Fife distillery goes back to its royal roots with new partnership

The Crafty Maltsters will be using organic barley grown on the Falkland Estate, once the site of the Forest of Falkland and the hunting park of the Stuart monarchs.

It was while King James was at Falkland Palace in 1494 that he commanded Friar John Corr, a monk of Lindores Abbey, to make ‘8 bolls of malt,’ a command which is now famously recognised as the earliest known written reference to Scotch whisky.

Drew McKenzie Smith, founder of Lindores Abbey Distillery, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Crafty Maltsters. It is wonderful to be bringing our story back ‘full circle’ too, with our links to King James IV and his hunting lodge at Falkland – we have 16th century records of the Lindores monks and Falkland Palace trading goods such as plums and apples.”

Alison Milne of Crafty Maltsters, added: “At Crafty Maltsters we rely on provenance, quality and sustainability to deliver a unique malt product to our customers. We are thrilled to be partnering with both Lindores and Falkland Estate to enhance our commitment to strengthening and celebrating Fife’s amazing heritage.”

Ninian Stuart, hereditary keeper of Falkland Palace and chairman of Falkland Estate Trust, commented: “It is exciting to be collaborating with Lindores Abbey Distillery and Crafty Maltsters to revitalise the ancient links between Falkland, Auchtermuchty and Lindores Abbey in the creation of a new whisky for the enjoyment of people today, giving as much pleasure as it would have to James IV and his court.”

Drew added: “We are very pleased to be partnering with such a local business. Reducing our footprint and keeping our production as low-impact as possible is incredibly important to us. The monks producing their Aqua Vitae back in 1494 would have used locally sourced barley, perhaps even from Falkland Estate itself.”