Speyside Distillery 1991 MBa The 26 #10 (Maltbarn)

This Speyside Distillery malt was from the independent bottler Maltbarn matured to 32 year old from 1991 and bottled at 49.2%. Only 38 bottles were released. Set in the Cairngorm foothills near Kingussie, the Speyside Distillery was hand built over two decades by the stonemason Alex Fairlie. The first single malt, Drumguish, appeared in 1993, three years after the first spirit ran.

The spirit was run slow through small copper stills for a light, fruity spirit, to build a fresh, orchard fruit character. A sherry cask wrapped the fruity spirit in dried fruit and a nutty depth. At a quarter century and more it is rich and waxy, candied fruit, honey and old oak over a fragrant base. A long fermentation and slow distillation in the short stills are managed by hand to keep the spirit light and fruity.

Bottled at a cask strength 49.2%, it is rich. The Oloroso brings dried fruit, fig and a nutty depth, and green apple and a gentle spice sit alongside a quiet vanilla from the refill oak. It is fresh and clean, the fruity spirit shining through. The close is soft, fruit over gentle oak. This is the SPEY single malt from near Kingussie.