Review by: The Muskox
This is a lost review! I was trawling through my archives and was shocked to find that I had apparently never reviewed anything from the Speyburn distillery. This was despite the fact that I distinctly remembered trying and taking notes on Speyburn 15. Sure enough, buried in my folders was this unpublished but nearly-complete review, last modified June 21st, 2019. I haven’t tasted the whisky since, but given how finished these notes are, I think this it’s fine to publish with a disclaimer. Everything past this point, from the blurb, to the tasting notes, to the score, and except the last sentences in brackets at the end, is from the original 2019 review.
This is my first whisky from Speyburn distillery, which was founded in 1897. They’re currently owned by Inver House, who also own the Balblair, Balmenach, Knockdhu and Pulteney distilleries. This is a fairly new bottling, first released in 2017. I was very pleased to see a decent bottling strength and the NCA/NCF indications on the label. That’s a pretty good start.
Distillery: Speyburn.
Bottler: Official bottling.
Region: Speyside.
ABV: 46%.
Age: 15 years old.
Cask type: Ex-bourbon, Spanish oak sherry casks.
Price: $129 CAD for 750 mL in Ontario.
Color: Gold. No colour added, un-chillfiltered.
Nose: Fresh and fruity. Juicy orange, grapefruit and apple. A hint of sherry-ish candied fruit, staying on the sweet side. After the initial fruit hit came caramel and buttered popcorn. With more time in the glass, honey and a floral lavender note emerged as well.
Palate: Medium-light body. Apple and orange on the arrival, developing quickly into dark chocolate, walnut, mild oloroso sherry. It builds to a good amount of bitter oak, with leather, grapefruit peel, and a bit of tobacco.
Finish: Medium-length and bittersweet. Oak resolves into more grapefruit as well as hops. More citrus, too: orange and lime. Oatcakes, honey, raisins, and a hint of fresh mint right at the back.
Notes: Nothing wrong with that. The nose was a bit light, but I really enjoyed the bitterness on the palate. It’s perhaps not as characterful as its sister distilleries, but it’s…
(current me here, I’m sure I was going to finish with something like “…very respectable”. Reading this review back now, it certainly sounds like a characterful whisky, though those other Inver House whiskies are some pretty stiff competition. I also wasn’t doing the SMWS names back when I wrote this, so I won’t try to come up with one now!)
Final Score: 82.
Scoring Legend:
- 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
- 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
- 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
- 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
- 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
- 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
- 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
- 50-59: Save it for mixing.
- 0-49: Blech.
Malt Runners 