Kingsbarns Distillery - Whisky in the home of golf
The birth of a new distillery is a rare and wonderful thing, especially at the Home of Golf. Mark Alexander toasts the lovechild of golf and whisky, and meets the men behind it.
Whisky and golf were made for each other. Perhaps it’s the aroma of the spirit blended with the exhilaration of the game, but their compatibility is unquestionable. Tournament sponsorship is the most obvious upshot of this bond, but the link between round and dram runs far deeper than simply advertising. Clinking glasses at the end of a round is as customary as a handshake on the 18th green. It’s part of the fabric of the game. And now St Andrews, the Home of Golf, is getting its own distillery right on its doorstep, and I am one of the first journalists to pay the project a visit before its official opening.
STUNNING SCOTLAND. My appointment is scheduled on a raw November day, and although it’s approaching 1pm, the sun is scattering shadows everywhere. On the left of the meandering driveway that will lead me up to Scotland’s newest whisky distillery, bare trees and a stone wall mark my route. On the other side is rich, rolling farmland. This is golfing country. Beyond the woods is the famed Kingbarns Golf Links and seven miles beyond that the hallowed turf of St Andrews. To my right, the East Fife coastline reaches its most easterly point at Crail – the seventh oldest golf club in the world. Carry on round the East Neuk and you’ll find places like Elie, Lundin Links and Leven harbouring a series of links classics. This is a place where birdies rule, so it seems fitting that Fife’s newest export should have its origins among its gorse bushes and undulating fairways.
SUPPLYING DEMAND. Douglas Clement’s idea for a new single malt whisky distillery came to him while out caddying. After fielding a steady stream of requests from clients wanting to visit nearby distilleries – of which there were none – he decided to build his own one. “There wasn’t a particular instant on the golf course when I had that Eureka moment,” he says. “It developed over a year or two of people asking me if they could visit a distillery after their round. I would always send them on an hour and half drive to Tullibarine, near Gleneagles, or back down to Edinburgh and Glenkinchie.” He continues: “I remember caddying for one chap who asked to visit a distillery and I told him there would be an hour and half drive. He shook his head and blurted out some expletives. Golfers are usually on a tight schedule so they don’t have much time after their game. I was inspired to create this distillery by the comments I got from the people I caddied for, especially his.”
FINDING FUNDING. I haven’t seen Clement since we last met up in St Andrews more than 12 months ago. As ever, there is an intensity about him that compels me to find out more about his remarkable journey from bag carrier to whisky entrepreneur. After all, less than five years ago Clement was hanging out at the local caddieshack. Today he is wearing a tailored tweed jacket and carries the title of founder. “I came up with the idea back in 2009 and spent a year or so trying to find a site near St Andrews,” he recalls. “Eventually I found this piece of land on the Cambo Estate next to Kingsbarns golf course. It took me two years to get planning permission and then I released an investment document to raise £2 million.” As with any venture, raising funds can be the biggest hurdle to overcome and speaking to Clement, it’s clear this project was no exception. The 37 year old spent almost two years presenting Dragons’ Den-type pitches, while applying for every suitable state grant. Eventually in September 2012, he secured £670,000 of funding from the Scottish government and his world changed. “Earlier that year I sent my business plan to the Wemyss family,” Clement recalls. “They had been thinking about it for six months or so, but once I secured the grant it suddenly became a far more attractive proposition. I had a few options, but the Wemyss family were the ideal fit because not only is their ancestral home in Fife but they are already in the whisky business, which gives us a huge advantage in having products to sell.” The Wemyss (pronounced ‘Weems’) bought the Kingsbarns Distillery project in January 2013. As Clement admits, he couldn’t have found a better match. The family’s history stretches back over six centuries taking in wars, the Jacobite uprising and, of course, whisky. John Haig built his distillery on the family’s land and today the barley grown on the family’s estates is sought by leading distillers around Scotland. “It was a marriage made in heaven,” says William Wemyss, a director of the family firm. “We were attracted by the idea of combining whisky and golf and we’ve had huge interest from golf tour operators, particularly those focussing on St Andrews and playing Kingsbarns. It’s a pretty strong proposition, so we’re optimistic about the future.”
THE LONG GAME. As optimistic as Wemyss is, the whisky business isn’t one to deliver the kind of short-term returns most investors seek. In fact, the first batch of Kingsbarns Single Malt Scotch whisky won’t be available until the brew has matured in oak casks for at least three years. The earliest dates for tasting will be 2018 and even then no one really knows what it will be like. As both Wemyss and Clement quickly point out, the new tipple will be classified as a Lowlands whisky with light floral notes which is just the kind of malt my palette gravitates towards. Their passionate descriptions certainly arouse my interest and raise the prospect of the Kingsbarns Single Malt Scotch Whisky being one to savour, somewhere down the line. So far, Clement’s toil and the Wemyss family’s commitment have produced renovated farm buildings and landscaped driveway. The once dishevelled barns and dovecot have been transformed into an operational distillery and a clever visitor centre that explores the origins of local nobility and the joys of the ‘water of life’. As yet, no bottles have been filled and no drams taken. “We haven’t got a fixed time horizon in mind,” says Wemyss. “We will release the single malt when we feel it is right to bring it to market in terms of the quality of the spirit – we’re not expecting a big return in year one. Whisky is a long-term business and we see this from a family perspective as a generational-type investment.”
PASSION AND PROGRESS. As for Clement, you get the sense the idea he had while caddying had very little to do with creating a fortune or feathering his nest. “For me, it was never about the money. It was about the adventure and the idea,” he says. “From having no experience in anything, I have built up a nice team of people and learnt as I’ve gone along. As long as you have a good idea and passion and don’t give up – no matter how many times people tell you it will never work – if you have belief in your idea, eventually things will happen.”
