Kingsbarns Coaltown is the third everlasting launch within the core vary, moreover the bourbon and sherry cask expressions. It comes from ex-peated casks.
Utilizing casks that beforehand held peated whisky from one other distillery isn’t new. We’ve seen it from Kavalan, Puni, Milk & Honey, Cotswolds… in addition to established names just like the Balvenie Islay Cask, Ardmore or Scapa Glansa. For distilleries that don’t produce a peated spirit, it appears a simple method to widen the vary.
Lowland distillery Kingsbarns is thought for its mild and fruity character, so maturing it in ex-peated casks might lend it the correct amount of refined smoke with out overpowering the unique. They even declare it has environmental advantages, minimising their carbon footprint. An trustworthy premise or a inexperienced afterthought?
Coaltown is known as after… Coaltown, a small village near Wemyss Fortress. It accomodated the folks working in close by coal mines.
Kingsbarns Coaltown (46%, OB 2024)
Nostril: jogs my memory of among the first peated anCnoc whiskies. Loads of lemony notes, inexperienced melons and inexperienced banana, together with some meadow flowers and delicate vanilla. Gentle heathery smoke, within the distance. Then a refined minty contact. Additionally hints of muesli and yeast. Supposedly younger whisky.
Mouth: gradual onset, staying on the graceful aspect. Loads of uncooked barley, with a grainy and barely spirity core. Then extra muesli, biscuits, drops of banana liqueur and lemon peels. Nonetheless a aromatic floral notice, together with apples and a gentle bitterness. Beneath there’s a charcoal notice and a few peppery wooden smoke.
End: medium size, with salted caramel, inexperienced apple, leather-based and light-weight smoke.
There’s a refined however clear smoky notice certainly, which meets the expectations. Then again the whisky is somewhat spirity and tough. I’m unsure this was a crucial experiment (for now) but it surely does present potential for older releases with the identical idea. Obtainable from the distillery store or retailers like The Whisky Alternate as an example.
