Smoky Shores 14 Year Old is a limited-release blended malt Scotch whisky from independent bottler Wemyss Malts, and the return of the coastal expression that sold out after its 2022 debut. Master Blender Isabella Wemyss married two contrasting peated single malts from a small parcel of hogsheads to rebuild a salty, smoky, citrus-lifted profile. It is bottled at 46% ABV, non-chill filtered, at 10 PPM, with just 3,552 bottles produced. The recommended price is £65 / €75-78, and it is available now across the UK and EU, online and through selected stockists.
Wemyss Malts is bringing back Smoky Shores, the coastal blended malt that sold through in full after its 2022 debut, and this time it carries a 14-year age statement.
Only 3,552 bottles have been produced, which makes it one of the tightest limited runs on the Wemyss calendar this year. It is out now across the UK and EU at a recommended £65 / €75-78.
What is Smoky Shores 14 Year Old?
Smoky Shores 14 is a blended malt Scotch, meaning a marriage of single malts from more than one distillery with no grain whisky in the mix. Master Blender Isabella Wemyss built it from a small parcel of hogsheads, bottled at 46% ABV, non-chill filtered, with a peating level of 10 PPM.
That 10 PPM figure (phenol parts per million, the standard measure of how heavily a malt is peated) sits well below the levels you find in heavily peated Islay malts. This is coastal smoke rather than a bonfire, and for this bottling that is exactly the point.
Two peated malts, pulling in different directions
The character here comes from a deliberate contrast. One of the two malts is drawn from a distillery long synonymous with peat, shaped by a distinctly smoky style. The other is a less familiar peated expression, drawn from a distillery far better known for its unpeated house style.
Wemyss keeps both distilleries unnamed. The idea, though, is clear enough: set a classic smoky profile against an unexpected one, marry them from a small parcel of hogsheads, and rebuild the salty, coastal character that made the first release move so quickly.
Fourteen years in oak has deepened the savoury side and pushed the colour to a buttery gold, while a thread of citrus keeps the smoke from tipping into heaviness. That balance, smoke reined in by citrus, is a Wemyss signature and runs through most of what the team bottles.
What Smoky Shores 14 tastes like
These are the official notes from Isabella Wemyss. We have not tasted this release yet, so treat them as the blender’s own account rather than a Thedailywhisky verdict on the whisky.
Smoky Shores 14 Year Old: tasting notes (as described by Master Blender Isabella Wemyss)
- Nose: Coastal brine, rich peaty smoke, sea-salt air, smoke sitting deep rather than sharp
- Palate: Medicinal peat, sea salt, orange-peel zest lifting and balancing the smoke
- Finish: Long and lingering, white pepper, warming clove
- ABV: 46% | Style: Blended malt Scotch | Cask: Hogsheads | Peating: 10 PPM | Bottles: 3,552 | Price: £65 / €75-78
Who Wemyss Malts is, and why the format suits them
Wemyss Malts is the bottling and blending arm of Wemyss Family Spirits, a family-owned Scottish company founded in 2005. Rather than tie itself to one distillery, it sources and selects casks from across Scotland and releases them as single casks and small-batch blends, with Isabella Wemyss, Production Director and Master Blender, choosing every cask.
The family’s roots are in Fife, where the Wemyss ancestral home looks out over the coastline, and the wider portfolio includes Kingsbarns Single Malt and Darnley’s Gin.
If you have come across Wemyss before, it was more likely through one of its flavour-led single cask releases than through a fixed house style. Smoky Shores fits that curatorial approach neatly: pick the casks for what they do to each other, and let flavour rather than region lead the way.
Where to buy Smoky Shores 14
Smoky Shores 14 is available across the UK and EU. You can buy it online through the Kingsbarns Distillery shop, and in person from Luvians in Fife, Bread and Butter in Anstruther, and Isle of Skye Distillers in Portree (the Portree Bottle Shop and The Misty Bottle).
For readers outside the UK, the EU stockists put it within reach across much of Europe. At 3,552 bottles, though, it is worth moving quickly if you want one.
Is it worth £65?
At £65 for a 14-year-old, non-chill filtered coastal malt at 46%, the maths is friendly. Age-stated peated whisky at this price is getting harder to find, and the format (moderate peat, sea salt, citrus lift) is built for drinkers who like smoke but do not want a full Islay assault.
This one is for people who enjoy coastal, medicinal, savoury whisky and like the idea of a blender setting two peated styles against each other. It is less obviously aimed at collectors who want to know exactly which distilleries are in the glass, since Wemyss is keeping that to itself.
If the 2022 original is any guide, the deciding factor will be the bottle count rather than the tasting notes. Only 3,552 bottles across the whole of the UK and EU does not tend to sit on shelves for long.
Frequently asked questions
What is Wemyss Malts Smoky Shores 14 Year Old? It is a limited-release blended malt Scotch whisky from independent bottler Wemyss Malts, marrying two contrasting peated single malts into a salty, smoky, coastal profile. It follows a sold-out 2022 release and adds a 14-year age statement, bottled at 46% ABV, non-chill filtered, at 10 PPM.
What does Smoky Shores 14 taste like? According to Master Blender Isabella Wemyss, the nose is coastal brine and deep peaty smoke, the palate is medicinal peat and sea salt lifted by orange peel, and the finish is long, with white pepper and warming clove. At 10 PPM the peat is present but kept in check by citrus rather than allowed to dominate.
How much does Smoky Shores 14 cost? The recommended retail price is £65 in the UK and €75-78 across the EU, for a 700ml bottle. It is a limited release of 3,552 bottles, so pricing can vary once individual stockists sell through their allocation.
Where can I buy Smoky Shores 14? Online through the Kingsbarns Distillery shop, and in person from Luvians (Fife), Bread and Butter (Anstruther), and Isle of Skye Distillers in Portree (the Portree Bottle Shop and The Misty Bottle). It is available across the UK and EU while stock lasts.
Is Smoky Shores 14 heavily peated? No. At 10 PPM it is moderately peated, closer to a coastal, salty smoke than the heavily peated end of the spectrum. The citrus notes are there partly to stop the smoke from taking over, which makes it a gentler entry point than a big Islay peat monster.
What is Wemyss Malts known for? Wemyss Malts is an independent bottler founded in 2005, part of family-owned Wemyss Family Spirits. It selects single casks and small-batch blends from distilleries across Scotland, chosen by Master Blender Isabella Wemyss, and sits alongside Kingsbarns Single Malt and Darnley’s Gin in the family portfolio.
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