a new limited release that marks the 15th anniversary – the Velvet Fig 25 Year Old Blended Malt. This, for me, was the highlight of the night. It has oodles of luxurious Turkish delight and black forest gateau mixed in. Delicious, sumptuous and very quaffable, it is a perfect dram for those times when we need a special treat.

The Wemyss Malts team have made their mark on the whisky scene, both in Scotland and internationally. Even more impressive, though, is that the Wemyss family have led the way for family-owned businesses, few of which remain in this ever-expanding industry.