Review // Speyburn 10 Single Malt
If you’ve been a whisky drinker for a while, you start to develop a list in your head of brands and bottles you absolutely want to try out. Most of the time, these are releases that are quite exclusive or rather niche. Most of the time, your personal preferences evolve together with the price tag of the whisky. And that’s a shame, because there are a lot of bottles out there that are neglected even though they are, in their own right and category, decent drams. I’m here to fix that. Today, I’m reviewing the Speyburn 10 year old, an expression from a distillery that is not ‘one of the big boys’ in Speyside, the region in Scotland that produces 50% of all Scottish whisky. Here’s why you shouldn’t skip this one.
Text by Mickaël Van Nieuwenhove
Photography is © Speyburn and © Mickaël Van Nieuwenhove
The Speyburn distillery, hidden from the elements in a pleasant Speyside valley.
Tucked Away in a Hidden Speyside Valley
Before we hop into the tasting notes, I’d like to provide some context for this expression. If you take a look at the Speyburn website, you can’t help but notice that this brand is very much aware they are not going to be the first name that pops up in your mind when you say “Speyside”. They describe their whisky DNA as “light, natural, sweet, classic Speyside whisky” (www.speyburn.com). Nothing more, nothing less. I like that. It’s no nonsense, and it’s all about the whisky, in the end.
Their distillery, which is over 100 years old, was founded by John Hopkins, who located the perfect spot for a distillery in a secluded Speyside valley, right next to the Granty Burn stream. It might not be the best idea to choose a location that is secluded and rather narrow, but to this day Speyburn can claim that they are the only distillery using water from the Granty Burn. There’s a sense of exclusivity to this, after all.
Besides the 10 year old release, the distillery also has a 15 year old and 18 year old whisky in the core range. There is also a 16 year old release, but this is travel exclusive. Other expressions include an Arranta Casks release and a Companion Cask release, which has been matured exclusively on ex-Buffalo Trace casks.
Tasting notes
The award-winning 10 year old Speyburn single malt release is matured in a combination of American Oak ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks, which tells me this might be a dram moving towards a sweeter, more mellow side of the spectrum.
On the nose, I’m picking up honey water, ripe mandarins, creamy toffee, and a hint of vanilla. Nothing too special, but pleasant. There are flavors of more butterscotch and toffee, with a little bit of barley in there are well. The honey is back, but it has a bit more texture now. There are a couple of flakes of dried herbs swimming around in there as well - not literally, of course - which allow the whisky to offer up a bit more depth. The finish is long, and on the sweeter side. The texture is soft, oh so soft.
At only 40% ABV, this is indeed a whisky which belongs in the category ‘soft, nice, and easy’. I’d prefer a higher ABV to give the dram just a bit more of a kick, but perhaps this is that type of whisky for people who are looking for ‘just a nice whisky to drink’. I’m sure this would fit well in the cupboard of people who want to ease into the world of whisky. At a lower ABV and in a lower price range, this Speyburn 10 might just be what they’re looking for.
Disclaimer: I received this bottle to review from Premium Spirits. Many thanks!