Wemyss Malts Spice King 12 Year Old Blended Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml)

The Wemyss family have had a longstanding passion for malt whisky and their connections with the industry date back to the turn of the 19th century when John Haig (founder of Haig's) built his first distillery on Wemyss land. Even today barley from the Wemyss Estate is prized by many of the leading distillers, and Cameron Bridge distillery is located just a few miles from the castle itself.

With this passion came the gradual realisation that, even for the knowledgeable consumer, much of the malt whisky terminology can be confusing. Thus, the company uses the taste and aromas of the individual whiskies to identify each bottling, rather than the distillery, so the consumer can more easily understand the style being purchased. All are bottled at 40% and the range has five to twelve year old age expressions. Where possible, the different whiskies are 'married' together for a period of months, allowing the fullest integration of the different malts, prior to bottling. Up to sixteen different single malt whiskies are expertly blended together before introducing the “signature” malts to create three distinct taste profiles under Charles Maclean’s guidance.

Tasting note: Bright gold. Longmorn-like with lovely honey and cereal opening sniffs and underlying toasted marshmallow. Vanilla and cardamom are added in the second pass. Light entry leads into a medium-dry, grainy, woody profile with a spicy mid palate surge that delivers what the label promises: a warm flurry of light cinnamon, clove and a touch of cardamom to finish, all underpinned by a whisper of peat and carried with solid length. 40% Alc./Vol.

Other reviews... The least assertive of the Wemyss 12 year old range, and the most flighty. There's nothing wrong here, and the whisky's well-made and won't disappoint, but when you compare the spice hit here with what's on offer with other malts, this isn't shouting loudly enough. 80 points www.maltadvocate.com (Vol. 20, #4) Reviewed by: Dominic Roskrowsize>