The Speyside distillery was commissioned by the well known merchant George Christie at the tranquil spot of Tromie Mills, near to Kingussie, Inverness-shire. The person he commissioned to build the distillery was Alex Fairlie who personally took almost 20 years to set every stone until the distillery finally started production on 3rd December 1990. The old mill and water wheel remain and are still in working order.

The distillery is named after the original Speyside distillery in Kingussie which started production in 1895 but only operated until 1905, then being demolished in 1911.

Distillery photo with kind permission by Teimei Horiuchi

More great distillery info here thanks to Malt Madness

The Speyside

General whisky characteristics: Very outdoor - farmyard

The Speyside, (OB), 12y, 40% ABV

Typical cost of this bottle; €€€€€

Glass: Spiegelau

Colour: Deep gold

Nose: Initially I thought malt, but after just a few seconds it has developed far more freshness and countryside, almost farmyard or barn, but not quite. It's almost a piece of stick liquorice wrapped in a well-oiled old parchment.

Palate: Smooth and slightly oily and then the farmyard and barn emerge to leave an aftertaste reminiscent of hen-house.

Finish: Quite long, slightly dry with hints of hen-house.

Overall Impression: Strange. I am an outdoor person, but this is just a bit much.

Drumguish

General whisky characteristics: Slight toffee with potato

Drumguish, (OB), 40% ABV

Typical cost of this bottle; €€€€€

Glass: Spiegelau

Colour: Rich gold

Nose: Slightly musty dried leaves with a hint of potato and raw swede (that's the vegetable, not the nationality!)

Palate: Creamy, slightly vegetal toffee. A bit like potato-flavoured toffee.

Finish: Quite long, quite repetitively vegetal.

Overall Impression: Hints of (raw) potato-flavoured whisky.

Glentromie

General whisky characteristics: Faint aromatic rubber, quite insignificant.

Glentromie, (OB), 12y, 40% ABV

Typical cost of this bottle; €€€€€

Glass: Classic Malt

Colour: Rich gold

Nose: Faint, aromatic rubber, but this really is faint, almost insignificant.

Palate: Initially watery with the slightest hint of sweet coconut, but quickly turns dry and slightly bitter before fading to leafiness.

Finish: Medium and leafy, slightly bitter.

Overall Impression: Been there, done that, not much need to return, nor buy the T-shirt.

Cú Dhub

General whisky characteristics: Dark, rich caramel, treacle toffee

Cú Dhub, (OB), NAS, 40% ABV

Typical cost of this bottle; €€€€€

"Dram-atics" live review

Glass: Classic Malt

Colour: Black, tarmac

Nose: Rich, dark, caramelised whisky with a hint of wood-smoke, It's not unpleasant!

Palate: Rich and chewy, caramel, treacle toffee and a hint of rich, dark coffee beans.

Finish: Quite long with caramel & treacle toffee right on the front of the tongue.

Overall Impression: It's rich, it's dark, it has lots of caramel and rich treacle toffee and it's almost as chewy, but it's not quite the old used ashtray I feared. Is it good? No. Would I buy a full bottle? No. Another sample? Yes-ish.