Scotland, Speyside: Single malt whisky through the producing distilleries: history, making, production and tasting notes
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Speyburn

Description of the whisky

The distillery

Spyeburn distillery
Speyburn Distillery
Rothes
Morayshire
IV33 7AG
+44 1340 831 213
Owner: Inver House Distillers Ltd
Creation date 1897

photos

Speyburn has been founded by John Hopkins & Co during the diamond jubilee year of Queen Victoria, in 1897.
Settled in a wonderful valley, close to Rothes, Speyburn has been purchased in 1916 by D.C.L. (Distillers Company Ltd) which would become later UDV.
Like most of the other distilleries, Speyburn closed during the two world wars.
The distillery has been innovative from a technologic point of view. In the beginning of the 20th century, Speyburn was the first to recycle the pot ale (distillation residues). Later it was the first to use malting drums, which stopped working in 1968.
Speyburn became property of Inver House in 1991..
Speyburn is amongst others used in the Glen Talloch blend.

The whisky

A propos des notes de dégustation Your own tasting notes

List of the bottles

Description of the distillery

 Speyburn: official bottlings
 

Speyburn

10 years
Age
 10 years
Alcohol percentage
 43,0 %
Bottler
 Official
=25 euros
links & average quote
 68/100
 
 The nose is elegant and light. Boiled apricot and roasted almonds hints.
The taste recalls liquorice and is rather sweet and pleasant. A hint of vanilla completes the impression..

(la Maison du Whisky)

 The nose detects some slightly acid smells, barley mixed with acid fruits. The palate confirms this impression, and the acidity is slightly dominant, even if it remains a pleasant whole with the other discrete aromas. A relative long finish completes the picture of this good though not essential whisky.
65/100
A second tasting confirmed the first one. The acid character of this whisky is dominating. The finish was shorter than the first time.
65/100
At the third tasting, the nose was rather pleasant and discrete, with some slight touches of citrus fruit on a bitter malt background. In the palate, this whisky is rather pleasant, without complexity but without flaw. The finis is short, but the whole is not bad, and deserves a better quotation than at first tastings.
70/100

Comment by
Henrik Johansson

Apperance: Pale gold Nose: Quite herbal and slightly flowery, sea-weedy and grain-like. Quite a prickle at 43% ABV. The more subtle aromas are surpressed by alcohol related aromas. Some perfumes get through. The diluted dram lends some lemon peels in addition Body: Quite light, but firm and with long tears. Palate: Confirms the nose, a little salty, sea-weedy and malty. Altogether more pleasant than the nose. It's a fresh little highlander which lacks personality. The diluted dram is a little bit more pleasant still, but not any more complex. I forgot about this one as soon as I lowered the glass.

 70/100
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Speyburn: independent bottlings

Speyburn

Old Malt Cask, 18 years

Collection
 Old malt cask
Age
 18 years
Alcohol percentage
 50 %
Bottler
 Douglas Laing
Cask number
single cask
Dates
 Distil: 01-1990 Bottling: 10-2008
Particularity
 Non chillfiltered
=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros
links & average quote
 79/100
Speyburn Old Malt Cask 18 years
Quite a surprising nose, with both malty notes and some spices, completed by some yeast hints. Despite those basic components, the nose remains rather fresh and there are even some menthol notes at the end.
The mouth is quite contrasted too, with an astonishing variety of dominant tastes, going from rancid yeast hints to nice citrus fruit ones. A mix of sweet and sour notes.
The finish is rather long and keeps the memory of too ripe citrus fruits.
An amazing whole.
79/100
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Speyburn

Cask Strength Collection 1980
Collection
 Cask strength Collection
Age
 26 years
Alcohol percentage
 61,3 %
Bottler
 Signatory
Cask number
single cask 110
Dates
 Distil: 1980 Bottling: 2006
Bottle
 598 btls
Particularity
 Non chillfiltered cask strength
links & average quote
 BT2006 0/100
BT2006
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Speyside

Speyside Map

The Speyside area is situated at the North of the Cairngorm mountain and goes to the Moray firth. It is delimited by two rivers: the Findhorn at the West side and the Deveron on the East side.
The area is named after the river Spey. Most of the distilleries take their water in one of its affluents; the Fiddich, the Livet or the Avon.
About sixty distilleries from Speyside are described on this site.

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