Kingsbarns opens Scotland's first distillery putting green

Kingsbarns Distillery, just outside St Andrews, has opened what is believed to be the first putting green at any Scottish distillery: six holes overlooking the East Neuk coastline.

The connection is not a gimmick. Kingsbarns was founded by Douglas Clement, a local golf caddie who spent years raising the money for a distillery in the shadow of the championship course, and the Wemyss family who now run it have leaned into the link with bottlings like Caddie's Dream and the 19th Hole, made with The Dunvegan in St Andrews.

Through August, distillery manager Peter Holroyd will set a score on the green and any visitor who beats it goes into a draw to win the full core range: Doocot, Balcomie and Coaltown. A dram, a putt and a sea view. Fife has worse afternoons.

Kingsbarns Distillery has opened a putting green

Kingsbarns Distillery in Fife has laid a six-hole putting green, thought to be the first at a working Scottish distillery. It sits above the East Neuk coast, a few miles down from St Andrews.

The golf here is not a marketing conceit. Douglas Clement was a caddie on the local links before he set the company up in 2009, and he spent years raising the money to build it. The whisky has followed the same seam: Caddie's Dream sold out, and the recent 19th Hole bottling was made with The Dunvegan Hotel, the golfers' bar in St Andrews.

William Wemyss, whose family firm owns the distillery, makes the point that whisky tourism is getting crowded and a walk past the stills is no longer enough. Fair enough. Turning up early to putt for half an hour before a tour is no hardship.

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