Kingsbarns Dream to Dram

Note - I'm doing the Really Good Whisky Company Advent Calendar. I've also decided to pour these whiskeys "blind" (or at least as blind as I can), then providing nose, palate, and finish notes. I'll then look at the label, proof, cask type, etc. before writing my other notes. I'll be providing some guesses around things like proof and cask type and then seeing how much I missed the mark. Slàinte Mhath! Nose: We're back in standard cask territory again - ex-bourbon? Not super oaked. Definitely malt whisky. There's a slight funk here, but I'm not hating it. I'm getting cheerios with sugar and bananas. Apples and honey. Slightly herbal, with mint and flowers. Lowland? Just a random guess - no credit for this one. Guessing around 10 years for age, though it could it younger. Canned peach syrup. Nutmeg and anise - softer baking spices, as well as a slight white pepper zing. Strawberries now? Palate: Is that smoke? Strawberries, apricots, bananas. Toasted malt. Lightly sweet, with maybe some salt or minerality. Maybe coastal? The flavor profile at play makes me think we either have some charred new oak, some kind of smoke, or something I can't pick up on. Proof seems to be 47% or so. Not a lot of oak character so the heat would be ethanol-based. Bitter chocolate. Persimmon and pear. Hot cinnamon and clover along with a touch of nutmeg. This is bright and shiny and hits your entire tongue - effervescent. Medium light mouthfeel, but oily. Finish: A gentile rush of tropical fruits, coconuts, grains, and ethanol. Banana, honey and cream slowly get revealed, and then a splash of vanilla comes in. This hangs out for a while - medium long length, on account of that oil content I'm guessing. Other notes: Lack of age statement, but the color suggests some relative youth. Definitely not getting any new-make funk here, at least, though it could be in there. ABV is 46%, so I was close on that. Not giving myself the region because it wasn't an informed guess beyond what it didn't remind me of - that was a total stab in the dark mostly based on my own hopes and dreams of getting on in the calendar. As far as casks, this is a combo of ex-bourbon and 1st fill STR - shaved, toasted, and re-charred ex-Portuguese red wine casks. That new charred oak explains a lot, like the smoke I got on the palate. Without the same kinds of age and climate you see with Kentucky bourbons, I'd imagine that layer of char is where you'd get most of the barrel character from the STR. Without more time, the other oak characteristics aren't going to have as much impact. This was a decent one. A fun exploration into the Lowlands and those STR casks are adding some nice character. Not something I'd necessarily buy a bottle of, though I could see the occasional glass at a bar. Cheers!

Here’s a new whisky from a new, Lowland distillery: Kingsbarns. Dream To Dram is their first, regular release and I believe there’s whisky that’s blended from stocks ranging from 3-4 years old- so it is technically a single malt Scotch. The malts used were taken from first fill, ex-bourbon casks and first fill, toasted & re-charred wine casks- with the majority of liquid coming from the ex-bourbon. It’s bottled at 46% ABV and I picked this bottle up online for $46. It’s super, pale yellow in color (which is all natural and non-chill filtered) and produces sparse, thin legs and very tiny drops when you spin it in the glass. The nose features lots of biscuity meal and banana bread with nice hints of vanilla, orchard fruits and lemon zest. Fresh cut oak also makes an appearance along with some ground, white pepper if you get down in it deep enough. The palate shines with apples, pears and honey sweetness. More vanilla and oak arrive mid-sip and turns this thing towards a heavily bourbon-themed dram. Youthful zip and a slight harshness, just like a young, American bourbon (minus the corn) keeps this pretty well rounded- although the higher ABV doesn’t create as much heat as I anticipated. The finish was medium in length and overall dry, with some harsh abrasiveness that’s a little rough to work around. I did notice this aspect had faded a bit as I worked through the bottle and some oxidation helped smooth it a bit more, but it also dulled the orchard fruit flavors in a negative way. Overall, there’s lots of promise with Kingsbarns in my humble opinion. Seven or eight years in the barrel will probably work wonders, as would some sherry cask finishing, I think. This inaugural release is still solid, especially if you like your scotch whisky to mimic bourbon. This could make some nice, fruity cocktails and even hold up with an ice cube or two. 3.25 stars with a quarter star bump for the elevated ABV and reasonable price point. I’ll be keeping an eye out for future releases from these guys for sure. Cheers.

Stop number 109 on the SDT is Kingsbarns. This Lowland distillery is a newcomer to the scotch game, having only been established in 2015. Dream to Dram is their first general release and is a NAS single malt that is basically a 3+ year old. It’s matured in mostly first fill bourbon casks from Heaven Hill, but also a few heavily charred wine casks. Bottled at 46% ABV and is non chill filtered and natural color of a light white wine. This sample was provided by @LeeEvolved who jumped in with me on grabbing some nice bottles for this little bonus round of our journey to try every active (and some inactive) Scottish distillery. Immediately you are hit with a warm, creamy vanilla on the nose. Very fruity, baked pears and apples and some green grapes. Green oak, coconut, lemon, very perfumed and floral as well. Very nice for such a young whisky. Some light barrel char and subtle wine notes. Anise, menthol, herbal, barley sugar. Pineapple and green bananas. The palate is intense and spirity. Slightly rough, but also smooth at the same time. Lots of sharp oak, anise, licorice, ginger, herbal. A bit of toffee and vanilla, honey, slightly malty. Pears, lemon, pineapple. Some chili spice at times A medium bodied mouthfeel that is creamy and mouthwatering. The finish is medium length with pears, oak, vanilla and dry. I remember a few years ago Ralfy, the Exalted One, did a video from Kingsbarns and interviewed the young guys who were running the distillery. I believe one was the master distiller, who said that they were after a lighter style with a pear profile. Well, they nailed it. Lots of pears in here. It’s surprisingly good for a 3 year old and I would love to see what this does with another 5-10 years on it. It’s spirity and young for sure, but also has great flavors. Not too complex, but that’s to be expected at this age. If you want a good, traditional, bourbon matured scotch, keep your eye out for Kingsbarns in the future. 3.75 Cheers

This was provide by the one and only @LeeEvolved some time long ago from a tasting group now far, far away. A slow taster, I am. At best, tasting once a week and only drink on weekends (Friday through Sunday). Well, tonight turns out to be a tasting night... A warm lemon vanilla aroma greets you. Add to it ripened orchard fruits of pears and Gala apples. Now sprinkle that with toasted coconut, dried pineapples, some slices of green bananas and almond shavings. As it sits and opens, fruity red wine becomes apparent. It arrives on the palate bright, clean and brisk. The flavors are faint but detectable. Ginger root, vanilla extract, lemon juice. That acidic side is countered by sweetness of apples, malt chocolate and waxed honey. The finish is medium long that is slightly woody, slightly spicy and slightly dry. Vanilla and lemon oil finishes the flavors on the palate. A decent pour that is still maturing. A pleasant nose but the palate is wanting to be more complex and deeper. A few more years of maturation and this will be all that and more. Looking forward to that day. [85/100][Tasted: 5/29/20]

I had the chance to try a 10cl sample from this very new Lowland distillery. If i am not mistaken the first whiskies from them hit the markets just recently, by december 2018. The bottle actually says "Dream to dram". Bottled at 46%abv a nice strength for a Lowland. On the nose, it is beautiful. Oranges. Dim chocolate. Tangerine. Beautiful aroma right from the start. A refined malted barley. Crushed almonds. Citric punch. On the palate, it is your typical Lowland whisky: Orange caramel and Chocolate. Pretty nice taste. Oranges reminded me of Glenmorangie Original. Dulce de leche, and some citrus notes. Aftertaste is well crafted. Cocoa powder, Milk chocolate, Dulce de leche. A hint of ginger spice that surrounds the whole sweetness. Overall a very complex dram for a lowland. Very enjoyable. Citric and sweet. Hints of hay also present. 88 over 100, i foresee good things for this distillery.

Nose: Pears, pineapple, apple, vanilla, oak Palate: Coffee, gristy, light, pears/apples Finish: Coffee, tiramisu, banana sweets (the soft foamy banana sweets that taste extremely fake, but unmistakably of 'fake' banana!) Matured in 1st-fill ex-Bourbon casks from Heaven Hill Kentucky distillery, and 1st-fill STR barriques Distilled in 2015. Light, gristy and a little fruity. This is an uncomplicated and unassuming light dram - simple and refreshing.