What they say

“We have a long history with Lord Byron, as he gifted whisky, which is thought to have been SPEY, to King George III on the occasion of his marriage. Byron loved the Latin language, and so these expressions are a tribute to that passion.” Speyside Distillery CEO John Harvey McDonough.

Initially aged in bourbon casks, this bottling has been finished in the Tawny Port casks from the family run winery, Quinto de Filoco, for 6 months. A limited release of 1500 individually numbered bottles. Bottled at 57.4%, non chill filtered and with no added colouring.

What I say

Sampled during the #SpeysideDistillery twitter tasting hosted by Steve @TheWhiskyWire and @SpeySingleMalt. This was my first foray into official bottlings of The Speyside distillery’s range.

Moving on to Spey’s Tenne expression featuring a finishing period in Tawny Port casks, this one however is from the smaller batch #3 release at Cask Strength.

• ABV 57.4%
• Age NAS
• Bottler Official
• Bottling Tenne
• Cask Bourbon & Port
• Category Single malt Scotch whisky
• Cost £60
• Origin The Speyside Distillery
• Outturn 1500
• Region Speyside
• Released 2021
• Vintage Undeclared

My tasting notes

• Appearance Ruby gold (13/20), medium tears and tapered legs.
• Nose Rose Turkish delight, cardamom, cereal husky barley, sweet strawberry/raspberry fruits, vanilla cream, Cream Tea (fruit scone with jam and cream)
• Taste Medium-bodied, spirity prickle, cracked black pepper on strawberries, cinnamon and freshly grated nutmeg, brittle ginger snaps, creme brulee topping with toasted flaked almonds.
• Finish Long, sweet honey, berry jam, woody oak and dried rose petals/pot pourri.
• Overall A touch spirity at Cask strength but manages to water well, highlighting the balance achieved here using Tawny Port casks. Jammy fruit and rose petal influences but not too sweet or overpowering.

Score 85/100

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