Speyside single malts are

single malt Scotch Single malt Scotch refers to single malt whisky made in Scotland. To qualify for this category, a whisky must have been distilled at a single distillery using a pot still distillation process and made from a mash of malted barley. Therefore, a s ...

whiskies,

distill Distillation, or classical distillation, is the process of separating the components or substances from a liquid mixture by using selective boiling and condensation, usually inside an apparatus known as a still. Dry distillation is the heat ...

ed in Strathspey, the area around the

River Spey The River Spey (Scottish Gaelic: Uisge Spè) is a river in the northeast of Scotland. At it is the eighth longest river in the United Kingdom, as well as the second longest and fastest-flowing river in Scotland. It is important for salmon fishi ...

in Moray and

Badenoch and Strathspey Badenoch and Strathspey is a former district of Highland region, Scotland. The district was created under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 as one of the eight districts of the Highland region. The same legislation abolished countie ...

, in northeastern

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...

. The two best-selling single malt whiskies in the world, The Glenlivet and

Glenfiddich Glenfiddich () is a Speyside single malt Scotch whisky produced by William Grant & Sons in the Scottish burgh of Dufftown in Moray. The name Glenfiddich derives from the Scottish Gaelic ''Gleann Fhiodhaich'' meaning "valley of the deer", which ...

, come from Speyside. Strathspey has the greatest number of distilleries of any of the whisky-producing areas of Scotland.

Dufftown Dufftown ( gd, Baile Bhainidh ) is a burgh in Moray, Scotland. While the town is part of the historic Mortlach parish, the town was established and laid out in the early 19th century as part of a planned new town settlement. The town has several ...

alone has six working distilleries with an annual capacity of 40.4 million litres of spirit.

Legal status

Speyside is a "protected region" for Scotch Whisky distilling under UK Government legislation. According to ''Visit Scotland'', this region includes the area between the Highlands to the west, Aberdeenshire in the east and extending north to the

Cairngorms National Park Cairngorms National Park ( gd, Pàirc Nàiseanta a' Mhonaidh Ruaidh) is a national park in northeast Scotland, established in 2003. It was the second of two national parks established by the Scottish Parliament, after Loch Lomond and The Tros ...

Distilleries

Illicit distilleries were common in the 1800s, but eventually, licences became available after the passing of th
1823 Excise Act
George Smith was the first licensee in Speyside, in 1824, and his small operation at Upper Drumin in the Glen Livet valley eventually grew into the massive

Glenlivet Glenlivet (Scottish Gaelic: Gleann Lìobhait) is the glen in the Scottish Highlands through which the River Avon, Strathspey#Tributaries, River Livet flows. The river rises high in the Ladder Hills, flows through the village of Tomnavoulin and ...

enterprise. Today, the major

distilleries Distillation, or classical distillation, is the process of separating the components or substances from a liquid mixture by using selective boiling and condensation, usually inside an apparatus known as a still. Dry distillation is the heati ...

in the region are owned by leading international drinks groups including Diageo,

LVMH LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (), commonly known as LVMH, is a French holding multinational corporation and conglomerate specializing in luxury goods, headquartered in Paris. The company was formed in 1987 through the merger of fashion house ...

and

Pernod Ricard Pernod Ricard () is a French company best known for its anise-flavoured pastis apéritifs Pernod Anise and Ricard Pastis (often referred to simply as ''Pernod'' or '' Ricard''). The world’s second-largest wine and spirits seller, it also pr ...

, by family-owned companies including J. & G. Grant and

William Grant & Sons William Grant & Sons Ltd is an independent, family-owned Scottish company that distills Scotch whisky and other selected categories of spirits. It was established in 1887 by William Grant, and is run by Grant's descendants as of 2018. It is the ...

and by

The Edrington Group Edrington (legally The Edrington Group Ltd.) is a privately owned international spirits company based in Glasgow, Scotland. It produces single malts The Macallan, Highland Park, The Glenrothes, Naked Malt and The Famous Grouse blended Scotch ...

(majority-owned by a charitable trust). Roughly 50 percent of Scotland's whisky is made here in the approximately 50 distilleries located in this region. According to one source, the top five are The Macallan,

Aberlour Aberlour ( gd, Obar Lobhair) is a village in Moray, Scotland, south of Elgin on the road to Grantown. The Lour burn is a tributary of the River Spey, and it and the surrounding parish are both named Aberlour, but the name is more commonly us ...

, Glenfarclas and

Balvenie The Balvenie distillery is a Speyside single malt Scotch whisky distillery in Dufftown, Scotland, owned by William Grant & Sons. History William Grant was born on 19 December 1839 in his father's house in Dufftown. At seven he began herdi ...

This dry, warm, region is a natural for whisky distillers because it is close to barley farms, contains the River Spey and is close to the Atlantic port of Garmouth. The water in the area is said to have "the lowest level of dissolved minerals" of any area in Scotland, and that may affect the taste of its whiskies. Another report explains that "

quartzite Quartzite is a hard, non- foliated metamorphic rock which was originally pure quartz sandstone.Essentials of Geology, 3rd Edition, Stephen Marshak, p 182 Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tec ...

at the source keeps high levels of minerals from mixing with the water". The ''Visit Scotland'' website indicates that the region's whiskies have a fruity nature "ranging from ripe pears to sultanas" and some exhibit "sweet, caramel and fruity notes". Another review states that the use of peat is not common here, so many of the whiskies are not "smoky"; the article concluded that "typically, most Speyside whisky is fruity, sweet, and nutty, featuring notes of apple, honey, vanilla, and spice".

Benefits to the region

In addition to providing jobs and income for barley farmers and distillery employees in the region, whisky production has helped improve tourism. Hotels and others with tourism businesses then benefit. All regions of that produce Scotch Whisky benefit, of course; the Scotch Whisky Association estimated in 2019 that whisky tourism in Scotland generates £68.3 million per year. The Association also stated that the industry supported 40,000 jobs and accounted for over £4 billion in exports for Scotland; the specific benefits for Speyside were not provided. The region hosts an annual whisky festival known as "Spirit of Speyside". The Malt Whisky Trail Map

Scotland's Malt Whisky Trail is a tourism initiative featuring seven working Speyside distilleries, a historic distillery (Dallas Dhu, now a museum) and the Speyside Cooperage. A 2012 BBC article recommends a leisurely tour, taking a day or two at each distillery to appreciate the local "traditions and lore". In 2017, tourism in the Moray Speyside area increased significantly, by 50,000 visitors, primarily because of the appeal of the Malt Whisky Trail in the region. A Trail rep stated (in summer 2019) that 60% of tourists to Speyside visit at least one distillery. In addition to those on the Trail, some other distilleries also have visitor centres.

List of Speyside distilleries

* Allt-A-Bhainne * Auchroisk *

Aultmore Aultmore (from Scottish Gaelic "An t-Allt Mòr", meaning the "Big Burn") is a village in Moray, Scotland, near Keith Keith may refer to: People and fictional characters * Keith (given name), includes a list of people and fictional characte ...

Balmenach Balmenach distillery was established in 1824 by James McGregor, from a family of farmers and illicit distillers who resided in Tomintoul. History Situated in the district of Cromdale on the banks of the River Spey the distillery stands in be ...

BenRiach The BenRiach distillery is a single malt Scotch whisky distillery in the Speyside area of Scotland. It is currently owned by Brown-Forman Corporation. History The BenRiach Distillery was established by John Duff in 1898, in North Speyside, so ...

* Benrinnes * Benromach * Braeval * Cardhu *

Cragganmore Cragganmore distillery is a Scotch whisky distillery situated in the village of Ballindalloch in Banffshire, Scotland. The distillery was founded in 1869 by John Smith on land leased from Sir George Macpherson-Grant. The site was chosen by Smit ...

* Craigellachie *

Dailuaine Dailuaine ( gd, Dail Uaine, , "Green Meadow") is a single malt whisky distillery in Charlestown-of-Aberlour, Strathspey, Scotland. History The Distillery was founded in 1852 by William Mackenzie. When he died in 1865 his widow leased the d ...

* Dalmunach *

Dalwhinnie Dalwhinnie ( ; Scottish Gaelic: ''Dail Chuinnidh'' "meeting place") is a small village in the Scottish Highlands. Dalwhinnie is located at the head of Glen Truim and the north-east end of Loch Ericht, on the western edge of the Cairngorms Nation ...

* Glen Elgin * Glen Grant * Glen Keith * Glen Moray *

Glen Spey Glen Spey is a hamlet in the town of Lumberland, Sullivan County, New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the nort ...

Glenallachie GlenAllachie distillery is a Speyside, single malt whisky distillery at Aberlour founded in 1967, which sits at the foot of Ben Rinnes. Previously, the distillery mainly produced whisky for blends however has since been relaunched as a distiller ...

* Glenburgie * Glendullan * Glenfarclas *

Glenlossie Glenlossie distillery is a single malt whisky distillery in Elgin, Morayshire in Scotland. History The Glenlossie distillery was founded in 1876, by John Duff. * In 1919, the distillery was bought over by Distillers Company Ltd. * In 1929, ...

Glenrothes Glenrothes (; , ; sco, Glenrothes; gd, Gleann Rathais) is a town situated in the heart of Fife, in east-central Scotland. It is about north of Edinburgh and south of Dundee. The town had a population of 39,277 in the 2011 census, making it ...

Glentauchers Glentauchers distillery is a Speyside Scottish whisky distillery, founded in 1897. The building was designed by John Alcock, and overseen by Charles Doig & Son. It starting producing when James Buchanan Co. Ltd. and three members of Glentauc ...

* Inchgower *

Kininvie Kininvie distillery located in Dufftown, Moray, Scotland produces single malt Scotch whisky. The distillery is owned by William Grant & Sons and the product from the distillery is used in their blended malt and blended whisky brands. Hi ...

* Knockando * Knockdhu * Linkwood * Longmorn * Macallan *

Mannochmore Mannochmore distillery is a Scottish Whisky distillery near Elgin. History The distillery was founded in 1971 by John Haig & Co. Between 1985 and 1989, production was suspended and the distillery closed; it was then reopened and in 1992 start ...

* Miltonduff * Mortlach * Roseisle * Speyburn * Speyside * Strathisla * Strathmill * Tamdhu * Tamnavulin *

Tomintoul Tomintoul (; from gd, Tom an t-Sabhail, meaning "Hillock of the Barn") is a village in the Moray council area of Scotland in the historic county of Banffshire. Within Cairngorms National Park, the village lies close to the banks of the Rive ...

* Tormore

Closed Speyside distilleries

Caperdonich distillery Caperdonich distillery was a producer of Speyside single malt Scotch whisky that operated between 1898 and 1902, and then again between 1965 and 2002. Caperdonich whisky was a component of some blends of Chivas Regal. History Caperdonich, origi ...

* Coleburn distillery *

Convalmore distillery Convalmore distillery was a whisky distillery in Dufftown, Moray, Scotland. The distillery was established in 1893/1894 and closed in 1985. The distillery was founded by Convalmore-Glenlivet Distillers Co. Ltd and in 1904 was sold to W&P Lowrie & ...

Dallas Dhu distillery Dallas Dhu distillery was a producer of single malt Scotch whisky that operated between 1899 and 1983 in Forres, Moray, Scotland. Dallas Dhu means "Black Water Valley" in Gaelic. Its whisky also appeared as a "Dallas Mhor" single malt. In 1899, ...

(open as a museum) * Imperial distillery *

Parkmore distillery Parkmore distillery was a producer of single malt Scotch whisky Single malt Scotch refers to single malt whisky made in Scotland. To qualify for this category, a whisky must have been distilled at a single distillery using a pot still distill ...

Pittyvaich distillery Pittyvaich distillery was a producer of single malt Scotch whisky that operated between 1974 and 1993. History The Pittyvaich distillery, built in 1974 by Arthur Bell & Sons, was among the youngest Scottish distilleries while it was operating. ...

Other brands

In addition to those single malts sold under the distilleries' names, brands associated with Speyside include Allt-á-Bhainne, Casg Annamh, Glen Turner, Lismore,

McClelland's Single Malt McClelland's Single Malt is a range of Single Malt Scotch whiskies from four of Scotland's key whisky distilling regions— Highland, Islay, Speyside and Lowland. There is no McClelland's distillery per se, with the scotch being supplied by M ...

, and Tlàth.

References

External links

GreaterSpeyside.com - all things SpeysideInteractive map
of Speyside distilleries which are open to the public
Speyside Cooperage

Speyside Distillery Online Guide
{{Scottish Distilleries Economy of Highland (council area) Economy of Moray Scottish malt whisky