The Whisky Club's Guide to Speyside Whisky
Best Speyside whisky
Speyside is Scotland’s most celebrated whisky region, home to over sixty distilleries and renowned for its elegant, fruity, and complex single malts. From iconic names like Glenfiddich and The Macallan to hidden gems and exclusive releases, Speyside offers something for every whisky lover. In this guide, we’ll explore what makes Speyside whisky unique, share tips for choosing the right dram, and showcase ten of the best Speyside whiskies featured by The Whisky Club. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned collector, this is your essential resource.
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What is a Speyside whisky?
Speyside whiskies are produced in the Speyside region in the Highlands of Scotland.
The Speyside region is situated in the north east of Scotland between the cities of Aberdeen and Inverness, and named after Scotland's longest river, The Spey. It is known for making approachable, complex, fruity whiskies, many of which are matured in Sherry casks. Glenfiddich, The Glenlivet and The Macallan are all Speyside distilleries.
Speyside is a roughly thirty mile radius with around sixty working single malt Scotch whisky distilleries. In the 18th century, Speyside was a hotbed for farmhouse, small scale distillation due to its clean water and its excellent climate for growing barley. Since then, the region has experienced expansion in the late 19th century, mid 20th century and more recently the early 21st century due to its water, barley and excellent transport links for getting raw materials in and mature whisky out. Some would say it's the perfect whisky producing region in Scotland. But, with so many distilleries and styles to choose from, let's explore which you should gravitate towards.
Want to know more? For a deeper dive into the world of Speyside whisky, check out the FAQs at the bottom of this article. To find out where Speyside fits in the wider Scotch category, check out The Whisky Club's guide to the Scotch whisky regions.
The Glenlivet Rare Vintage 2000 is a single cask Speyside whisky from the first licenced distillery in Scotland, legally founded in 1823.
No list of Speyside distilleries is complete without The Glenlivet. Even though the Glenlivet started to legally produce single malt Scotch whisky back in 1823, their production timeline stretches out long before that. So famed were the whiskies produced at The Glenlivet, many other distilleries added Glenlivet to the end of their name to signify quality and style. So what was this style? Lashings of tropical fruit, light fragrance, vanilla and oak in perfect harmony. When people talk about a Speyside style, this is what they describe. The 2000 Vintage is a 23 year old single refill Sherry cask bottled at 56.5% ABV. Ultra rare and unmistakably Speyside.
This cask showcased notes of blackcurrant, pears, yellow peach, raspberry, nutmeg and crème brûlée.
The Glenlivet Rare 2000 Vintage specs
Age: 23 years old
ABV: 56.5%
RRP: $695
Read more: The Glenlivet Rare 2000 Vintage
Glenfiddich The Orchard Experiment is a limited release Speyside whisky from Glenfiddich, the biggest selling single malt brand in the world.
There's an old saying in Speyside: if Rome was built on seven hills, Dufftown was built on seven stills. These days there are six working distilleries in the town, including Glenfiddich. Perhaps the most ubiquitous single malt Scotch whisky name out there. Famed for their fruity, classic Speyside style single malt, there's a reason Glenfiddich is everywhere. Simply, it's very good.
With The Orchard Experiment release, the Malt Master and his team were looking to accentuate and highlight the orchard fruit characters the distillery style is famed for. So they sourced casks from Somerset that had held an apple brandy liqueur and extra matured some classic Glenfiddich in there to see what would happen. Let's just say we wish there was more.
We found notes of marshmallow, crisp apple, pears and candied citrus in our glasses.
Glenfiddich - The Orchard Experiment specs
Age: NAS
ABV: 43%
RRP: $90
Read more: Glenfiddich - The Orchard Experiment
The Macallan A Night on Earth - The Journey is a limited edition from the most valuable single malt brand in the world: The Macallan.
Few single malt Scotch whisky brands are held in as high esteem as The Macallan. Known for their attention to detail, quality new make spirit and world class cask programme, it's no wonder that so many brands aspire to be 'the next Macallan'. The eagle-eyed among you may notice that Macallan carries the words "Highland Malt" on their label. This is a nod to their small stills, and heavier Highland style spirit. But they are very much in the heart of Speyside perched on the banks of the Spey outside Craigellachie. A Night on Earth - The Journey is a limited edition with a slight twist on The Macallan's usual formula for whisky production, featuring an inclusion of rare Bourbon casks in the marriage. This allows their 'Highland', slightly heavier spirit style to shine through while still showing off the influence of their wonderful Sherry casks.
Expect to find notes of coconut rice, toasted oak, cloves and citrus fruit.
The Macallan - A Night on Earth - The Journey specs
Age: NAS
ABV: 43%
RRP: $230
Price for Whisky Club Members: $195
Benriach 2013 Triple Sherry Cask - created exclusively for The Whiksy Club
Benriach 2013 Triple Sherry Cask is a vintage Speyside single malt created exclusively for The Whisky Club and matured in Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez Sherry casks.
Benriach is a distillery on the outskirts of Elgin famed for its fruit forward, complex single malts. The fruity notes come from clean fermentation, slow distillation and a long spirit cut. All of this adds up to a whisky of versatility that benefits as much from maturation in an ex-Bourbon barrel as it does in a rich, European oak Sherry butt. And it was this ability to work with Sherry casks that landed this gold at ISC and San Francisco. The base of this whisky was fully matured in Oloroso casks, a portion was finished in Pedro Ximénez casks for four years and the remainder was finished in Oloroso casks for five years. Using the finishing casks allows the fruit to balance the sweetness from the Sherry, while having both styles of Sherry cask create yet another layer of complexity.
Notes of tiramisu, dark chocolate, orange and ginger are present.
Benriach 2013 Triple Sherry Cask - created exclusively for The Whisky Club specs
Age: 11 years old
ABV: 48.4%
RRP: $125
Read more: Benriach 2013 Triple Sherry Cask - created exclusively for The Whisky Club
Aberlour 2012 Vintage 100% First Fill Casks - created exclusively for The Whisky Club
A one-off vintage expression, Aberlour 2012 Vintage 100% First Fill Casks is a Speyside single malt created exclusively for The Whisky Club. It was matured in first fill ex-Bourbon and Sherry casks, and sold out the same weekend it was released.
The village of Charleston of Aberlour is famous for three things that have attracted visiting tourists for decades: Walker's Shortbread, salmon fishing and Aberlour Single Malt Scotch whisky. Distilling in the village since 1879, Aberlour is a quintessentially Speyside whisky. Characterised by short stills and slow distillation, we see all the hallmarks of a fruity Speyside single malt but with a weight that nods back to distilling practices of old. The new make spirit smells like blackcurrant, and works in both American and European oak casks (thanks to those shorter stills). This release shows off this versatility perfectly. The 2012 Vintage is a marriage of parcels of first fill Sherry casks and American oak ex-Bourbon barrels laid down in 2012. In the words of Graeme Cruickshank, Master Distiller, this one is next level.
This whisky is creamy with aromas of dried fruit, orchard fruits, blackcurrant jam and apricot.
Aberlour 2012 Vintage 100% First Fill Casks - created exclusively for The Whisky Club specs
Age: 12 years old
ABV: 51%
RRP: $140
Read more: Aberlour 2012 Vintage 100% First Fill Casks - created exclusively for The Whisky Club
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A heavily peated Speyside single malt from GlenAllachie distillery, Meikle Tòir Peated Speyside: The Sherry One is an annual release, aged in Pedro Ximénez & Oloroso Sherry puncheons.
GlenAllachie has been making whisky since 1967. A distillery built to produce consistent, clean and fruity Speyside single malt whisky for blends, it was a surprise to many when it changed hands and was bought by whiskymaking legend Billy Walker. With a reputation for tinkering with a distillery to see exactly what it can produce, Billy and his team are starting to see some very exciting things emerge from their warehouse. Whether an unusual cask finish, an exploration of distilling cut points or the use of heavily peated malt, GlenAllachie is giving whisky drinkers something new on an almost monthly basis. Meikle Tòir is their heavily peated style of whisky, giving the legendary Islay drams a run for their money. Intensely peated to begin with, the team have used first fill sherry casks to meet the smoky notes and deliver a huge yet balanced flavour profile.
Smoked dark chocolate, honey and cigar tobacco dominate this whisky.
GlenAllachie Meikle Tòir Peated Speyside: The Sherry One specs
Age: 5 years old
ABV: 48%
RRP: $135
Read more: GlenAllachie Meikle Tòir Peated Speyside: The Sherry One
If you like a smoky Scotch, check out The Whisky Club's Guide to Peated Whisky.
The Glenrothes Single Cask #6093 is a rare single Sherry cask bottling of Glenrothes Speyside single malt whisky.
The Glenrothes is from the village of Rothes in Speyside, not the town of Glenrothes in Fife. It is little wonder that it remains one of the best kept secrets in the world of whisky, given that GPS coordinates tend to deliver pilgrims to a town 145 miles away. The distillery is known in the industry for producing excellent malts for blends, with very little being released as single malt. These days, bottles of The Glenrothes are hard to find, but luckily we managed to get our hands on bottles of this scarce single cask for Club Members. This Sherry puncheon was released at 16 years old and bottled at cask strength. The richness of the Sherry cask provides a springboard for the intense fruit from the distillery character and the 16 years in oak rounds this off into a decadent, rich and long-lingering whisky.
This single cask shows notes of citrus, toffee, baking spices and thick mud cake.
The Glenrothes Single Cask #6093 First Fill Sherry Puncheon specs
Age: 16 years old
ABV: 58.8%
RRP: $475
Read more: The Glenrothes Single Cask #6093 First Fill Sherry Puncheon
The Benromach 12 Years Old Contrasts: Unpeated Sherry is a Speyside single malt whisky from The Benromach distillery in Forres.
The Benromach is as close to the definition of traditional whiskymaking as you get in the 21st century. You can stand at the mashtun and see fermentation, distillation and if you are tall enough, you'll see traditional dunnage warehousing out the window. Owned by Gordon and MacPhail, Benromach continues to show why old-school Speyside single malts were so revered in the past. Normally they use a lightly peated barley to add weight (not smoke) then mature in American oak and Sherry casks to bring richness and depth. But for this release they used unpeated malt and matured the spirit solely in Sherry casks to showcase the fruitiness and maltiness of their traditional style spirit.
This 12 years old is unashamedly old fashioned with viscosity, richness of character and a sweet sherried finish showcasing the traditions of this small producer in Forres.
The Benromach 12 Years Old Contrasts : Unpeated Sherry specs
Age: 12 years old
ABV: 46%
RRP: $140
Read more: The Benromach 12 Years Old Contrasts: Unpeated Sherry
Glenfarclas Oloroso Sherry Cask 2012 Vintage - created exclusively for The Whisky Club
Glenfarclas Oloroso Sherry Cask 2012 Vintage is a Speyside single malt created exclusively for The Whisky Club aged in Oloroso Sherry casks.
Traditional whiskymaking in Scotland is alive and well. And you don't need to look much further than Glenfarclas to see the evidence. Family owned by the Grant Family since it was founded, Glenfarclas does one thing and does it well. It makes robust, Sherry driven single malt Scotch whisky the way it always has done. It is a distillery that continues to use direct fired stills, traditional Sherry cask maturation and dunnage style warehousing. This culminates in a dram full of character. Think maltiness, richness, meatiness and complexity, especially when you try their older age statements. We were like kids in a sweet shop when we tasted this for the first time: leather bound books, pipe tobacco and rich nutty Sherry notes with dark chocolate and ginger in spades. Some people say that whisky tastes of its local surroundings. Others say it is an expression of time. This one transported us to the Glenfarclas Estate, but maybe a few decades before 2012.
Sticky caramel, soft baking spice, dark chocolate and maple syrup were swirling in our glasses.
Glenfarclas Oloroso Sherry Cask 2012 Vintage - created exclusively for The Whisky Club specs
Age: NAS
ABV: 51.7%
RRP: $130
Read more: Glenfarclas Oloroso Sherry Cask 2012 Vintage - created exclusively for The Whisky Club
The Balvenie - The Second Red Rose is a Speyside single malt whisky finished in Australian red wine casks from The Balvenie distillery.
The Balvenie is Glenfiddich's sister distillery. Where Glenfiddich have conquered the world with their fruity, complex Speyside style of whisky, The Balvenie have gone down a more traditional route. Their new make spirit is robust, meaty and intense. It is perfect for maturation over long periods of time, and is spectacular in traditional Sherry casks. It is one of a handful of distilleries to malt a portion of their barley using traditional floor maltings; they were pioneers of finishing whisky in different cask types and have been proactive in sharing the unique local stories that pop up during the crafting of exceptional malt whiskies. One such story is that of the Second Red Rose. The historical inspiration is the story of a widow in the nearby Balvenie Castle who used a red rose to pay her rent to King James. The Balvenie whiskymaker David Stewart wanted to create a whisky with a red hue to pay homage to this piece of local history. He did so by finishing this whisky in Australian Shiraz casks, giving this 21-year-old malt a pink colour and perfumed aroma, not unlike the red rose in the story.
The red wine brought notes of red berries, summer fruits and a gentle woody spice to this whisky.
The Balvenie The Second Red Rose specs
Age: 21 years old
ABV: 48.1%
RRP: $525
Read more: The Balvenie The Second Red Rose
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With over sixty producing distilleries in Speyside these days, it's tough to narrow our list to ten. But these are undoubtedly ten of our most memorable Speyside drams featured by The Whisky Club, selected by our Head of Whisky Creation, Craig Johnstone. These ten whiskies epitomise the fruity, complex styles of Speyside, as well as those that favour the traditional more robust characters. There are Bourbon-matured, Sherry-matured, wine cask-matured and even peaty drams on our list.
If you'd like to share your own top ten Speysides, we would love to hear from you. Similarly, if you have any further questions on the region, or your whisky journey in general, feel free to reach out and we will try to find you an answer.
Speyside whisky FAQs
What is Speyside whisky?
Speyside whisky is Scotch whisky produced in the Speyside region. There are around 60 working distilleries within a 30 mile radius in the region. It is known for its fruity and complex style of single malt whisky, but with so many distilleries these days, you can find almost any flavour profile if you explore for long enough.
Where is the Speyside region located in Scotland?
The Speyside region takes its name from the River Spey and is an area between Aberdeen and Inverness that follows the river from its source at Dalwhinnie to the coast. It is in the north east of Scotland.
What flavours are Speyside whiskies known for?
Speyside whisky is traditionally known for its elegant, fruity complex aromas. These days however, there are so many distillers experimenting, that you can find most flavour profiles if you explore the region for long enough.
How is Speyside whisky different from Highland or Islay whisky?
Speyside whisky is known for its elegant, fruity complex aromas and flavours. Highland whisky is known for more malty, robust, even waxy aromas and flavours. Islay whisky is known for peaty, smoky and coastal aromas and flavours.
The Speyside region has seen many evolutions throughout its life. In the 1700s, a Speyside whisky would have been indistinguishable from a Highland whisky. It may also have had some resemblance to smoky whisky on Islay as peat would have been the main fuel source throughout the country. However, one brand of whisky changed all that. The Glenlivet was famous for its fruity, complex and smooth style of whisky. So much so that Peter the Great of Russia and the British Royal Family were fans of the drink. This led other distillers in the region to mimic the Glenlivet style, and the seeds of a regional flavour profile were born. The transition from farmhouse distilling to industrial distillation in the early 1800s led to an increase in production and an increase in equipment capacity. A shift away from peat to coal in the mid 1800s would have dropped any smoky influence in the whisky. Then the expansions of the industry in the late 1800s and mid 1900s will have driven the region to produce even more of the floral, fruity single malts to keep up with demand for blended whiskies.
Regional style was a common language used by blenders, so consistency was demanded above all else. These days, traditional distilleries have all the gear to continue to make a classic Speyside, but adventurous distillers know exactly how to use this equipment and the raw ingredients to play more unusual tunes and give us whisky drinkers a whole new lens through which to see Speyside malts.
To find out more, check out The Whisky Club's Guide to Scottish Whisky Regions.
Which distilleries are based in Speyside?
Speyside has too many distilleries to list here, many of them being set up to provide blenders with classic Speyside style malt whiskies. But here are some of the better-known ones:
- The Glenlivet - the distillery that likely founded the classic Speyside style
- Glenfiddich - the world's most famous single malt scotch whisky
- The Macallan - the world's most valuable single malt scotch whisky
- Strathisla - spiritual home of Chivas Regal
- Cardhu - the base malt for Johnnie Walker
- The Balvenie - Glenfiddich's more traditional sister distilllery
- Benromach - Boutique distillery in Forres
- Glenfarclas - family owned sherry driven malt whisky
- Cairn - a new kid on the block
- The GlenAllachie - Billy Walker's latest distillery
- Craigellachie - meaty, robust style of whisky
- The Glenrothes - sister distillery of The Macallan
- Benriach - fruity malts from Brown Forman
- Dufftown and Glendullan - two of the three "Singleton" distilleries
- Tamdhu - exclusively Sherry-matured fruity malts
Are Speyside whiskies typically peated or unpeated?
Speyside whiskies are typically unpeated. And those who use peat tend to use a low level of peated malt to add a structure and depth to a whisky as opposed to a smoky hit. Benromach is a very good example of this.
Some distilleries do produce heavily peated ranges, but this would not be considered house style. If you would like to try a peated Speyside, have a look for Meikle Tòir from GlenAllachie, Old Ballantruan from Tomintoul or The Macallan Rare Cask Black.
Is Speyside a good region for whisky beginners?
Speyside is often the safest region to explore for someone new to whisky. Fruity, elegant complex malts can be a great gateway into your whisky adventure. Sticking within the region, you'll find rich malty drams like The Balvenie, heavily sherried whiskies like The Macallan, meaty robust examples like Craigellachie and even a tiny hint of peat smoke in Benromach.
Does The Whisky Club offer Speyside whisky releases?
Speyside is a region we feature heavily at the Club. The sheer volume of distilleries and styles allow us to surprise and delight our Members regularly with classic Speysiders, new flavour profiles, local stories and unusual takes on traditional makes.
Are there collectable or rare Speyside whiskies?
The most collectable and collected whisky in the world is from Speyside. The Macallan may say it is a "Highland" whisky on the label, but their Estate is right on the banks of the Spey in the heart of the Speyside region. Just up the road you also have Glenfiddich and The Balvenie, both hugley sought after by collectors. With so many distilleries in the area, you will find that limited releases, collectible and rare whiskies are in abundance.
For more information on collectible whiskies, check out The Whisky Club's Guide to Rare Whisky and The Whisky Club's Guide to Limited Edition Whisky.
What food pairs well with Speyside whisky?
Classic Speyside whisky is very versatile when it comes to food. We love Craigellachie with blue cheese. A very funky pairing. You will also find dark chocolate and any Sherry cask dram from here a match made in heaven. We also heavily encourage the pairing of The Benriach with a white chocolate cheese cake.
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