Independent bottler in the spotlight: Wemyss Malts

If you’re an avid reader of the Whisky Foundation blog, you’ll know that this is the third in a series of blog posts that explore the people behind our favourite whiskies – the independent bottlers.

Last month, we took a look at Kingsbury (and the month before, Signatory Vintage).

This month, we shove Wemyss Malts into the limelight.

Hold on, Wemyss Malts?

We know, they’re not up there with Gordon & MacPhail or Samaroli in terms of name recognition. And they’re not even particularly well known among fans of independent bottlings.

And that’s a shame.

(And the reason we decided to shine our light in their direction this month.)

First things first, how on earth do you pronounce it?

It’s not we-myss.

It’s not wem-iss.

And it’s not Wem-ees.

It’s Weems.

(We had to Google it, so don’t beat yourself up if you didn’t get that.)

It comes from the Gaelic word for the caves which stem from the rocky outcrop on the Firth of Forth.

Why?

Because atop that rocky outcrop lies Wemyss Castle, the ancestral home of Wemyss Malts.

(It all makes sense now, doesn’t it?)

What’s so special about Wemyss Malts then?

First of all, Wemyss Malts has a long history with the Scotch industry (even though they only started trading in 2005).

How?

The Wemyss family and Scotch go all the way back to the late 1800s when John Haig (yep, the founder of Haig’s) decided to build his distillery on Wemyss land. (He probably built it there to take advantage of the Wemyss barley, which is still prized by whisky makers across Scotland.)

Second of all, we love their attitude towards whisky.

It’s everything we try to be here at Whisky Foundation: passionate yet unpretentious, knowledgeable but accessible, precise yet understandable.

As they say on their website ‘even for the knowledgeable consumer, much of the malt whisky terminology can be confusing. Our range of hand crafted malts was conceived with the aim of making them more accessible and understandable.’

And so, what you get is a very simple approach to whisky, free of much of the confusing whisky terminology that can be off-putting to new drinkers.

(As we said before, they’re pretty much the Ronseal of whiskies. They smell and taste like the name on the bottle)

Our favourite Wemyss Malts bottlings:

Wemyss Malts choose the best malt whisky casks that the industry has to offer. They do this by having their very own ‘nosing and tasting panel’ pore over the many different casks maturing in distillery warehouses across Scotland. (Their process is very similar to what the wine industry calls a négociant – choosing and bottling a small number of the very best casks for their customers.)

And they do an incredible job choosing.

Their blended range is pretty great – but we’re not about the blended malts here at Whisky Foundation.

We’re all about the single cask bottlings.

And Wemyss does not disappoint.

IB #1: Spiced Peach Cobbler (Invergordon, 1988)

(See what we mean about ‘say what you see’ names?)

Unsurprisingly, this Invergordon single malt tastes like a peach cobbler. But that’s only the start. On the nose, you’ve got cinnamon and cardamom followed by a wave of poached pear for a huge, wintery hit of spice and fruit.

Next comes the autumnal combination of apples and peaches (obviously) with an avant-garde twist: just the faintest hint of black pepper.

Then, to finish, it’s all washed down with the sweet warmth of milk chocolate.

It’s very, very good – and the perfect dram for a rainy winter’s day.

Tutti Frutti Zing (Glentauchers, 1992)

A contender for the best named whisky on the market, the Tutti Frutti Zing is an independently bottled Glentauchers single malt that is like drinking a sip of your childhood, it’s fruity, sweet and reminiscent of paper bags full of pick and mix.

On the nose, you’ve got the sweet hits of grapefruit and pomegranate, with a slightly floral harmony in the background. But as soon as you take a sip, it’s all about that old school sweet vibe: it’s zesty, it’s citrusy and – most importantly – it reminds you of eating a Refresher.

It’s one of a kind, and we love it.

Barbeque Mango Salsa (Bowmore, 1989)

Granted, Barbeque Mango Salsa isn’t as catchy as Tutti Frutti Zing, but it ain’t half intriguing.

And, as ever, it’s not a misnomer.

Of course, the Bowmore brings that classic Islay smokiness together with the smell of the sea. But there’s so much more than that going on here – there’s aromas of burning oak chips and tropical fruit, setting up that Caribbean barbeque vibe. Then, on the palate, it’s meaty as hell with hints of apple and fruit.

As you head to the finish, fresh fruits and vanilla rise to the surface for a smooth finish.

Think – like it says on the bottle – of charred meats with a tangy fruit salsa, and you’re not far wrong.

These Wemyss Malts are just exciting because they eschew the stuffiness of whisky language, they’re all genuinely exciting, intriguing and playful whiskies that aren’t happy to do things the same way as everyone else.

If you’re a fan of outside-the-box whiskies, you won’t go wrong with a Wemyss Malts bottling.