Speyburn 18 Year Old Scotch Review

By Michael Cervin

Rating: B

Speyburn 18 Year Old
(Credit: Michael Cervin)

Scotland’s Speyburn Distillery opened their doors in mid December 1897 and from then on was a fairly quiet distillery, just going about their business. But over the last two decades they have expanded production, most notably to the US. Their water source is called the Granty Burn, actually a tributary of the River Spey, for which the region, Speyside, is known (“burn” in the old Gaelic refers to a fresh water source). Though successful from the start, other nearby distilleries had broader ambitions and Speyburn kept plugging along, operating continuously since1897, with the exception of shuttering briefly during 1939 to 1947 during and after World War II – and of particular note, the Scottish army used the distillery during those years for sleeping quarters.

Adding to their line of aged offerings is the 18 Year Old aged in both American and Spanish casks and was bottled at the end of 2018.

The Scotch
Color: Medium golden amber color with flecks of orange

Nose: The nose is strong and needs some time to settle down in the glass. Once sedated, there is candied orange, browned butter, caramel, toffee and apricot jam,

Palate: This single malt is not shy from the start and is actually rather defiant. The alcohol makes itself known immediately, and for an 18 year old it feels a little untamed, more of a teenager rather than an adult. Chilling this down with a single ice cube allows the energy to calm down so there is a more enjoyable palate experience. You will find candied orange, amber, honey, pepper spice with back notes of lemon verbena, cocoa and judicious smokiness.

The finish is appropriately long and this has a way of growing on you as the night wears on. A Colby jack cheese, for example, pulls down the aggressive nature of the whisky and an apple smoked Gouda actually enhances it. The point being that this is not a sit by the fire and sip whisky, it needs food, and when it is accompanied properly it fills the palate and accentuates the experience.

The Price
This is available globally with a general price of $125.