Kingsbarns Distillery

At first glance, you could mistake the distillery for a small tower fortress. It was built in the derelict remains of an old doocot (a Scottish dovecot). Now, instead of housing doves and grouse, the buildings are homes to casks of some of the finest Scottish whisky.

The distillery is proud of the whisky. The barley is grown in Fife, and the water comes from an aquifer directly below the distillery. As well as whisky, there is also a gin distillery on site. Here Darnley’s gin is made. You can also take a tour of this part of the distillery if you are interested.

Tours

There are a few different tour options available, depending on your level of interest. All of the tours will give you some insight into the history of the distillery. You will also get the chance to see and smell the beautiful aroma of the whisky that is being made.

Each of the tours also includes a chance to taste at least one of the whiskies made on site. You will also receive a voucher for some money off a bottle of whisky in the onsite shop.

Children over the age of eight are welcome on the tour.

Planning Your Visit

The distillery is open seven days a week and only closes for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Day and the 2nd of January. The opening times vary a little with depending on the time of year. Generally, though, the distillery opens at around 10 am and closes between 5 and 6 pm.

There are tours running every hour on the half-hour, from 10:30 until 3:30. If you want to go on a tour at a particular time, then it is a good idea to book before you go. You can either ring up, or you can book online.

There is a café on-site, and it closes as the last tour of the day starts. The cafe serves light lunches as well as tea, coffee, soft drinks, and of course whisky, gin and wine. The on-site shop sells the full range of wines, gins, and whiskies that are produced at the distillery.