What makes speyside whisky special
Speyside whisky comes from the region of Strathspey which is located in the north eastern part of Scotland. The Speyside region can easily be called the center of whisky production in the whole of Scotland. This area is home to the largest number of scotch distilleries. This area is sometimes confused with the other whisky growing region of Scotland called the Highland region. Though Speyside is geographically a part of the Highland region, this area is very separate when it comes to the whisky trail.
This region is considered separate from the Highland region as Speyside whisky has a very different character from its Highland counterparts. Speyside whiskies are more complex but are rich in taste and flavor and rather mild in character. In fact, it can easily be said that Speyside whiskies are a little sweet in taste. They have a very slight peaty character which feels more like a whiff of smoke. Some of the single malts produced in this region are also very perfumed. The notes that are reflected in these whiskies are mostly that of violets, roses, carnations, bananas, apples, lemonade or even cream soda.
The river Spey cuts across the Speyside region and has many whisky distilleries using water straight from this river in their whisky production. Two of the best selling single malts in the world are produced in the Speyside region. These Speyside malts are the Glenfiddich and the Glenlivet.
Glenlivet distillery falls in the upper Spey region of Speyside. This distillery was established in 1824 and has been in a continuous state of operation. It was only during the World War II that this distillery had to close its doors. But post war, this was the distillery that played a very big role in keeping up with the global demand of whisky.
Today, the Glenlivet distillery is owned by Pernod Richards which is a French alcoholic beverage company. In fact apart from being sold as a single malt scotch whisky, the Glenlivet is also used to make other blended premium whiskies such as Chivas Regal and Royal Salute. This distillery has only been growing and in 2008 the expansion plans of this Speyside whisky were revealed. In order to keep up with the growing demand of Glenlivet new stills, new mash tun and new wash backs were to be installed.
The other Speyside whisky that has wowed the world is the Glenfiddich. This distillery was established in 1886 by William Grant in Dufftown in Scotland. This area is located in the picturesque River Fiddich valley. This brand takes its name from Gaelic and translates to ‘valley of the deer’. This single malt has taken the world by storm and is considered as one of the best selling single malts in the world.
In fact, Glenfiddich is the only Speyside whisky that is distilled, matured and bottled at a single distillery. Much like the other distilleries, the Glenfiddich distillery too uses a single source of natural spring water from the Robbie Dhu springs. So legendary is Glenfiddich in taste that it is now being sold in over 180 countries and also accounts for almost 25% of the overall single malt sales.