Speyburn produces approximately 2.7m litres whisky every year, contributing to such blends as Inver House, which owns the distillery, Glen Talloch and King George IV, so not many big brands have cast their eyes on Speyburn yet. There is a 10yo and a 25yo Solera reserve of original bottlings on the market, and about the time of the millenium there was released a whole bunch of single cask bottlings at 21yo. One could wonder why this is such a little demanded whisky in europe, where as in the USA it is currently the 9th biggest selling single malt according to online resources. This should be fun!
Speyburn NAS 1971-? 40% Connoisseurs Choice Gordon & Macphail
This one I actually don't know how old is. It has the old brown and white label, that tells me this should be bottled before the 90's at least. The color is darker and hazier than what just E150 would make it. Can there be some sherry casks involved in the mix here? The nose is light and fresh, sawdust, woodchips, wall insulation, yarn fabric, hay, very light and fresh, reminds me somewhat of many of the scents I usually fin at construction sites or timber board factories. The taste is thick and layered with honey, mustard, chillies, syrup, indian spice mixes such as garam masala and tandoori. Once again it seems I have underestimated G&M. From what I can make up of the last tastings G&M CC-bottlings prior to the eighties and after the mid 2000's is to be ever so greatly expected of as any other whiskies. But I know that in the 80's, 90's and even early 2000's there's been some weird stuff going on in Elgin from time to time. The aftertaste is, fruity with bananas, pineapple, kiwi, strawberries, coconut milk, what? Is it the same whisky? Yes, this one is slightly rough, but not too much on the palate, and it lingers on with a nice and fruity finish. I could have this any day, but to avoid the stupidity I projected when adding water to yesterdays rather brilliant Benrinnes G&M-bottling, I will just keep enjoying this one neat. I wonder what would happen to the brand G&M if these old wonders were bottled at Cask Strength back then?
Sadly the demand for high strength whiskies was rather low back then: 8
Speyburn 10yo 40% OB
I seem to recall a 12yo 40% OB from Speyburn a while back, but I think this one is the most recent standard version. And being the 9th most popular single malt in all of America (or was it just USA???) I think I might be in for a treat (or will my northern european palate prove to have a different craving?). Anyway, here it goes, pale as apple-juice. The nose is extremely light, hard to find anything other than some light maltiness and gentle oakyness. Soapy notes pulls through after a while of breathing. The taste is light and easy again, some bitter stuff going on in the finish, but my initial reaction is candy floss, rose water, kale, sparkling water, no reason to get excited yet. Perhaps if I add just a little water, though it's already down to 40%abv. With water it becomes more peppery, but to say it gets better would be an overstatement. I think it's good that it's such a popular whisky in America because it helps keeping the Speyburn Distillery alive, and we might again in a few years see a boom of older single casks deriving from the distillery?
No real flaws, but it's just as interesting as yesterdays newspaper: 4
Speyburn 15yo 1975-1991 60% Cadenhead's
I don't know what's going on with these OTBP-sessions of mine, this is almost (only one screwed the statistics) the 4th session in a row without any whiskies between 46%-something and 60%abv. Once again I'm jumping quite some numbers on the alcohol content, but that's fine by me, as I know these old Cadenhead's bottling are usually brilliant. And the last Speyburn I had that was distilled in the 70's were a beauty (if you remember which, I know you've read well:)). Color is orange. Nice, needs to be a sherry cask. The nose is rough, sulphury, phenolic, peppery, fino-ish, drying, I can predict a drop of water will be added to this one somewhere along the way here. The taste is peppery and honeyed, like sweet chili mixed with mango sour. I'm surprised what this one delivers. Such a light and easy distillate really let's the cask have a big say here without even getting close to dry or oaky at this strength. The finish is rather spicy with some hints of cinnamon, coriander and sage, another one that shows of some spice hints, but here they're just a small background note.
A very good one, that possibly could do even better with more years in oak: 7
Speyburn 21yo 1978-1999 62.5% OB cask#1922 btl.375
To have such a strength intact after 21 years in oak, must be a tight cask. Even though a brilliant idea, I don't think all these single casks released generated as much of a following as the distillery would have hoped for. But looking back on what followed from other distilleries with weird retail only bottlings, different wine finishings, peat for peat's sake and all that other jazz to bring some fuzz about, I think Speyburn did a pretty amazing attempt. This one smells sweet, vanilla, cream, marzipan, elderflowers, roasted banana, caramel, cinnamon buns, fresh bakery, raisins, amazing stuff, like a dessert whisky with no spirity notes above 60%abv. The taste is rather drying and bitter, like chewing banana leaves mixed with lime juice, a quite opposite extreme now. Maybe some water will help. Now it shows even more bitter, big on green grapes and lime juice, actually a quite nice mixture of sweet and bitter. Some pears and dry oakiness as well. All in all it's not bad, but I'd expect just a wee bit more on the palate.
This one is sour, sweet and just a bit smoky: 5
Speyburn 12yo 63.1% James MacArthur's Fine Malt Selection
It's always nice to see IB's that doesn't just serve extremely old varieties of the likes of Bunnahabhain and Glengoyne, but instead takes a chance at some rather unusual malts and bottles them at an age and strength where rather few others would dare. Here's to James MacArthur's! I'm actually starting enjoying these crazy OTBP-tastings as the last two tastings have surprised me in many ways. And Speyburn has shown me that old in distillate is more important than how much time it spent in the in cask. Things were kind of magical in the 70's... Time to try this crazy one. Golden orange hue, smells minty, cinnamon again, cream cheese, fresh, vanilla, toasted oak, cuban cigars, flour sugar, wheat, rice, lots of light and somewhat discreet scents, but it's a pretty perfect performance anyway. The taste is Light, yet sour, like salty biscuits and overripe dark grapes. Parmesan cheese, burnt toffee, dark chocolate and prunes. This one has it all as far as I'm concerned, tastes that I'm used to find in much older whiskies, blended in with the charismatic, powerful rawness of the young aged whisky, I think buying great casks at this age is not only what more IB's should do, but the fact that there are many older bottlings around these days that just doesn't hold the standards, well, maybe they were like this when they were 12yo. I guess we'll never know.
Amazing stuff, JMcA, you've done it again: 8
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