1 of 644 bottles produced from a single sherry butt.
This Speyburn was aged for 15 years in a single sherry cask and is presented under Gordon & MacPhail's Connoisseurs Choice range. This expression displays a strong sherry-influenced character with notes of dried fruits, oak spice, and a hint of nuttiness.
Arguably the most famous independent bottler of Scotch whisky there is. Gordon & MacPhail was founded in Elgin in 1895 by James Gordon and John Alexander MacPhail. It is now owned by the Urquhart Family who have bow bottled over 350 different expressions from around 69 different distilleries. Gordon & MacPhail is the Trading name of Speymalt Whiskies while also owning the Benromach distillery, which they purchased in 1993. Some of the brands include Connoisseurs Choice, Cask Strength, Rare Old and Speymalt.
TASTING NOTES
Nose: Bright lemon and honeycomb combine with crystallised violets. Poached pear and roasted peanuts give way to subtle cocoa powder.
Palate: Sweet pineapple and ripe banana complement floral undertones. Red apple and citrus fruits are balanced by soft pepper.
Finish: Medium-bodied with sweet tropical fruit.
Tradition and innovation are regular bedfellows in the world of single malt and Speyburn is a classic example. Its parent, Inver House Distillers, is a believer in the old way of making whisky and has kept the distillery pretty much the same as when it was first designed by Charles Doig
Speyburn's stillhouse is the same (albeit now with steam driven stills) and the worm tubs have been retained. Like most worm sites this method of condensing produces a deliberately sulphury new make [see Knockdhu, Dalwhinnie, Glenkinchie] which changes in cask to reveal the singular delicate, fragrant character which lies underneath.
Located in a tight little glen opposite Glen Grant, Speyburn started operation in 1897 and was one of a number of distilleries designed by local architect Charles Doig (the inventor of the distillery pagoda, for most people the defining feature of any plant). The pagoda was originally built to help ventilate the distillery’s kiln. It would have worked hard as Doig also installed the first ‘pneumatic’ (drum) maltings in the Highlands on site, allowing Speyburn’s production not to be tied to the size of its malting floors. These stayed in use at Speyburn until 1968.
Like many distilleries it was absorbed into Scottish Malt Distillers (the malt arm of DCL) but changed hands in 1991 becoming part of Inver House.
In recent years, Speyburn has been marketed as a value for money malt in the US. While this has resulted in large volumes in terms of sales, the price pot hasn’t helped the whisky’s reputation. Strangely for a top-10 malt brand, it is still unknown to most of the world and probably under-appreciated where it’s a best-seller.
