Whiskey Trip to the Speyside Region of Scotland

 

While living in Kazakhstan, I had the pleasure of belonging to SMACK, Single Malt Appreciation Club of Kazakhstan.  SMACK was a group of American, British, Scottish and Australian expats who enjoyed single malt Scotch whisky. Single malts only, no blends except for the occasional dram of Johnnie Walker Blue.

Are a shot and  a dram the same thing?  Although the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, they are not the same. A shot typically refers to 1.5 ounce (44 milliliter) serving of spirits. A dram in relation to alcohol has never been an officially served quantity. A dram may vary depending on the establishment and the whim of the pourer. Another difference lies in the approach to enjoying whiskey.  A shot is often consumed quickly, intended for those looking to have a quick and straightforward sip of their preferred spirit.  A dram is meant to savored slowly, allowing the drinker to appreciate the complexities, craftmanship and history that accompanies each sip.

              Scotland Whiskey Regions

Every year the group takes a trip to a different whisky region of Scotland.  There are five whisky regions within Scotland – Speyside, Highlands, Lowlands, Campbeltown and Islay. The road to formal recognition for scotch regions was a long one. In 1909, the UK government published a comprehensive survey of Scottish and Irish distilleries that specified distinct whisky regions in Scotland, including the Highlands, Lowlands, Islay, Campbeltown, and Speyside. A century later, three regions were formally declared—Highlands, Lowlands, and Speyside—and two localities—Campbeltown and Islay.

This whisky adventure took us to the Speyside region. Scotland’s gentle whisky giant. Home to over 50 whisky distilleries, the greatest number of any Scotch whisky region, with whiskies ranging from the light, sweet, and honeyed to the more robust, sherried malts as well as everything in between. Speyside is home to Glenlivet, Glendronach, Macallan, Glenfiddich, Balvenie, Benromach and about forty-five others.

We had five days in Speyside and our distilleries of choice were Royal Lochnagar (not in Speyside), Glen Moray, Glenlivet, Glendronach, Macallan and Benromach.

Scotland has very strict drunk driving laws and with our desire to book tours and tastings at every distillery, we reserved a minibus and driver for the five days. Upon landing in Aberdeen, we loaded up and headed for Elgin. The ninety minute drive through beautiful Scottish countryside on mostly two lane roads.

Upon arriving in Elgin, we checked in to the Mansfield hotel.  The hotel’s location provides easy walking access around Elgin..  There are a number of castle and cathedral tours in Elgin if you need a break from the distilleries.  A excellent place to explore and purchase unique gits is the Gordon and MacPhail store in downtown Elgin.  If you desire a dram upon arriving, the Mansfield Hotel bar has over 200 open bottles of whisky covering all of Scotland..  Not sure what to try, the staff is very knowledgeable and can provide recommendations. The bar also has a extended collection of vintage whiskeys in locked cabinets.  We ate dinner in the hotel restaurant that night.  Good menu selection, fairly priced and very tasty.

Day 1 – After breakfast at the hotel, we loaded up the bus and headed for the Royal Lochnagar Distillery – which is in the Highlands and not Speyside.  There was a reason for the long drive as we would soon find out.  A note on the weather in Scotland.  Our trip was in early May, on the way to and at the distillery, it rained, snowed and was sunny, pack accordingly.

Royal Lochnagar Distillery

Royal Lochnagar distillery is situated just one mile from Balmoral Castle and sits at the foot of the Cairngorm mountains, fed by the crystal-clear water of the Scarnock springs.  The first distillery to bear the name Lochnagar was established on the north side of the river in 1826 by a former illicit distiller, but his competitors soon burned it to the ground. From here, a second distillery was built by John Begg on the south bank in 1845, and it is this distillery that still stands today. John named the small craft distillery New Lochnagar but was granted the title Royal Lochnagar in 1848 following a visit, at the invitation of John, by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.

We purchased the Royal Lochnagar Expressions Tour – 40GBP/$50. (All distillery tours were purchased in advance to insure there was space for our group.) This included a guided tour of the distillery, barrel warehouse and most importantly, a tutored nosing and tasting of four limited edition expressions of Royal Lochnagar.  I enjoyed it so much I purchased a bottle to take home. Royal Lochnagar is what I pictured a Scottish distillery would be, stone structure with copper mash tuns and even one open mash tun, warehouse full of aged whisky casks and elegant tasting room.  I love the feel and character of this type of distillery, the architecture, the smells, the local business vibe, not the look of copper stills in a large warehouse run by one guy behind a computer screen.

We planned all our tours to include tastings at every distillery we visited.  It gave us a opportunity to taste various Scotches not easily found in retail shops. Most tasting included the distillery’s whisky during the aging process and bottled product in the 10 to 30 year age range.  Having a wee dram of 30 year old Scotch is worth the price of the tour.

Distillery website:   Royal Lochnagar  Tasting notes for Royal Lochnagar 12 year old Scotch Tasting Notes

                    Tasting Room, Barrell Warehouse and what I purchased at the distillery.

 

 

Our reason for venturing out of Speyside to the Highlands was reviled after the tour.  One of the club members had a friend who is a tour guide at Balmoral Castle.  Balmoral has been the Scottish home of the British Royal Family since 1852 and is only 1 mile from Royal Lochnagar.

When originally purchased in 1848, Balmoral Estate covered 17,000 acres. Today, the estate has grown to over 50,000 acres, covering areas of moorland , towering hills, and rare, protected woodland habitats. The Castle has well kept lawns, a beautiful garden with native species,,mazes and a 9-hole golf course.

Balmoral Castle and Gardens

We were granted access to the gardens, the walking paths and only one room of the house, which was a large meeting at one end of the castle.  What surprised me, is the castle isn’t as large as it appears on television or in pictures.  The gardens, walking paths and views of the countryside side were amazing.  If you are in the Highlands, a trip to Balmoral is a nice diversion from the distilleries.  I purchased a Christmas ornament in the gift shop.  Website:   Balmoral Castle

On the drive back to Elgin we stopped at the Mash Tun restaurant (Mash Tun) in Aberlour for dinner.  Great place for dinner, good food, atmosphere and a good whiskey bar.

Day 2 

Back in Speyside, we boarded the bus and headed to the Glen Moray Distillery.

Glen Moray Distillery, Barrel House and Copper Stills

 

Glen Moray has been distilling whiskey for more than 120 years.  Records show the very first Glen Moray was distilled in 1897.

Glen Moray uses a number of different types of cases to age it’s Scotch.  Whisky must be aged at least three years in matured oak casks to be classified as a Scotch.  The distillery uses American oak casks previously used to age bourbon (all Scotch must be matured in American White oak or European oak barrels).

Why use matured casks? Matured bourbon barrels add hints of vanilla caramel and wood flavors.  European oak barrels tend to be seasoned with sherry, port and potentially table wines.  The charring of American bourbon barrels and only lightly toasting European barrels enhances the maturation process. Scotch aging ranges from 3 years minimum to 50 years extreme.  Bottle listed age ranges vary from 10,12,15,18 to 20 years or no age statement. The price increases accordingly with the age of the spirit.  Scotch does not age in the bottle, only in the cask.

One of my favorite Scotches – Balvenie Caribbean Cask is partially aged in a matured rum cask.

Glen Moray is a small authentic working distillery with employees going about their business – making whisky. Similar to most distillery tours, our guide took us through the process of making whiskey as well toured, the barley, the stills and the water.  The uniqueness of the water supply plays an important part in the process and distilleries often highlight this as contributing to their brand reputation.

I enjoy walking through the stacks of casks, locating the dates and calculating the time before bottling. As you tour and listen to the history and heritage of the site, you understand what makes each distillery an environment like no other.

Our tour (Exclusive Dram Tasting) is no longer offered, I recommend the Heritage tour.  Two hours exploring the distillery and three tutored tasting in the private tasting room.

We opted in eat lunch in the restaurant at the distillery after our tour.  Good choice after three tasting and the knowledge that our next distillery tour included seven tastings. Sandwiches, coffee, homemade soups, cakes and biscuits are available on the menu.

I purchased the 12 year old from the distilleries Heritage collection. Tasting notes: Heritage 12 Year Old

For more information visit:  Glen Moray

Onward after lunch to my favorite distillery experience of the trip – Glenlivet!   Few distilleries can boast the history and reputation of Glenlivet.  For starters it is not Glenlivet, it is “The Glenlivet”.

We will get to that part of the story in a bit. George Smith, founder of Glenlivet,  lived in the remote and isolated Livet valley making it ideal for illicit distillation. Hidden from customs officers, George had time to distill slowly, mastering his craft.

In 1822, King George IV on a royal visit to Scotland, asked to try the then illegal, infamous Glenlivet whiskey, adding to the brand’s reputation.

Two years later after a change in legislation, George Smith rode to Elgin to get his license and became the first legal distiller in the parish of Glenlivet.  This angered local illicit distillers who vowed to burn his distillery with George in it. George passed away in 1871, his youngest son John, took over the business.George Smith

As the reputation of Glenlivet grew, other competitors tried to capitalize on the brand’s notoriety by using the name Glenlivet., which became shorthand for the whiskies produced in the Speyside region, in addition to other distilleries outside of Speyside began calling themselves Glenlivet.  In 1884, John Smith fighting for the rights to the name, Glenlivet became the one and only “The Glenlivet”.

Glenlivet’s notoriety spread through North America when in 1933, the Pullman Train Company began serving miniature bottles on their routes. The Glenlivet is now the 5th largest single malt product globally based on sales volume.

The Glenlivet has operated continuously since 1824, only closing during World War 2, making it the oldest legal distillery in Speyside.  It is now owned by Chivas Brothers.

We began in the the visitor center which features an impressive helix-shaped sculpture of Glenlivet bottles. Walking into a small room we spied a Porteus mill that has previously been used to grind the malted barley at the distillery. The front section was cut away to expose it’s inner workings. Something we hadn’t seen before.

As we walked along, we viewed a massive mash tun and six copper pot stills.The mash tun is where the malted barley is mixed with warm water to produce the wort. Wort is the name of the sugary warm liquid produced in the mash tun. An adjacent room contained the wooden washbacks, each holding thousands of litres of wort. It is here where yeast is added and fermentation takes place, turning all the sugars into alcohol.

The washbacks provide a constant supply of wash – the final fermented liquid to the stills.  The picture below illustrates the size of the stills. The stills work in pairs, the larger stills receive the wash supplying the first distillation, the liquid is then passed to a smaller still for a second distillation. Selected parts of the second distillation is what fills the hundreds of oak casks stored in the warehouse.

The Glenlivet’s Copper Stills

The final walk of our tour took us to one of the warehouses. The Glenlivet site has numerous warehouses and locations.  Since Glenlivet is owned by Chivas Brothers, some spirits are being matured at other Chivas Brothers locations in Speyside. We walked through a traditional dunnage warehouse which has earthen floors, stone walls and low ceilings.

I enjoyed the tour, however let’s get to the tastings.  The tour we chose (Definitive Spirit Tour) included seven tastings (tastings are not full drams).  Tastings provide enough spirit to enjoy the full character of the whisky and give you an idea if this is something I would purchase, enjoy and share with friends. Below are pictures of the tasting room, glass layout, water if you prefer to add a drop or two to open the flavor and our spirits.  Our guide provided background and tasting notes for each whisky. Sadly, this tour is not longer offered. I would recommend the Heritage Tour(2 hours and three tastings) or the Ambassador Tour ( 2-3 hours and tastings with Iain Allan – Grand Brand Ambassador for Glenlivet).

The Glenlivet Tasting Room, our Spirits and tasting setup

   

 I have read that Glenlivet has redesigned their visitor center and all reviews state it is quite impressive.  I did not purchased any whiskey since I could only bring two bottles back in to country and had already bought at Royal Lochnagar and Glen Moray. Visit The Glenlivet

Day 3

Our tour was a mix of history, technology and the science of making whiskey, all told in a very informative, relaxed manner.  We felt very comfortable walking through the various sections of the distillery that mirrored the whiskey making process.   As you walk and listen, looking at the buildings, the stills and the warehouse, in my mind, I said this is what a Scottish distillery is suppose to look like.

The still house and warehouses.

 

It was our tasting that opened my eyes to Glendronach.  Matured in both Pedro Ximenez and Oloroso sherry casks, the whiskies have a taste of stone fruits, honey and dark chocolate.  The casks also impart an appealing bronze color.  Glendronach has become one of the most popular sherried single malt whiskies on the market. Their 15 year old Revival release won best of show at the 2020 San Francisco World Spirits competition.

Our tastings.  Those are plastic water droppers in the background – for adding that one-two drops of water to open up the flavors. If you heading to Glendronach, try the Revelation in Flavor tour.  I have also read a new or redesigned visitor center was announced in 2024.

As we traveled from distillery to distillery, you can’t help but notice all the wooden warehouses storing casks from various producers, usually owned by one company such as Chivas Brothers.  The outside of these warehouses are covered by what appears to be a black mold.  This mold is a by-product of the evaporation of scotch from the barrel known as the “angel’s share”. The angel’s share accounts for about two percent of the total liquid in the barrel.  In the early days of the whisky making process, the distillers couldn’t understand why there was less whisky in a finished barrel than they had filled.  The only way they could explain the disappearance was that angels took a portion of the  whisky out of the casks for themselves as a tax, hence the term “angel’s share.” The longer the whisky was aged, the more the angels taxed.

Due to popularity of Scotch, more barrels are being produced than every before – an estimated 22 million casks in all of Scotland. Each cask is filled with around 66 gallons of whisky.  Using 2 percent as an average, around 440,000 whole barrels of whisky — 29 million gallons — evaporate out every single year.  That amounts to 44 olympic swimming pools full of Scotch.

Bourbon makers also deal with the “angel’s share”.  One bourbon maker has also coined the term the “devil’s cut” – the whiskey that is absorbed into the barrel itself.  For years there was no way to recover this barrel claimed whisky.  In 2011, Jim Beam distillery discovered a way to extract the whisky trapped in the barrel staves. The method is still a trade secret and the extracted spirit is marketed as Jim Beam Devil’s Cut.

On to one of the most recognized and celebrated producers of scotch in the world –“The Macallan” distillery.”

Build on the Macallan Estate, the distillery was opened in 2018 and was built using local lumber and stone, it features a live roof composed of Speyside grasses and wildflowers.  Designed to be environmentally friendly, sustainable and preserving the ecosystem of the Macallan Estate, it is not what you expect a distillery to look like.

The roof is over 200m long. When built the roof was described as the most complicated engineered timber roof construction in the world.  The new distillery was opened n 2018 at a cost of 140 million pounds.

Founded in 1824 by Alexander Reid, a barley farmer and school teacher, The Macallan was one of the first distillers in Scotland to be legally licensed.  The Macallan name is derived from the Gaelic term “Magn-Ellan which translates to the fertile land of St. Fillan.  St.Filian was an early Christian missionary noted for his work in converting the Picts to Christianity during the 8th century.  As with most distilleries, it changed owners through the years marking a milestone in 1926 when cask 263 was placed in the warehouse to mature. It was bottled sixty years later as The Macallan 1926 60 Years Old.

Walking in you are taken aback by the size of the distillery.  Visitor center, exhibits and stills under five large timber roof structures.  it can be overwhelming.

As you can see the visitor’s center is a wide open space as is the rest of the distillery.  The very impressive site of bottle after bottle of Macallan, tracing it’s history and spirit releases line the walls.  It took a few minutes to walk this area, trying to read the labels and wishing if I only had one of those to enjoy on a cool night beside the fire.  At the time we toured there were animation displays that explained the whisky making process, these were a little dated and Disney like in their appearance.

The distillery boasts 36 sills – 12 wash and 24 spirit.   That is a lot of stills, however they are smaller than other stills in the Speyside region.  Smaller stills is one of the Macallan Six Pillars (we will cover all six), This unique size and shape give the spirit maximum contact with the copper, concentrating the new spirit. Macallan states this smaller stills provide the characteristic flavors Macallan is known for.  The whisky making process at Macallan is very automated, similar to the control room of an oil refinery,  Even will 36 stills, the distillery has room to expand by 1/3 more production.

Our tour did include a tasting which was the most disappointing parts of the visit.  The tasting included 6 whiskies which was good, however the quantity of the whiskies was very miniscule. This led to one of our club purchasing a 12 pack of 2 ounce Macallan bottles at the gift shop,  we drank these on the bus heading to dinner.

I mentioned the Macallan Six Pillars earlier.  Macallan believes the Six Pillars provide the foundation for the character and creation of their whisky.

Pillar One – The Macallan Estate which dates back to 1543. Located in the heart of Speyside and at one time produced all the barley used at the distillery.

Pillar Two – The Macallan’s stills are amongst the smallest in Speyside. Their unique size and shape give the spirit maximum contact with the copper, providing the rich, full flavors characteristic of Macallan.

Pillar Three – Exceptional Oak casks. Macallan primarily uses European oak casks that have been seasoned with sherry. The casks are air dried and seasoned for months and at times years to influence the whiskey during the maturation process.

Pillar Four – Sherry Seasoning. The casks are seasoned with sherry wine in Jerez De La Frontera, Spain.

Pillar Five – Natural Color.  All color is imparted during the maturation process. The color of each bottled remained fixed through its lifetime. Macallan prides itself on maintaining  consistent natural color from bottling to bottling.

Pillar Six – Mastery of the process. Heritage, craftsmanship and a commitment to excellence in maintaining the Macallan reputation.

 

Day Five – our last day of the trip.  packed our bags, breakfast at the hotel, loaded the bus and on to Benromach – the Smallest Distillery in Speyside.  They have that distinction based on the amount of spirit produced each year compared to giants such as Macallan or The Glenlivet.  Benromach was a scotch I was not familiar with having not scene or tasted it before our tour.

Benromach distillery was built in 1898 and like many distilleries has a history of multiple owners, shutdowns and reopenings.  By 1993 the distillery had been closed for 10 years, it was acquired by Gordon and MacPhail that same year. The only item left in the distillery were the washbacks.  The distillery had to be completely refurbished.  Being a small distillery, the equipment was made to fit.  The entire production process almost takes place in one room. Prince Charles reopened the distillery in 1998, the first year whisky was being produced again at Benromach.

Making whisky at Benromach is very much a hands on process.  They pride themselves as having four ingredients; barley, water, yeast and a human touch. Very unlike Macallan with it’s computer process controlled systems.

Another unique  feature of Benromach is using peat smoke in the malting process.  This was once a common practice in the Speyside region during times of low coal supply, peat was burned to help dry the malted barley. Benromach uses just a hint of peak to add character and complexity to it’s spirit.

The use of peat in the malting process is now mostly practiced in the Islay whisky producing region.  Islay is famous for it’s peated scotches.

Benromach distillers’ hand control the flow of water into the mash turn as well as the speed of the rakes and the water temperature. Brewers and distillers yeast are hand sprinkled in the washbacks to enhance flavor development. Each distiller is also responsible for judging “the cut”, the moment in the distillation process when the spirit is the highest quality. All hand filled casks are stored in traditional dunnage-style warehouses.

These practices gives Benromach it’s hand crafted reputation.

Our tour was a delightful scene of distilling equipment from a by-gone time and that is the way Benromach likes it.  Nothing fancy here, the grist mill, time tested 65 year old washbacks and two copper stills highlight their old school production methods.

           

As usual, we booked a tasting as part of the tour (Heritage Tour). I recommend the Exploration or Mastery Tour.

     Quite impressed with the selection of whisky provided for our tasting.  Our tour guide was called away during the tasting, on her returned she was surprised to see we emptied the bottle of 30 year Benromach.  We told her it was to good to resist.

Benromach is one distillery to add to our Speyside whiskey tour,   Perfect example of whisky distilling as it was before automation and mass production.  Benromach

After Benromach, we headed to the airport and back to Kazakhstan.

Travel tips for your Scotland whisky tour:

• Pack for the weather, take layers to stay warm
• Hire a driver in order to enjoy your tastings
• Make reservations at the distillery before hand
• Research the tours, pay a little extra for better tastings
• Pace yourself and make time for breakfast, lunch and driving. The drams catch up with you.
• Think about what you want to bring home, each distillery sells bottles onsite.
• Explore brands you are unfamiliar with, try something different.
• Dine in local restaurants to get a taste of Scottish food.
• Hydrate – keep bottles of water with you
• Remember in Scotland, its whisky, not whiskey

Helpful Links:

How to taste Scotch Whiskey:  Tasting Scotch

On of the many sites with good Scotch tasting notes: Words of Whisky