SPEY Byron’s Choice

This official Speyside Distillery single malt and bottled at 46%. The Speyside Distillery was hand built near Kingussie and first run in 1990 near Kingussie in the upper Spey valley; it was the dream of the whisky merchant George Christie. The first single malt, Drumguish, appeared in 1993, three years after the first spirit ran.

It was worked slowly through short stills to keep the spirit light, for the light, fruity Speyside make the distillery is known for. A wine cask held it, layering red fruit over the honeyed malt. With no age statement, it shows a light, fruity body and a honeyed lift. Refill oak lets the delicate distillery character lead, fruit over malt. Set in the Cairngorm foothills, it counts among Scotland's prettiest distilleries. Harvey's whisky heritage runs back to 1770 and the founding of Bruichladdich. Quality over quantity has always been the watchword of this tiny distillery.

Bottled at 46%, it is rounded. The Port cask adds plum, red berry and raisin, and green apple and a gentle spice sit alongside honeyed oak sweetness underneath. It is fresh and clean, the fruity spirit shining through. Apple, honey and oak draw out the close. This is the SPEY single malt from near Kingussie.