Speyside Distillery

Brief overview of the distillery

Speyside Distillery is located in Kingussie at the foot of the Cairngorm Mountains and is a small, hand-built distillery where the entire production is housed in a single building. The site is known for its long transformation from an old mill and croft into a single malt distillery, for the water from the River Tromie, and for its place in both the SPEY series and the former fictional Lagganmore in Monarch of the Glen.

History

The story begins with the original Speyside Distillery in Kingussie, which was in operation from 1895 to 1911. The modern narrative took off in 1956, when George Christie bought Old Milton House and the land by the River Tromie, where the distillery stands today. Six years later, in 1962, he engaged Alex Fairlie to build a distillery on the site, and the work was not completed until 1987. Distillation began on 12 December 1990, and the spirit was later laid down in George Christie’s warehouse in Glasgow. Three years later came the first single malt, Drumguish, and in 1999 The Speyside 8-year-old followed. In 2001, The Speyside 10-year-old was released to the market, and in the same year the distillery was used as the fictional Lagganmore in Monarch of the Glen. In 2012, Harvey’s of Edinburgh bought the distillery and its warehouse, and thereafter the SPEY series grew with new expressions in 2014, 2015 and 2016.

Ingredients and production

Speyside Distillery is a small, hand-built distillery where the entire production is gathered in a single building. The plant is built around a former barley mill and croft dating from the 1700s, which closed in 1965 and over the next 25 years was converted into a single malt distillery. The water comes from the River Tromie, a tributary of Spey, and is fed into the old mill lade, which previously powered the waterwheel. The distillery is described as hand-distilled in time-honoured traditions. The provided text does not go into detail about malting, mashing, fermentation, or stills, but it makes it clear that the production is closely tied to the historic buildings and to a very small, consolidated production framework.

Maturation and cask types

The first spirit was laid down in George Christie’s warehouse in Glasgow, and the distillery began supplying casks to independent bottlers and private customers at the same time. This shows that warehousing and cask handling have been part of the business from the beginning. Later, the SPEY brand is highlighted as being developed with a focus on time-honoured techniques and specialization in cask finishes, pointing to a deliberate approach to maturation and finishing.

Whiskies

The current range focuses mainly on the SPEY series, which was launched in 2014 with a core of five expressions, including Royal Choice, Chairmans Choice and SPEY Tenne. In 2016, SPEY Trutina and SPEY Fumare were added to the core range. Alongside these are Beinn Dubh Single Malt and Byron’s Choice Single Malt, which were added to the family in 2015. The early releases Drumguish, The Speyside 8-year-old and The Speyside 10-year-old connect the brand portfolio of today with the distillery’s first years, and show a line ranging from classic single malts to newer SPEY expressions.

Visiting the distillery

The provided text does not describe public visitor facilities, tours, or booking arrangements.

Philosophy and craftsmanship

Speyside Distillery emphasizes a handcrafted scale, hand-distillation and time-honoured traditions. In addition, it is highlighted that the SPEY brand is developed with a focus on cask finishes, and that Harvey’s of Edinburgh again owns the distillery. The identity is closely tied to craftsmanship, history, and a very small production framework.

Awards and recognition

• Bronze award (2025, Bronze, SPEY Trilogia)