That’s the Spirit - Bright Future for Whiskey, Wemyss

ABRIGHT FUTURE

FOR WHISKY

By Joseph Luparello

WEMYSS MALTS START WITH QUALITY AT ITS CORE.

The palates of today’s drinkers are sophisticated and can distinguish between high and low quality. The act of passing off inauthentic and artificial ingredients to consumers comes at a price. Moreover, several laws have been implemented across various beverage categories which restrict the use of additives outright.

On the other hand, brands like Wemyss Malts have been passionate about quality from the very beginning and instead stand out for all the right reasons. Since its conception in 2005, brother and sister duo William and Isabella, fellow kin of the Scottish Wemyss family, independently run the Scottish malt whisky company, which produces spirits beyond Wemyss Malts including Darnley’s Gin and Kingsbarns Single Malts.

William’s experience with expert wine blenders in Southern France was the foundation for developing bold, flavorful malt scotch whiskies and inspired the siblings’ spirited journey. Given that Scotch whisky’s regulations call for the flavor to come strictly from the spirit or the barrel it is aged in, they needed excellent resources to attain their goal. No additives are possible here.

Luckily, Isabella’s keen sense for uncompromising quality led to sourcing exquisite single malts from Scotland and the best oak casks from around the world. Certainly, innovation in the whiskey category is found in unique cask finishes. “Category innovation now comes from finishes such as our Madeira cask finish Nectar Grove or unusual full cask maturation.,” says Isabella. “The blended malt category allows the master blender utmost flexibility since a choice of casks can be made from different single malt distilleries across multiple regions.”

Furthermore, the team’s obsession with quality separates them from the rest. “Our production runs are small, with each barrel being selected only for its flavor-fit but also its quality,” shares Isabella. “Our different whiskies are married together for a period before bottling to ensure a full integration of flavors from each single malt.”

The ultimate evidence of their devotion to quality is found within the core collection of unique liquid malts, The Hive, Spice King, and Peat Chimney. These names also signify the sheer respect and gratitude Wemyss has for the experts of their respective industry. They draw direct inspiration from genius whisky writer Charlie Maclean and his revolutionary invention of the whisky flavor wheel. These selections each reflect different flavors of scotch malt whiskies, which can add a nice touch of versatility behind any bar. With flavorful whiskies from different malt whisky producing regions of Scotland on hand, many mixing options become available for bartenders to wow the crowd.

“Bartenders seem to like using the different flavors from the core collection to create varied cocktail experiences for their customers,” notes Isabella. “The diversity of flavors across the range allow for creative excellence!”

The future of Wemyss malts is bright, as they are focusing on rolling out the brand across all the markets in the States and visiting as many as possible over the next year. “In the background, our team are constantly working on possible new expressions in our blending room, combining different single malts and maturation barrels,” concludes Isabella. “The small batch production ensures that what ends up in the glass is a malt scotch whisky of the highest quality.”