Matured in a combination of American and Spanish oak casks, Speyburn 18 Year Old is a multi-award-winning whisky that won double gold at the 2023 San Francisco World Spirits Competition as well as medals from the IWSC. The Speyburn website describes the 18 Year Old as a “full-bodied delight with a charming, long finish.”
It was added to the distillery’s core range in 2018 to celebrate distillery manager Bobby Anderson’s 18th anniversary at the distillery.
In the UK, Speyburn 18 Year Old is available for around £85. In the US, prices are usually above $100.
About Speyburn Distillery
Located in a secluded valley opposite Glen Grant, Speyburn began operations in 1897. It was one of several distilleries designed by local architect Charles Doig, who is known for inventing the distillery pagoda – a signature feature of many distilleries. The pagoda was originally built to effectively ventilate the distillery’s kiln. In addition, Doig introduced the first ‘pneumatic’ (drum) malthouses in the Highlands at Speyburn, allowing production to exceed the capacity of traditional malting floors. These malthouses were used at Speyburn until 1968.
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Like many other distilleries, Speyburn became part of Scottish Malt Distillers, the malt division of DCL. In 1991 it changed ownership and became part of Inver House.
In 2024, Speyburn unveiled a brand refresh, including two new variants: a bourbon cask finish and a rum cask finish. The rebranding will be extended to the Speyburn 18 Year Old by the end of the year.
Speyburn has long gone unnoticed and is not exactly a household name among Scotch whisky lovers around the world. Nevertheless, the brand has enjoyed great success in the USA and is marketed as a “cheap malt”.
