Speyburn
John and Edward Hopkins, two brothers from the local area, founded Speyburn distillery in 1897. The brothers were determined that the site would be established in 1897, as it was Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee.
| Information about the Distillery | |
|---|---|
| Scotland, Speyside | |
| -3.215848 57.536645 | |
| Active | |
| Inver House Distillers Ltd | |
|
1 x 17,297 l
Gedrungen
|
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|
2 x 13,160 l
Gedrungen
|
|
|
6 x 26,200 l
|
|
| 6 t | |
| 1897 | |
| 4,000,000 l | |
| http://www.speyburn.com/ |
| Average tasting notes Tasting notes |
Calculated from 439
i
|
|
|---|---|---|
|
Nosing
Sweet:
Sweet:
Fruit:
Zitrus:
Zitrus:
Fruit:
Spices:
Vanilla:
Honey:
Vanilla:
Honey:
Spices:
Caramel:
Sherry:
Caramel:
Malt:
Sherry:
Oak:
Malt:
Nuts:
Oak:
Lemon:
Lemon:
Pear:
Apple:
Pear:
Herbs:
Peat Smoke:
Apple:
Chocolate:
Peat Smoke:
Chocolate:
Herbs:
Nuts:
Pineapple:
Pineapple:
Green Apple:
Green Apple:
Raisin:
Peach:
Berries:
Dried Fruit:
Berries:
Raisin:
Almonds:
Almonds:
Oil:
Floral:
Heather:
Dried Fruit:
Heather:
Oil:
Peach:
Hay:
Cake:
Ginger:
Cake:
Grass:
Hay:
Floral:
Orange:
Grape:
Cherry:
Grass:
Orange:
Herb:
Grape:
Cherry:
Herb:
Date:
Tropical Fruit:
Kiwi:
Kiwi:
Date:
Blackberry:
Strawberry:
Tropical Fruit:
Banana:
Strawberry:
Lemon Peel:
Walnut:
Plum:
Blackberry:
Dark Chocolate:
Lemon Peel:
Banana:
Walnut:
Lime:
Plum:
Dark Chocolate:
Hazelnut:
Hazelnut:
Lime:
Alcohol:
Cinnamon:
Nutmeg:
Bonfire Smoke:
Fig:
Coffee:
Cinnamon:
Red Currant:
Red Currant:
Pepper:
Fig:
Melon:
Leather:
Leather:
Pepper:
Ginger:
Nutmeg:
Bonfire Smoke:
Melon:
Coffee:
Mint:
Tasting
Sweet:
Sweet:
Fruit:
Fruit:
Spices:
Sherry:
Caramel:
Caramel:
Oak:
Sherry:
Zitrus:
Spices:
Oak:
Zitrus:
Nuts:
Vanilla:
Malt:
Honey:
Vanilla:
Honey:
Chocolate:
Chocolate:
Malt:
Herb:
Herbs:
Herb:
Peat Smoke:
Pepper:
Pepper:
Apple:
Herbs:
Pear:
Pear:
Apple:
Lemon:
Lemon:
Oil:
Nuts:
Oil:
Chili:
Chili:
Dried Fruit:
Dried Fruit:
Dark Chocolate:
Floral:
Peat Smoke:
Dark Chocolate:
Floral:
Raisin:
Raisin:
Alcohol:
Almonds:
Alcohol:
Banana:
Banana:
Grape:
Leather:
Leather:
Orange:
Heather:
Orange:
Grape:
Grapefruit:
Ginger:
Ginger:
Grass:
Heather:
Grapefruit:
Cinnamon:
Cinnamon:
Fig:
Almonds:
Date:
Plum:
Date:
Fig:
Plum:
Anis:
Grass:
Berries:
Berries:
Tropical Fruit:
Green Apple:
Cake:
Green Apple:
Cherry:
Cherry:
Cake:
Tropical Fruit:
Nutmeg:
Seaweed:
Blackberry:
Blackberry:
Maritime Notes:
Maritime Notes:
Tobacco:
Coffee:
Nutmeg:
Seaweed:
Tobacco:
Walnut:
Pineapple:
Lemon Peel:
Mint:
Medicinal Smoke:
Barley:
Peach:
Melon:
Lemon Peel:
Pineapple:
Mint:
Walnut:
Barley:
Peach:
Medicinal Smoke:
Melon:
Lime:
Wheat:
Hazelnut:
Hazelnut:
Wheat:
Lime:
Coffee:
Finish
Sweet:
Sweet:
Oak:
Spices:
Oak:
Spices:
Sherry:
Fruit:
Sherry:
Fruit:
Nuts:
Malt:
Malt:
Zitrus:
Herb:
Zitrus:
Herb:
Oil:
Caramel:
Caramel:
Oil:
Peat Smoke:
Honey:
Honey:
Vanilla:
Vanilla:
Peat Smoke:
Chocolate:
Chocolate:
Pepper:
Lemon:
Lemon:
Dark Chocolate:
Dark Chocolate:
Coffee:
Coffee:
Herbs:
Nuts:
Dried Fruit:
Pepper:
Dried Fruit:
Herbs:
Heather:
Alcohol:
Alcohol:
Banana:
Banana:
Heather:
Lemon Peel:
Raisin:
Lemon Peel:
Raisin:
Pear:
Pear:
Tobacco:
Cinnamon:
Chili:
Leather:
Plum:
Leather:
Grass:
Grass:
Tobacco:
Plum:
Chili:
Cinnamon:
Ginger:
Almonds:
Nutmeg:
Apple:
Berries:
Tropical Fruit:
Walnut:
Apple:
Ham:
Grapefruit:
Cherry:
Berries:
Tropical Fruit:
Walnut:
Almonds:
Fig:
Grapefruit:
Ginger:
Nutmeg:
Ham:
Cherry:
Fig:
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The Whisky
The focus of the Speyside distillery of Speyburn's official bottling range is their 10 year old. Additionally, the distillery has also released an official 21 year old, 25 year old and 30 year old bottling. The current official range is comprised of only four bottlings; the 10 year old, 25 year old, as well as a bottling called Brandan Orach, which is gaelic for 'Golden Salmon', and a not very often available 'Speyburn Clan Cask' bottling, which is aged in Pedro Ximinez Sherry casks.
In addition to the official bottlings, there has been a great number of independent bottlings of Speyburn. The majority of these independent bottlings have been released by Douglas Laing and Gordon & MacPhail. There is also a range from 12 year old to 30 year old Distillers Choice bottlings.
The Production
Speyburn distillery draws its water from two local sources: the Broad Burn and the Granty Burn. Both are major contributors to the River Spey. The capacity of the distillery stands at 1 million liters a year, and Charles Doig, the famed distillery architect, designed the distillery's buildings.
The Pot Stills
Speyburn has only one wash still and one spirit still. The wash still has a capacity of 13,500 liters, and the spirit still has a capacity of 13,563. The stills at Speyburn are medium sized, in a variation on the traditional Speyside shape, with very wide necks in order to give the spirit maximum copper exposure.
The Maltings
The malt at Speyburn is lightly peated. The distillery used its own drum maltings until 1968, at which point the site switched to buying it its malt from an industrial source. The distillery was actually the first to install a drum maltings.
The Warehouse
Speyburn has two traditional dunnage warehouses in which its Single Malt is aged. The distillery uses a combination of ex-Bourbon and Pedro Ximinez Sherry casks in which to mature the Single Malt.
The History
John and Edward Hopkins, two brothers from the local area, founded Speyburn distillery in 1897. The brothers were determined that the site would be established in 1897, as it was Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. This resulted in the distillery being frantically built towards the end of the year and a group of distillers working around the clock in the middle of a snowstorm to make sure that the first barrel of Speyburn was produced in 1897.
Following the completion of construction at the site, the management of the distillery was immediately transferred to the Speyburn-Glenlivet Distillery Company. The Speyburn-Glenlivet Distillery Company ran the distillery until 1916, when DCL took over the company. The site was mothballed between 1930 and 1934 and again between 1939 and 1947. The fist temporary closure of the site was due to wartime restrictions, and the second closure was because the site temporarily housed two Scottish Artillery regiments. Production was re-launched in 1947, and has continued uninterrupted since. In 1962, management of the site was transferred to Scottish Malt Distillers, or SMD. SMD took over control of operations at the site until 1991, when Inver House distillers bought Speyburn. In 2001 Pacific Spirits bought the distillery for the incredible price of $85 million. Finally, the distillery changed hands most recently in 2006 when International Beverage Holdings acquired Pacific Spirits UK.
The Visitor Centre
The distillery offers visitor tours that can be booked via the distillery's website. Participants learn more about the history of Speyburn, the production process of Speyburn Whisky and can visit the 'Old Drum Maltings'. In addition, a visit to the warehouse is possible before the tasting.
Speyburn Distillery
Rothes
Aberlour
Banffshire
AB38 7AG
Tel: +44 (0)870-8881314
Email: onlineshop@interbevgroup.com
User Notes about the Distillery
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