Kingsbarns plans multi-million-pound expansion
Fife-based Kingsbarns Distillery has invested a seven-figure sum in new facilities as part of its expansion plan.
The full sum of the investment – said to be in the multi-million-pound range – hasn’t been disclosed, but it will significantly increase the distillery’s production and capacity abilities.
Kingsbarns is owned by Wemyss Family Spirits, and William Wemyss, founder of the company, said: “We’ve developed a real foothold in the market for Lowland whiskies and now need to substantially increase our stocks of maturing spirit to meet the thirst for this delicate, fruit-forward malt.
“As the distillery approaches its 10th anniversary, this expansion will allow us to ramp up production while gaining better control over specialised maturation and bottling when we start releasing 10- and 12 year-old aged expressions over the coming years.”
Of the expansion, new equipment has been installed at its East Neuk site.
These include a new 20,000-litre washback which is said to boost output by more than 40%. Manufactured and installed by Clyde Associated Engineers, the washback is used in the fermentation phase of whisky production where the ingredients are combined. Installing it required an entire side wall of the distillery to be removed – due to its 5.15m height.
In addition, work has begun on a major heat recovery system that will ‘notably’ cut energy use. The new system features a wash charging tank and heat exchanger that will enable heat from previous distillation runs to be captured and reused.
Furthermore, new large-scale warehouses are being built in Glenrothes – allowing the distillery to store ‘substantially’ more spirit each year, as it aims to meet future demand for its single malts.
The upgraded set-up is expected to be ready for mid-2024 and the first spirit laid down under the expanded distillery will coincide with Kingsbarns’ 10th-anniversary releases starting in 2025.
Kingsbarns distillery manager Peter Holroyd noted though, that in spite of the investment, the distillery’s character will be integrated within the expansion.
“While vastly increasing our scale, it’s critically important these changes don’t alter the fruity, elegant house style our team has diligently created,” he added.
Kingsbarns produces both gin and whisky. Its flagship single malt is Dream to Dram.
At the beginning of the year it relaunched and extended its ‘pay-what-you-like’ visitor experience.
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