Speyburn
Philip Day looks at Speyburn single malts that are highly popular across the pond. In this feature, Philip discusses the distillery’s 10 year old and 15 year old whiskies along with ‘Bradan Orach’. He provides his tasting notes and background information about the distillery.
For many UK and European whisky aficionados Speyburn single malts may not have featured on their personal radars. In the US however, it has been a well known brand, being recognised as the sixth most sold branded single malt during its peak. Given the highly competitive nature of the spirits market currently, sales have slowed down somewhat but given the expansion of their range, which includes several different expressions, Speyburn is still a brand to be reckoned with, enhanced by an increased campaign to bring global exposure of their malts.
Situated on the outskirts of the distilling town of Rothes, Speyburn is one of a select number of Scottish distilleries operated by Inver House Distilleries Ltd., part of International Beverage Holdings Ltd.
Speyburn is a typical classic Speyside whisky. In essence, it is a light, natural and sweet dram.
You can discover the full range of expressions on their website, while I am going to focus today on the core range of Speyburn single malts: a 10 year old, a 15 year old and Bradan Orach without age statement.
Bradan Orach
Gaelic for ‘Golden Salmon’, Bradan Orach is the classic, welcoming Speyside whisky, matured exclusively in American Oak ex-bourbon casks. Named in honour of the world-class salmon fishing found along the River Spey, this single malt was originally introduced for the American market in 2009. It is bright, vibrant, subtly sweet and naturally refreshing.
Tasting Notes (Taken from the Speyburn website):
Colour: Bright, golden amber.
Nose: Green apples, honey, lemon and vanilla.
Taste: Subtle with honey and vanilla, yet full bodied. Creamy and smooth with a long spicy finish. Energetic and appealing, this is the brightest member of the Speyburn range.
Finish: Long and spicy.
Personal tasting notes (Official sample kindly provided by Speyburn Distillery through Burt Greener Communications)
Nose: Fruity aromas of orchard fruits, with hints of light citrus and malty notes.
Taste: Quite well balanced, with fresh fruit, creamy vanilla and hints of spice and oak. Sweet honey notes.
Finish: Long lingering finish, initially a continuation of the sweeter vanilla and honey notes which slowly develops to include nutmeg and black pepper. It concludes with a certain dryness from the oak and a lingering taste of vanilla.
ABV: 40% / 70 cl
RRP: around £25
This is a solid easy sipping single malt for Speyside fans at a very reasonable price.
It’s also a good entry-level choice for those new to single malt, making it an ideal stepping stone for those looking to test the Scotch waters, without breaking the bank.
Speyburn 10 Years Old
Matured in a combination of American oak ex-Bourbon and ex-sherry casks, the 10 Years Old single malt is a bold yet mellow dram. Deep, complex and well-balanced, it has touches of fresh fruit and hints of toffee and butterscotch.
Tasting Notes (Taken from the Speyburn website):
Colour: Pale gold with amber highlights.
Nose: Fresh, clean with a hint of lemon.
Taste: Medium bodied with hints of toffee & butterscotch and a long, sweet finish. A global favourite, Speyburn 10 years old is ever the crowd-pleaser.
Finish: Long and sweet.
Personal tasting notes (Official sample kindly provided by Speyburn Distillery through Burt Greener Communications)
Nose: Engagingly sweet notes of honeyed malt with an undercurrent of floral notes and an attractive spicy and nutty punch in the background.
Taste: Light, gentle and smooth in the mouth with soft malt, toasted barley and vanilla with hints of orchard fruits and other herbal notes. Generally easy-drinking with sweetness arising from hints of honey and barley sugar, while at the same time slightly nutty with pockets of gentle spice.
Finish: Medium length finish. Spicy waves enveloped by notes of sweet and creamy fruitiness, with just a hint of lemongrass. A malty note and a murmur of peat provides a drying finale.
ABV: 40% / 70 cl
RRP: around £32
Speyburn 10 years old is a relatively light and delicate dram, so if you like a single malt that is big and bold perhaps it won’t appeal. Nevertheless, for the money, it is one of the most affordable single malts on the market. Again a good introductory single malt for the novice.
For me, I felt it benefited from a splash of water, being a little over sweet for my taste.
Speyburn 15 Years Old
Quietly matured in hand-selected American and Spanish oak casks, this is a rich, vibrant dram – the essence of Speyside in a glass. Vibrant and fruity, warm with a long-lasting finish. It is never chill-filtered nor coloured.
Tasting (Taken from the Speyburn website):
Colour: Amber with gold highlights.
Nose: Hints of rich dark chocolate with spicy notes of raisins, zesty citrus fruits and vanilla.
Taste: On the palate there are notes of oranges, toffee, vanilla and leather, all wrapped together with a gentle spice. The long lasting finish has a warming spice which is sweet and creamy.
Finish: Long lasting.
Personal tasting notes (Official sample kindly provided by Speyburn Distillery through Burt Greener Communications)
Nose: Both casks have provided influences to the nose with notes of burnt sugar, raisins, toffee, cinnamon and bitter dark chocolate. It is immensely fruity with waves of zesty citrus fruit, hints of sultanas and raisins, backed up by an undercurrent of toffee and vanilla.
Taste: Spicy and intense with a pleasant sherry-like profile and notes of chocolate, plump dried fruit, peppery wood and caramel. Initially, there’s a pleasurable strong oily element that coats the tongue, accompanied by a stylish, creamy, if slightly peppery, vanilla mouth feel once the fruit notes drifts away.
Finish: Long lingering finish, with enduring waves of enticing peppery spices and notes of sweet and creamy fruitiness.
ABV: 46% / 70 cl
RRP: around £54
If you like, this dram will take a drop of water really well. The oily dimension remains, while the peppery notes are trimmed back.
This 15 year old bottling with a relatively good ABV is a tasty Speyside malt, which is being sold at a fairly affordable price. It’s definitely worth taking a look!
The production process:
By sourcing consistently high quality malted barley from long-standing UK suppliers Speyburn ensures that this key ingredient is the perfect first step to creating their award-winning single malt whisky.
The malt is first crushed into grist 5.6 tonnes at a time by the 10 tonne twin-roller ‘Boby’ mill to fully extract the excellence locked in the grain.
Four hours are taken to complete one mashing cycle. During that time the grist is repeatedly sprayed with hot water to convert starches into fermentable sugars. The large mash tun then is used to efficiently produce a clear and flavoursome ‘wort’ – a sugary liquid ready for fermentation.
Both stainless steel and wooden wash-backs are used, the latter made of Douglas fir. These are large tanks where wort meets yeast and the fermentation is allowed to take place. Long fermentation times at Speyburn add to the character of the finished single malt whisky.
Sitting proudly at the heart of Speyburn Distillery is one large wash still used for first distillation and two smaller spirit stills for the second. The wash still charges both spirit stills at the same time, an unusual distillation regime which helps us achieve a light yet flavoursome spirit.
The stills are of classic Speyside shape, broad at the base with slender necks. They work in tandem with traditional worm tub condensers. This time-honoured method of turning vapour into spirit adds the familiar body and rich character to our whisky.
All Speyburn single malt is matured in air-dried oak casks seasoned with bourbon or sherry, to help the spirit fully develop its natural qualities.
Speyburn is finally allowed to mature in traditional dunnage warehouses. Those dark, cavernous buildings provide the optimum temperature and humidity for a long and even maturation process. As the whisky slowly ages it becomes smoother, sweeter and more flavoursome, resulting after many years in a single malt whisky that the distillery is proud to call Speyburn.
A brief history of Speyburn:
In 1897, John Hopkins discovered a unique spot in the heart of Speyside, ideal for making exceptionally smooth whisky. Hopkins main consideration for his choice was the Granty Burn – an untouched stream hidden in a secluded Speyside valley. He was convinced that the exceptionally pure water of this burn would produce a remarkable whisky with a naturally refreshing character.
The distillery was designed by Elgin architect Charles Doig, considered the doyen of distillery architects as his most enduring iconic creation was the Chinese influenced kiln pagoda head, regarded by many as a unique enduring symbol of Scotch whisky distilling.
Hopkins and the founders were anxious to distil some spirit during Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee year in order to release a commemorative malt.
On the last night of the year, Hopkins and his team toiled through a storm of Arctic proportions to craft a whisky in time to toast the Queen’s Jubilee. Determined that their first bottle would bear the year 1897 on its label, the men battled against the elements wearing overcoats and mufflers to protect them from the freezing snow despite the fact that neither doors nor windows had been fitted to the newly built still house. After hours of hard work and with the heroic efforts of his distillery men, Hopkins finally triumphed and was rewarded with the first barrel of Speyburn whisky.
Following the completion of construction at the site, the management of the distillery was immediately transferred to the Speyburn-Glenlivet Distillery Company.
- In 1916, wishing not to rest on his laurels, Hopkins sold the distillery to the Distillers Company Limited, in order to finance other projects. Under their control, the distillery served primarily as a production facility for the supply of blending malt until 1991.
- In 1939, with the outbreak of World War II, production at the distillery ceased and it was used to house the Scottish Artillery Regiments. Production did not finally restart until 1947.
- In 1962, the ownership was transferred to Scottish Malt Distillers.
- In 1991, the distillery was bought by Inver House Distillers.
- In 2001, Pacific Spirits bought the distillery, changing hands most recently in 2006 when International Beverage Holdings acquired Pacific Spirits UK.
Distillery Tours:
Enjoy a Virtual Tour experience of the Distillery in the heart of Speyside by downloading their iOS app and enjoy a behind-the-scenes tour at your pace, from your home using VR Goggles. (See website for more details)
Address: Speyburn Distillery,
Rothes,
Aberlour,
Banffshire,
Scotland
AB38 7AG
Email: hello@interbevgroup.com (Customer Services)
Facebook: @SpeyburnWhisky
Twitter: @SpeyburnWhisky
Instagram: @speyburn_whisky
Website: https://www.speyburn.com
Inver House Distillers is a wholly owned subsidiary of International Beverage Holdings Ltd., one of the drinks industry’s most dynamic global businesses. It produces its Scotch whiskies and gin at five distilleries around Scotland: Pulteney, Speyburn, Knockdhu, Balblair and Balmenach. Inver House is also highly active in the warehousing and blending of Scotch whisky, with warehousing for 500,000 barrels and state of the art blending and laboratory facilities at its headquarters in Airdrie. The business has won many prestigious accolades over the years, including the Icons of Whisky Distiller of the Year Award for Scotland (2017).
References:
http://www.worldwhiskiesawards.com
Press release care of Burt Greener Communications
Images:
Images kindly provided with thanks by Burt Greener Communications