New beginnings for the Speyside Distillery
The Speyside Distillery in Kingussie is now officially a lost distillery. In December we could follow the dismantling of the site on Instagram. Collectors be aware! This will be your new Port Ellen! Or not quite, as the quality of the whisky releases by the owners has always been a bit iffy to the European palate. According to the Malt Whisky Yearbook 2026, the brand is very popular in the Far East, including Taiwan. We will take Ingar Ronde’s word for it! He also explains what is going on with all this closure business in the Glen Tromie. Pay attention: the lease of the land expired in 2025, which made Speyside Distillery pack up and leave; they will be moving to Strathmashie. This is even closer to the origins of the Spey River and the small Loch Spey, and almost neighbouring the Dalwhinnie Distillery. All equipment is stored, waiting for being used again. All this does not mean distilling will cease on the location that was left behind. Someone else, namely Glasgow Whisky, will start a new distillery on the land and call the distillery Glentromie. It will probably become active in the next few months. Confused? Me neither. Let us try some samples!
Speyside 15 years, Superb Scotch Whisky, bottled at 43 % abv
First things first: One thing is for sure: Speyside Disitllery is not known for modesty. The label reads “The best whisky in the world”. Bottled in a 750 ml bottle.
Upon Sipping: We will be extra critical then, won’t we? For starters, I am not disappointed by the nicely sherried nose. It opens on raisins and sultana cookies, before it gives off hints of wood polish and oak wood. The dilution to 43 % abv makes it a bit watery fresh to smell, also. One can only wonder what a higher strength would have done. The arrival on the tongue is sugary sweet, like strawberry juice, and then you swallow, leaving the mouth covered in a sticky oak juice. The longer you let it linger, the more cardboardy it gets. That is a true pity, otherwise this could have been a major dram for this (let’s face it) modest distillery. The longer it breathes, the more I am reminded of the Edradour style of damp earth and mushrooms on the nose. Indeed, this could be more of a Perthshire malt than a true Speysider. On repeated sipping, the sugary sweetness does make this a very enjoyable dram. Also, some old bottle effect (OBE) is elevating this whisky to a higher plane. Perhaps not the best in the world, but a dangerously drinkable Scotch nonetheless!
Word to the Wise: Decent, old-fashioned sherry whisky from a distillery that flew under the radar for a lot of people during its lifetime. What the future will bring is uncertain, but this Speyside Superb Scotch Whisky is worth checking out.
Score: 84 points.
Speyide 27 years old, bottled at 48,5 % abv by Thompson Brothers
First things first: From batch 3 of the Mystery Malts, this Speyside Distillery matured on a refill butt and that cask produced 296 bottles. A very early vintage of this small distillery.
Upon Sipping: Even for a refill butt the colour is extremely light, and sniffing away the glass does not promise much good. On the positive side, vanilla and oak and hints of eau-de-vie, but on the downside I do pick up elements of French cheese and smelly feet. Some cardboard too, even though this expression does have the right abv compared to the 15 years old. The taste is again sugary sweet, it has that in common with the younger relative, but the predominant factor is vanilla and oak (again). The finish has a rough burn to it, with pleasant hints of honeycomb.
Word to the Wise: A very clean and straightforward single malt whisky, which is a pleasure in itself, but at 27 years of age I would love some more fireworks. This one is a tad underwhelming in this appearance. It shows that Speyside Distillery at higher age in any case develops towards a very sugary malt, and I kind of like that!
Score: 85 points.