Location: Rothes, Aberlour, Banffshire, AB38 7AG Roads: Off the B9015 north of Rothes Hours: Please telephone for information about visits. Phone: 01340 831213   Fax: 01340-831678 Homepage: www.inverhouse.com

The setting in which Speyburn sits is absolutely delightful. It is snug on the floor of the vivid green Glen of Rothes and the steepness of the slopes around it contributed to the compactness of its design. The geography meant building upwards instead of outwards and, unusually for country distilleries, most of the buildings, including the warehouses, are on two floors.

Doig was to late-Victorian distilleries as Adam was to neo-classical country houses and the Elgin architect must have relished his working days in this tranquil spot. On a more sinister note, the location was once known as the Gibbet since it was where Rothes criminals were executed. Distillery men may scoff at the idea, but the word is that the night-shift at Speyburn is not too popular...

Speyburn was under construction in 1897 and, since it was Queen Victoria’s diamond jubilee, the proprietors were keen to have some whisky distilled within the year for a commemorative edition. They managed to produce some spirit right at the end of December but only by starting distillation before the still house doors and windows had been put in and working in mufflers in the swirl of a snow-storm.

Speyburn was the first pot-still distillery in Scotland to install a drum-malting system, using rotating cylinders filled with barley instead of the old floor-spread method. It went the way of the floor maltings in 1968, however, as owners, United Distillers, continued their policy of using central malting for their distilleries. Speyburn was bought by Inver House Distillers in 1992.

Speyburn is medium-bodied but achieves fair intensity of sweet malt aromas and dryish sappy fruit flavour. Attractive smooth finish. 10 and 21 year old malts are available. Source of water
The Granty Burn