A guide to Speyside | Scotch whisky regions
Speyside boasts more than 50 whisky distilleries, the most of any Scotch whisky region. This complete guide covers the definition, history, and culture of the area that is home to names like The Macallan, Glenfiddich, and The Balvenie.
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The Scotch Whisky Regulations of 2009 define Speyside as: ‘(i) the wards of Buckie, Elgin City North, Elgin City South, Fochabers Lhanbryde, Forres, Heldon and Laich, Keith and Cullen and Speyside Glenlivet of the Moray Council as those wards are constituted in the Moray (Electoral Arrangements) Order 2006(b); and (ii) the Badenoch and Strathspey ward of the Highland Council as that ward is constituted in the Highland (Electoral Arrangements) Order 2006(c).’
That was a bit old school best man speech, wasn’t it? “Webster’s Dictionary defines love as…” Much in the same way that isn’t fit for a good union, that geographical distinction does not sum up the whisky epicenter that is Speyside. Home to over 50 whisky distilleries, the greatest number of any Scotch whisky region, the northeast of the Highlands has a rich tradition of whisky making by the River Spey and its tributaries. Full of natural water sources, aided by fields of local barley, and in an ideal whisky maturation climate, Speyside has grown into what is surely the most extraordinary single area of whisky production in the world. But how? Our guide to Speyside will explain all…
Speyside: just another Highlander?
The odd thing about the Speyside is that while it’s a hugely important region and one its own right, technically it’s part of the Highlands. This is a bit confusing, of course, and it is all to do with the history of the region which we’ll take you through.
Here's the skinny: Scotch whisky distilled in Speyside can be described as either Highland or as Speyside. Glenfarclas, Dalwhinnie, and The Macallan, for example, are often grouped as Speyside whiskies and are based in the region, but historically favoured using the Highlands on their labels. Dalwhinnie goes as far as to be categorised as a Highland whisky in its marketing and most whisky sites, including ours, reflect that.
Whisky has been distilled in the highlands of Scotland for generations before any legal recognition of whisky-making and any regions were established. Farmers put their excess barley to use in small makeshift stills, increasingly away from the prying eyes of the excise officers. Smugglers bought and carried the whisky south, typically in small casks, or ankers, with sturdy ponies doing the heavy lifting. The first distinction was to separate the Highlands and the Lowlands in the late 18th century, with the former including all the other defined Scotch whisky regions of today (Speyside, Islay, and Campbeltown. You can read all about why this division was created and more on the other regions by clicking the links).
In the early part of the 19th century the easing of taxation and legislative frameworks like the all-important Excise Act of 1823 led to a boom of new distilleries. One of those was The Macallan, founded in 1824 by barley farmer Alexander Reid. Not too far away in rural Banffshire, George Smith and his son John Gordon Smith attained one of the first licences to legally distil whisky in the Highlands at Glenlivet Distillery. The oldest Speyside distillery, incidentally, is Strathisla, which was founded as the Milltown distillery in 1786. But it was Glenlivet that would have a seismic influence on the history of Scotch whisky, one disproportionate to its size, becoming a major pillar in the building of Speyside as a region.
The Glenlivet effect
Whisky was already being made in the glens around Strathspey before Glenlivet got its licence and was highly prized, with ‘Glenlivet’ whisky famously sought out by Sir Walter Scott for King George IV’s visit to Edinburgh in 1822. It’s difficult to know what this whisky would have tasted like. One contemporary observation comes from Elizabeth Grant of Rothiemurchus, who described a well-matured Glenlivet as being “mild as mother’s milk”. Most agree that it would have been a fruity, estery, floral and sweet whisky. The distillery was also an early savvy mover in the market, not just gaining traction with its malt whisky but also its Old Vatted Glenlivet blend.
It's worth noting that a lot of whisky made in Speyside back then would have certainly had some smoky influence, as peat was regularly used to dry barley in these early days. But an improved rail network (we’ll come back to this) brought coal and as blended whiskies became more popular the smoky whiskies of Islay and Campbeltown cornered that market, and distilleries in Speyside started to adapt the traditional “Glenlivet style”. While we can’t know if the distillery was the first to make whisky that tasted like this, we do know that the strength of its marketing and the quality of its spirit led to a wave of imitators that meant Glenlivet became the cornerstone of Speyside's regional character.
The strength of the Glenlivet name was so strong that local distilleries were built in the area to capitalise on the success. A distillery farm in the possession of the Grant family can be traced to the late 1790s, but in 1836 Robert Hay got a licence to make whisky for what became known as Glenfarclas. The Grants were neighbours of the Smiths of Glenlivet and when they purchased the distillery for £511.19 in 1865 its fortunes really thrived, due to both their savvy and the increasing reputation of Speyside whiskies that The Glenlivet spearheaded.
Neighbouring distilleries even flat out started putting the name on their bottles. The ‘Glenlivet’ suffix became the vogue, with distilleries presenting themselves as Aberlour-Glenlivet or Macallan-Glenlivet. John Gordon Smith took legal action in 1880 to try and register ‘Glenlivet’ as a trademark, but he and his successors were unable to get a sole trademark. Ironically, the success of ‘Usher’s Old Vatted Glenlivet’ worked against it, even though it was a blended Scotch, and contained only a very small proportion of whisky from Minmore, explains Iain Russell in his article Glenlivet’s Pioneering Whisky History for Scotchwhisky.com.
The suffix prevailed as a compromise, with no less than 28 distilleries using it by 1980. Cadenhead bottlings still retain this naming format although almost everywhere else it's died out. The effects of Glenlivet’s contribution remain, of course. The distillery’s reach is really remarkable. Even John Smith, of Cragganmore fame, was rumoured to be one of George Smith’s illegitimate children.
For what isn't a huge area geographically, there's a massive concentration of distilleries in Speyside
How the railways brought whisky to Speyside
The other major factor that helped Speyside distinguish itself in the Highlands was the expansion of the Great North railway in the late 19th century. This connected Speyside with Glasgow, London, and beyond, bringing its whisky to the many who developed a taste for it. The importance of rail in this era cannot be overstated. Everything went by train. But for whisky making, the coal, barley, and casks it brought were particularly important and gave the area of Speyside a unique edge. Distilleries like Tamdhu even had their own sidings. Efficient and hardy Victorian science is the unsung hero of Scotch whisky’s early success.
Savvy operators like William Grant were only too happy to take advantage of the increasing prosperity of the region. He founded Glenfiddich Distillery in 1887 and by 1892, he had also established The Balvenie. The Craigellachie and Strathmill distilleries opened in 1891, Longmorn and Convalmore in 1893, Knockdhu and Parkmore in 1894, Aultmore and Dufftown in 1895, Tamdhu in 1896, Coleburn, Glendullan, Glen Moray, Glentauchers, Imperial, and Speyburn in 1897, BenRiach, BenRomach, Caperdonich, Dallas Dhu, Glen Elgin, and Knockando in 1898. Of the 33 Scotch whisky distilleries that opened in the 1890s, 26 of those were in Speyside.
Speaking of engineering marvels, we need to recognise the influence of whisky architect extraordinaire Charles Doig. He was likely the first professional distillery engineer in Speyside, if not Scotland, working on already established sites and designing 26 distilleries from scratch. His practice thrived in the boom of the 1890s as Doig purpose-built mash houses, stillrooms, kilns, and warehouses, and invented the Doig Ventilator, a technical improvement to the malting process that enabled more efficient dispersal of peat smoke but also came with a signature pagoda roof that remains on the most iconic distilleries images there is.
Speysiders like Glenburgie, Miltonduff, The Macallan, Dailuaine, The Glenlivet, Cragganmore, and Strathisla can all boast Doig involvement, as can distilleries from Ireland to Highland Park on Orkney, Talisker on Skye and Ardbeg, Caol Ila and Laphroaig on Islay. In an article entitled A pioneer of the spirit, Stewart Mcbain says: “It’s on record that his company had been involved with 69 distilleries but probably assisted with at least 100”. He also summaries the man’s accomplishments succinctly. “Without a shadow of a doubt, Doig contributed heavily to the success of Speyside whiskies during his life leaving behind a lifetime of architectural ingenuity that helped transform many distilleries into Scotland’s, even the world’s, greatest”.
Boom, bust, rinse, repeat
All of these factors meant that Speyside was establishing its reputation with blenders and consumers alike and was increasingly recognised as its own region. In 1909, the Report of the Royal Commission on Whisky and Other Potable Spirits cemented this status. The survey of Scottish and Irish distilleries published by the UK government named Speyside, created a distinction between it and The Highlands.
But even the huge concentrated success of the region couldn’t insulate distilleries from the great boom-bust periods of the late 19th century and 20th century. First, there was the Pattison brothers debacle, then the First World War, then Prohibition, The Great Depression, another world war, and then the whisky loch. In between each bust came a boom and new distilleries were built, many Speysiders were expanded, and whisky flowed.
But after rapid growth came a sharp decline. Scotch whisky is not insulated from consumer demand or economic strife as any other industry. The 20th century saw some great Speysiders built, like Mannachmore, Auchroisk, Braeval, and Allt-A-Bhainne all coming between 1971 and 1975. But we also lost some fine distilleries too. Dallas Dhu was closed in 1983, Convalmore in 1985, and Coleburn was mothballed the same year. Parkmore followed in 1988, while Pittyvaich managed to cling on until 1993. It’s a shame it couldn’t hold out a little longer, because the single malt market was hotting up in the ‘90s, laying the groundwork for one of the biggest booms in whisky history.
Speyside is one the world's leading areas of whisky production today
The spirit of Speyside
The 21st century has largely been a very positive one for Scotch, with demand for characterful single malt whiskies surging, waves of new distilleries being built, and the creation of a truly global whisky scene, with producers popping up in all corners of the world. Still, nowhere manages to match Speyside, which in 1999 was bolstered by the launch of The Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival. It’s come a long way since then, developing into one of the largest events of its kind anywhere in the world and becoming a mecca for whisky fans old and new.
Speyside whiskies are typically categorised into two styles: the sherry bombs of The Macallan, Glenfarclas, Aberlour, and Tamdu, and the lighter, sweeter, honeyed single malts of The Glenlivet, Glenfiddich, and The Balvenie. But there’s so much variation here too. Benriach and BenRomach both have peated runs, reflecting the history of the region when smoke was more commonplace, while the likes of Craigellachie and Mortlach make meaty, sulphury, powerful whisky.
The region is too big, broad, and beautifully diverse to be narrowly defined. You could spend a lifetime exploring Speyside, both in the glass and on the road, and you would never get bored. We dare you to test that theory. Go on. Prove us wrong. Bet you can’t…
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