Speyside Distillery 1991 (Authentic Collection) (44.5%)

Cadenhead's bottled this Speyside Distillery single malt matured to 30 year old from 1991 and bottled at 44.5%. Only 288 bottles were released. The Speyside Distillery, slowly converted from an old mill by one stonemason close to the very source of the River Spey, is the source of the SPEY malts. Its two small pot stills, among the smallest in Scotland, sit with the whole production under one roof.

The spirit was made in small stills after a long, ester building fermentation, for a soft, fruity make from short stills. It rested in ex-Bourbon oak, the wood adding a light honeyed sweetness. At this great age the malt is full and settled, the fruit deep and the honey mellow. Long, gentle ageing turns the fresh fruit towards honey and soft spice. It is the most southerly Speyside distillery, nearest of all to the source of the Spey. The first single malt, Drumguish, was released in 1993 after three years in the warehouse.

At an easy 44.5% it is gentle. A gentle vanilla and coconut from the wood runs under honey, apple and a soft spice. It is fragrant and rounded, the fruit and oak well matched. The finish is rounded, honeyed and soft. This is a clean, fragrant Speyside single malt.