
BenRiach Smoke Season
This exciting new single malt BenRiach has been double matured in ex-bourbon and virgin oak casks, resulting in a toasted sweetness, depth and inte...
View full detailsSpeyside represents the beating heart of Scotland’s whisky industry, playing host to some of its most recognisable whiskies in the form of Glenfiddich, the Glenlivet and the Macallan. The region...
Speyside represents the beating heart of Scotland’s whisky industry, playing host to some of its most recognisable whiskies in the form of Glenfiddich, the Glenlivet and the Macallan. The region is also a concentrated hotbed of distilleries, focused on supplying whisky for the majority of blended Scotches that dominate the international market.
Today there are over 50 distilleries stretching from Speyside near Kingussie to Inchgower in the Northeast. It’s a region that caters for great diversity but the majority of these distilleries produce spirit that is light, sweet, refined and layered with gentle characteristics that are prized by blenders. Whilst Speyside occupies a modest chunk of Scotland, its distilleries are amongst some of the oldest with many having roots in illicit distilling such as the Glenlivet, which occupies a site amidst a romantic windswept Scottish environment far removed from the powers of Westminster.
The area is dissected by the fast flowing River Spey that weaves its way across 107 miles of wilderness before reaching the Moray Firth. Water is a vital resource for whisky production and the River Spey is a fertile breeding ground for salmon. Nowadays it is the tributaries that connect to the Spey that are utilised for whisky including names such as the Rivers Fiddich, Livet and Lossie. Rain is tomorrow’s whisky and this network of lochs, rivers and mountains means that water shortages are rare unlike other distilleries that may only rely on a single isolated water source such as Talisker.
With the arrival of the Excise Act in 1823 and the ability to become a legal distillery for a license fee and tariff on each gallon produced, many illicit distillers or budding entrepreneurs established themselves as distillers. In total 16 took up the challenge and sought out a new opportunity with 9 of these fledgling distilleries still in operation today such as Cardhu. Moving from illicit stills towards farm distilleries or onto the edges of towns where natural resources were still at hand. A major factor was the arrival of the railway in the 1850’s that connected many distilleries to a network that reached south and removed the arduous trek across the Highlands. This explains the concentration of distilleries around the main towns of the region with the majority found within the triangle of Dufftown, Keith and Rothes. Within this area are names such as Glenfiddich, Balvenie, Glen Grant, Mortlach and Strathisla, making it a popular destination and whisky tourism being a major employer.
A journey through Speyside is very much an experience of Scotland’s whisky heritage. Turning off the A9 at Aviemore you’re about to follow the Malt Whisky Trail via the picturesque A95, passing by the epic splendour of Tormore distillery that sits on the edge of the region. As you edge closer to the heart of Speyside, Ballindalloch plays host to a promising new comer and a distillery to watch out for; whilst the historic Cragganmore awaits nearby. The town of Aberlour greets you with its distillery and Glenfarclas nearby. A central hub, it marks the entry point to a cluster of distillery signs pointing you in all directions across Speyside. Literally it feels as if around each corner there is another distillery to discover and visit.
With so many distilleries across the region, many are not open to the public. These tend to the faithful producing types that mainly go into blends and have very little if any single malt presence. Falling into this camp are names such as Allt-a-Bhainne, Dufftown, Knochando, Tamnavulin and many more besides. However annually the Spirit of Speyside Festival encourages such normally closed distilleries to throw open their doors with special tours and events held across the region. The event towards the end of April is a major tourist attraction and offers a combination of whisky, fine food, local crafts and plenty of enthusiasm.
A bountiful whisky history means that there are several famous closed distilleries across the region. Dallas Dhu is today operated by Historic Scotland for the nation and is preserved as it was from the 1980’s for you to explore, also fallen include Coleburn, Convalmore and the demolished Imperial. Benromach owned by Gordon & MacPhail is a revived distillery with a passion for producing an older style of whisky. The town of Elgin harbours a clutch of distilleries including the rarely seen Miltonduff, the affordable and varied Glen Moray and the overlooked Glenlossie. Other distilleries worth experiencing via the independent bottlers include the prized Aultmore and the forever impressive Glentauchers. These mainly go into blends but single cask releases can be wonderful. It’s a momentous challenge to write an introduction to Speyside as it offers so much variety and a consistent emphasis on quality. It’s a region that offers diversity, distilling heritage, a passion for whisky and the Scottish perfection of its national drink.
This exciting new single malt BenRiach has been double matured in ex-bourbon and virgin oak casks, resulting in a toasted sweetness, depth and inte...
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Gold Medal winner at the San Francisco World Spirits competition 2020, this beautifully presented 12 year old Speymalt malt has been fully matured ...
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A 2011 vintage single malt Glentauchers, matured for 11 years in first fill sherry butts. Released as part of the Càrn Mòr Strictly Limited series ...
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Released by Independent Scotch whisky bottlers, Elixir Distillers for their Reserve Cask series, this 12 year old Speyside dram was created from 4 ...
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A 2009 vintage single malt Glen Elgin matured for 11 years in first fill hogsheads and bottled by independent Scotch whisky bottlers, Morrison Scot...
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The Original Ten is the flagship expression within the newly designed portfolio of drams from BenRiach distillery. Speyside spirit matured in three...
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Created from 4 hogsheads, distilled in 2007 and matured for 12 years, then bottled in 2020 at 48% vol. Released as part of Parcel 2 from the Reserv...
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Released as part of the Spring Release collection 2022 from Wine & Spirits Merchant, Berry Bros & Rudd, this small batch, single malt relea...
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An independent single malt Glenlossie bottled by Scotch whisky bottlers, Morrison Scotch Whisky Distillers for the Càrn Mòr Strictly Limited range....
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Distilled at the Glenrothes distillery in 2007, this single malt from Speyside spent 11 years maturing in cask. Vintage Casks No.26 was bottled by ...
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The Mossburn Signature Casks Series is a range of blended malts created to explore the characteristics from the different regions of Scotland. This...
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An independent single malt Glenburgie, released by Morrison Scotch Whisky Distillers for their excellent Strictly Limited series. Distilled in 2012...
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A 2009 vintage Inchgower bottled by independent wine and spirits merchant, Berry Bros & Rudd. Matured in single cask #301012 for 13 years befor...
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Bottled by The Vintage Malt Whisky Co. for The Cooper's Choice series, 'Speyside Reserve' was distilled at the Speyburn distillery and initially ma...
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An independent single malt Glenrothes, distilled February 2010 and matured for 12 years in single bourbon cask 871. Bottled in 2022 for the excelle...
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An exciting new release from The Vintage Malt Whisky Company, released as part of the excellent Cooper's Choice series. Distilled in 2010 and initi...
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A 2011 vintage Linkwood, matured in refill sherry hogshead #303531 for 10 years then bottled by The Vintage Malt Whisky Company in 2012. 330 bottle...
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Tormore 'Speyside Sunshine' a new single malt release from The Vintage Malt Whisky Co for The Cooper's Choice series. Initially matured in American...
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Distilled in 2011, this independent single cask Miltonduff has been fully matured for 10 years in a fresh bourbon barrel. Bottled in 2021 by indepe...
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A 2009 vintage Mannochmore from independent Scotch whisky bottlers, The Vintage Malt Whisky Co. Matured for 12 years in refill sherry hogshead #144...
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Distilled at the Mannochmore distillery in 2008 and matured for 10 years in cask, this single malt from Speyside has been bottled at cask strength ...
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Distilled in 2008 at the Inchgower distillery, this Speyside single malt Scotch whisky was left to matured for 13 years in cask, initially starting...
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