Douglas Clement first had the idea of a distillery at Kingsbarns in the late summer of 2008 while working as a golf caddie at neighbouring Kingsbarns Golf Links.
The inspiration came after regular requests from golfers he was caddying for that they would like to be directed to the nearest distillery.
The former Strathallan pupil and Abertay University first class business studies degree graduate knew the area well having grown up on the family farm outside nearby Anstruther.
But tired of directing golf visitors distilleries in other parts of Scotland, and keen to develop a business in his home area, he embarked upon a dream to fill the gap in the market by transforming the derelict East Newhall Farm set amongst barley fields on the Cambo Estate.
“I knew of this building because in the 1980s it was actually a farm zoo and a caf,”he says. “I used to play here as a kid. Then it closed in the late 1980s and lay derelict for about 20 years. So when I had the idea for a distillery, this was a spot that immediately sprung to mind. I used to drive past it every day going to my work at Kingsbarns and gaze across the fields and think ‘one day someone’s going to take that and turn it into an amazing house or something special’.”
Securing planning permission in 2011 and after persevering with grant applications, he sold his dream to the Wemyss family in 2013, tapping into their vast experience in the whisky industry,
Today, the Kingsbarns Distillery is fully operational with a visitor centre and caf, having celebrated its first anniversary on November 30.
“Now we are open people are coming and they are genuinely blown away,”adds Douglas, who remains a director of the business and takes a salaried roll as visitor centre manager.
“It’s really fulfilling. The everyday side of the job isn’t so glamorous. But being a Fifer it’s great to make an impact on the area where you grew up.”
The visitor centre opened last December, production started in January and the first cask was filled in March.
He adds: “We are aiming for 140,000 litres per year, which makes us small but not the smallest. We are not a craft distillery like Eden Mill or Strathearn. We are slightly above that.”
Douglas said there was a growing trend to “buy local, to buy less, to buy quality.” And this tapped into Fife’s growing reputation as a quality food and drink hotspot.
He adds: “When I started my idea in 2008/2009, there were only a handful of start-up distilleries in the whole of Scotland. Now there are 20 to 30 start-ups. I think it’s the growing consumer trend to want authenticity.
“This one of the reasons why I chose Wemyss to come on board. They too are Fife-based with the family’s ancestral castle just along the coast at Wemyss Castle.
“Originally my idea was to combine the golf and whisky. Now I think it’s much bigger than that. With Eden Mill, St Andrews Brewing Company, and the development under way at Lindores Abbey, I think there’s an opportunity to bring people to Fife to St Andrews and East Neuk, not just for the golf. Fife is getting a great reputation as a food and drink hotspot. The Peat Inn, the Cellar, the St Andrews Cheese Factorywe work together when we can. It’s about collaboration.
“What I want to see is people coming here not just for the golf but in future people will come to St Andrews instead of Islay or Speyside. We’ll create this as a destination to do this as a whisky or beer tour. And it’s already happening. We have groups that come here. But there could be so many more. It’s about getting word out that we are here.”
www.kingsbarnsdistillery.com