Speyside Scotch Whisky
Speyside Scotch whisky distillery takes its name from the original Speyside Distillery in Kingussie, which started in 1895 and was only in only production until 1905 before being demolished in 1911.
The new Speyside Distillery was built by George Christie a well-known merchant who chose to build his dream at Tromie Mills, near the hamlet of Drumguish and just three miles from Kingussie.
This disused barley mill and croft, dating back to the 1700's, had been run for many generations by the McGregor family, the final milling being finished by Alex McGregor in 1965.
George Christie commissioned Alex Fairlie a dry stane dyker to build the distillery. Alex single-handedly laid all the stonework over a period of nearly 20 years and the distillery started production on 3rd December 1990. The old mill and water wheel were retained and are still in working order.
The distillery is not a large production plant, being equipped with a four tonne GlenSpey mash tun, four 20,000 litre wash backs, a 13,000 litre wash still and a 7,000 litre spirit still, both stills being made by Forsyth's of Rothes, mass production never being one of Mr Christie's objectives.
Water is drawn from the old mill lade which originally ran the waterwheel that powered the old mill that gives the site its name; the same water source is used for process and cooling in the distillery.
The distillery has only 4 employees who lovingly watch over the small batch production.
Speyside Whisky Tasting Notes
Distillery Style
Nose : Soft malted barley, delicate peat, nutty.
Palate : Medium bodied. Creamy, hazelnuts, toffee and gentle peat.
Finish : More toffee and a touch of honey.
