Speyburn 25 Year Old

A few months ago I visited the Speyburn distillery as part of a blogger’s visit to some of the Inver House’s distilleries. The Speyburn distillery, is located in wonderful surrounding near Rothes , all green and pastoral, but sadly it lacks a proper visitor center. While there we got to sample the 10 year old and a NAS expressions, which were nice, but did not leave a mark, I must say. I did hear quite a bit about the 25 year old, and read favorable reviews , but did not get to try that one until very recently.

Well, I was in for a good surprise, as this one is far better than the 10 year old. It’s aged in a solera system and has quite a bit of sherry influence in it. Not a very well known dram, and this should change, for it’s a great whisky, and although the distillery is not exactly sexy and non-hyped it should not sneak below your radars.

Nose: A lot more fresh and grassier than I expected this one to be. Some dry sherry , mint , wee balsamic in the first few seconds. Sweet malty and honey fruits underneath. Palate: sweeter and wineyier. Sherry is king here. Meaty and chewable. Some peppery notes as well as fig and plum. Getting dry at the end with balanced wood notes. Finish : oak , pepper, sherry and tannins.

All in all a very enjoyable 25 year old dram, for a decent price, and from a distillery that is often overlooked. A really nice surprise from Speyburn. I hope there will be more releases exepct the 10 year old and the NAS, which are ok, but not brilliant.

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