Whisky Region: Speyside

Having previously looked at the physically biggest whisky region, our next destination in the little series on Scotland’s distilling regions will be the one comprising the highest number of distilleries. With an area far smaller than both Highlands and Lowlands, Speyside is the proud host of over half of Scotland’s distilleries. As a connoisseur of any field will agree, though, quality is more important than quantity by far – and Speyside doesn’t disappoint in that respect either. Many whisky lovers consider Speyside to be the finest region, the crown jewel of Scotland, if you will.

I’m personally not a fan of putting any one region above another, as they all have fantastic distilleries and whiskys on offer, but I will certainly agree that Speyside has a lot going for it. The whiskies distilled in the area can be roughly divided into two categories; the first being complex, floral and light whiskies such as Balvenie and Cragganmore, and the second being sherry-heavy whiskies such as Aberlour, The Macallan and Glenfarclas.

Due to their smooth, delicate, subtle characters Speyside whiskys are often considered ideal for blends and as such a large proportion of the whisky produced in the region is found in various blends rather than as single malts. Some of my fellow snobs are appalled by this, as blends are more commonly used in cocktails and cocktails are the devil, but I disagree. Life is all about pleasure, of the palate or otherwise, and there is no shame in enjoying a blend or even a blend and lemonade.

With its relatively high density of distilleries the Speyside region is an ideal candidate for distillery bus tours, which may we worth keeping in mind if you’re planning a visit any time soon. In particular I would recommend visiting The Macallan and attending the “Precious Tour”, which is quite interesting.