Kingsbarns Doocot — named for the traditional Scottish dovecote — is the Wemyss family's most accomplished expression from their Fife distillery. Matured in a combination of 90% ex-bourbon casks and 10% STR (shaved, toasted, recharred) Portuguese red wine barriques, both first-fill, it achieves a tropical fruitiness remarkable for a Lowland malt.
The STR wine cask component, though small in proportion, has a significant influence. The technique — first pioneered by the late Dr Jim Swan — creates exceptionally active wood that imparts exotic fruit notes rapidly. On Kingsbarns' clean, light spirit, this STR influence produces tropical fruit, praline and brioche that are more commonly associated with warm-climate distilleries.
The result earned a gold medal and 95 points at competition, and the quality justifies the recognition. At 46%, non-chill-filtered and naturally coloured, Doocot is presented with integrity. The only criticism is the finish, which shows the spirit's relative youth in a slight peppery heat. But that is a minor reservation about an otherwise genuinely impressive Lowland single malt that demonstrates what the Fife distillery is capable of producing.
