A Fife distillery set up a decade ago has just released its first whisky for sale.
Glenrothes-based InchDairnie Distillery used Scottish-grown rye to produce the first batch of RyeLaw.
It is one of the few rye whiskies to be distilled in Scotland.
And only 200 casks have been bottled and made available worldwide.
The business was set up by Ian Palmer on land formerly belonging to the InchDairnie Estate.
And it began production on Christmas Day 2015.
Despite being a whisky industry veteran of more than 45 years, Ian was excited to see RyeLaw leaving the Glenrothes warehouse.
He said: “We’ve been preparing for this day for well over a decade and it is only now that we feel the quality of RyeLaw meets our exacting standards that we are putting it into bottles.
“And what a whisky it is!”
Ability to produce 4m litres per year
The rye used in the first release came from Easter Ross, the Palmer family home, in the north of Scotland.
However, future vintages will use exclusively Fife-grown grains.
InchDairnie Distillery recently announced it is investing £18 million in a new bonded warehouse at Osprey Road.
And from next year, the facility will have the capacity to create four million litres of alcohol per year.
Ian added: “While we are rooted in Scotch whisky tradition, we have explored what is possible when agriculture meets industry.”
He described RyeLaw as “a superb rye whisky that is sure to excite palates”.
Subsequent vintages of InchDairnie Distillery rye whisky already maturing
Managing director Scott Sneddon said the Fife whisky compared favourably to ryes produced in America.
“There’s a richer, more luxurious mouthfeel and great balance, which are certainly helped by the favourable maturation conditions we have in Fife compared to Kentucky,” he said.
“The use of malted rye in the mash means we have a softer, more sippable style of rye whisky.
“We look forward to hearing if our American cousins agree.”
Distillation of the inaugural RyeLaw took place in just one week.
And subsequent vintages are already maturing in different types of casks.
The first batch is now available for sale for £110 at a handful of retailers, including Royal Mile Whiskies, Selfridges, Harvey Nichols and Fortnum & Mason.
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