Glen Spey

SCOTCH SINGLE MALT WHISKIES > G

GLEN SPEY

21 years old

55,4%
JAMES MACARTHUR's
FINE MALT SELECTION
James Macarthur & Co, Ltd,

Edinburgh

GLEN SPEY

12 years old

43%

FLORA & FAUNA
Bottled: 2001
Glen Spey Distillery, Rothes,
Banffshire

The Scots Pines beside the ruins of Rothes Castle, provide an ideal habitat for the Gold-crest, Britain's smallest bird, and overlook the Glen Spey distillery. Founded in 1885, the distillery was originally part of the Mills of Rothes.

Water from the Doonie Burn is used to produce this smooth, warming single Malt Scotch Whisky. A slight sense of wood smoke on the nose is rewarded with a spicy, dry finish.

GLEN SPEY

10 years old

43 %

CONNOISSEURS CHOICE
Distillation Date: October 1995
Bottling Date: May 2005
Cask Type: Refill American Hogshead
Proprietors:
Justerini & Brooks Ltd
Gordon & Macphail, Elgin

Founded in 1884 by James Stuart, a local corn merchant, Glen Spey Distillery lies hidden off the main street in the Speyside village of Rothes.

The distillery was part of the Justerini & Brooks empire along with Strathmill and Knockando.

Due to the succes of the J & B Blend, the distillery was expanded in 1970.

A light and delicate whisky with a subtle spiciness.

GLEN SPEY

Estd. 1885

50.4 %
Aged Twenty One Year

2 1
Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Distilled in 1989
One of only 5844 Bottled in 2010
Bottle No. 0032 - 10
Limited Edition
Natural Cask Strenght
Distilled and Bottled in Scotland
Glen Spey Distillery,
Rothes Banffshire.

Sheltered by a ruined castle in the smal town of Rothes, Glen Spey began life as a mill.

Water for distilling here comes from the Doonie Burn. Aging in First – Fill American oak

has given this unusually deep – flavoured bottling rare complexity, sweet richness and

great depth.

Turning North on its journey to the sea, the River Spey meanders past Rothes, where

a single ruined wall recalls the fortified manor house that stood here in Juky 1296,

when the riviled King Edward 1st of England stayed before expropriatingthe ancient

Stone of Scone.

Becoming a castle it was the seat of the Earls of Rothes by 1457 but fell derelict after 1620.

In its shadow rose The Mills of Rothes later home to Glen Spey “the newest distillery in the

district”when visited by chronicler Alfred Barnard in 1885 – 6.

This limited release 21 year old single malt Glen Spey especially rewarding at Cask Strenght

has a rich fruity nose with summer gorse and smooth sweet fruit with minty noted on the

palate, then creamy vanilla and chocolate in a finish as complex as the story of the castle

itself.

Speyside
GLEN SPEY

Rothes, Morayshire. Licentiehouder: Justerini & Brooks Ltd. Onderdeel van International Distillers & Vintners Ltd. (I.D.V.) Eigendom van Grand Metropolitan. (GrandMet).
James Stuart bezat een graanmaalderij met de naam Mill of Rothes, ook had hij een belang in Macallan.
In 1884 bouwde hij naast zijn graanmaalderij een distilleerderij: Millhaugh.

Op 22 September 1887 wordt de distilleerderij gekocht door W. & A. Gilbey, wijnhandelaren en gin producenten te Londen.
Het was hun eerste stap in de Schotse whiskyindustrie.
Zij noemden de distilleerderij Glen Spey.

Glen Spey startte met twee ketels, één van 2400 Gallons inhoud en één van 1300 Gallons.
Het water komt van de Doonie Burn en men kon 60.000 Gallons spirit produceren.
p;10rJanuari 1892 stort het dak in van Glen Spey als gevolg van het feit dat er twee voet sneeuw op het dak lag.
Het meeste van de opbrengst van Glen Spey gaat op in de vatted malt Strathspey en de blended whiskies Spey Royal en J & B Rare

.
In 1962 gaat Gilbey samen met Justerini & Brooks Ltd en anderen om de International Distillers & Vintners Ltd te vormen. (I.D.V.).
Croft & Co (1678), Morgan Furze & Co, (1715), Twiss & Browning & Hallowes (1926) maken deel uit van I.D.V.

Gilbey bracht drie distilleerderijen in: Knockando, Strathmill en Glen Spey. I.D.V. liet zelf in 1974 Auchroisk bouwen.

In 1970 werd Glen Spey verbouwd en uitgebreid met twee tot vier ketels met een kapaciteit van 2 miljoen liter spirit per jaar.
I.D.V. was een paar jaar het eigendom van de bierbrouwers Watney, Mann & Truman tot ze in 1972 werden overgenomen door Grand Metropolitan (GrandMet).
In September 1993 koopt Grand Met samen met Robertson & Baxter de laatste onafhankelijke graandistilleerderij: North Britsih.
GrandMet en R & B waren al voor 38 % eigenaar van North British, voor de resterende aan-delen werd f 50.000.000 betaald.

Op 12 Mei 1997 wordt de fusie aangekondigd tusssen Guinness en GrandMet

.
Op 16 Oktober 1997, na het staken van zijn verzet tegen de fusie van de Fransman Bernard Arnault van L M V H wordt bekend op 22 Oktober 1997 dat de nieuwe naam Diageo wordt.
Het water komt van Doonie's Spring.
De Mash tun heeft een inhoud van 20.000 liter, de acht Wash backs elk 25.000 liter, de twee Wash stills elk 12.000 en de 2 Spirit stills elk 7500 liter.
De ketels worden met stoom verhit.
De produktiecapaciteit is 2.000.000 liter spirit per jaar.

1878

James Stuart & Co sticht de distilleerderij

met als naam Mills of Rothes
1886

James Sturat & Co neemt een belang in

Macallan
1887

W. & A. Gilbey, gin producenten koopt de

distilleerderij voor £ 11000, en is daarmee

de eerste Engelse onderneming die een

Schotse whisky distilleerderij overneemt.
1882

Het dak stort in als gevolg van een enorm

pak sneeuw
1920

Er ontstaat een grote brand in de

distilleerderij
1962

W. & A. Gilbey fuseren met United Wine

Traders en gaan samen verder onder de

naam International Distillers & Vintners

(I.D.V.)
1970

De distilleerderij wordt uitgebreid van

twee naar vier ketels
1972

I.D.V. wordt overgenomen door de

bierbrouwers Watney Mann, die

vervolgens

worden overgenomen door Grand

Metropolitan
1997

Guiness en Grand Metropiltan gaan samen

en gaan verder als Diageo
2001

In de Flora & Fauna serie komt een 12 jaar

oude Glen Spey uit

2010

A 21 year old is released as Special Relases

and a 1996 Manager's Choice

2020

Capacity: 1.500.000 Ltrs

Output: 1.500.000 Ltrs

Current Annual Output:0.484 mla 72 %
Blends:J & B, Spey Royal
Cask Storage Capacity:2.500.000 litres
Water Source:Doonie Spring
Malting Capacity:None
Malt Source:Burghead Maltings
Malt Storage:240 T
Mill Type:Buhler Miag mill
Grist Storage:4.4 T x 2
Mash Tun Construction:Stainless Steel, semi-lauter
Mash Size:4.4 T
No. of Wash Backs:8
Wash Back Contruction:Stainless Steel
Wash Back Capacity:21.000 litres
Yeast:Mauri/Kerry
No. of Wash Stills:2
Wash Still Charge:10.600 litres
Heat Source:Steam Plates
Wash Still Shape:Lamp glass
No. of Spirit Stills: 2
Spirit Still Charge:7.000 litres
Heat Source:Steam radiators
Spirit Still Shape:Lamp glass

Sheltered by a ruined castle in the smal town of Rothes, Glen Spey began life as a mill.

Water for distilling here comes from the Doonie Burn. Aging in First - Fill American oak
has given this unusually deep - flavoured bottling rare complexity, sweet richness and
great depth.

Turning North on its journey to the sea, the River Spey meanders past Rothes, where
a single ruined wall recalls the fortified manor house that stood here in Juky 1296,
when the riviled King Edward 1st of England stayed before expropriatingthe ancient
Stone of Scone.

Becoming a castle it was the seat of the Earls of Rothes by 1457 but fell derelict after 1620.

In its shadow rose The Mills of Rothes later home to Glen Spey "the newest distillery in the
district"when visited by chronicler Alfred Barnard in 1885 - 6.

Glen Spey is a little-known Diageo-owned workhorse distillery in Rothes, Speyside (the town is also home to Glen Grant, Caperdonich, Glenrothes and Speyburn). The distillery was founded in 1878 by James Stuart, who sold it shortly after buying Macallan eight years later. The buyers, W&A Gilbey (more famous for their gin), were the first English company to own a Scottish distillery.

Gilbey rebuilt Glen Spey after a fire in 1920 and shepherded the distillery through the Prohibition era and WWII, before merging with United Wine Traders to form International Distillers and Vintners (IDV), a forerunner to (and one of the key whisky-distilling elements of) what would become today's globe-straddling drinks behemoth Diageo plc.

Glen Spey had its stills doubled to four in 1970, two years before IDV was bought by Watney Mann (who were later bought by Grand Metroplitan, who merged with Guinness to form Diageo in 1997).

Almost all of Glen Spey's 1.3million litres/year output goes into the J&B blended whisky. The 12yo Flora & Fauna bottling is the only official release available, and independent bottlings are rare

Water source Doonie Burn

Stills 2 x wash stills and 2 x spirit stills

Capacity per year 1,600,000 Litres

1880's

Founded by James Stuart & Co

1887

Acquired by W. & A. Gilbey

1962

Gilbey merger with IDV

1970

Renovated and extended by

adding another pair of stills

1972

Taken over by Grand

Metropolitan, now part of UDV

1997

Guiness and Grand Metropolitan

merge to form Diageo

2001

Glend Spey bottled as single malt

2010

Glend Spey 21 year old released

Glen Spey Distillery Comments

Contributor to J&B blended Scotch Whisky.

Glen Spey Distillery Bottlings

Glen Spey 8 Year Old (1978 vintage)

Glen Spey 14 Year Old (1981 vintage)

THE FOUNDERS

In 1770, John & Robert Harvey began their Whisky journey by firstly founding Yorker distillery then subsequently Dundashill and Bruichladdich distilleries.

Lord Byron, in celebration of his wedding in 1815 sent gifts to his wedding guests including King George III, a cask of scotch whisky thought to be SPEY Single Malt.

1856 - HARVEY’S CODEX

It was in 1856 that Harvey’s finalized the “Harvey’s codex” – which was designed as a family only known recipe for exactly how the whisky was malted, distilled and how the Highland water was chosen as well as the critical wood / casks selection to be used for the maturing of SPEY and also the Harvey’s brand of Scotch whisky.

In 1906, after almost 140 years in business, the Harvey’s were forced to relinquish their distilling interests and focus on the Harvey’s Codex traded whisky produced by friends.

Prohibition Era

Then in the 1920’s, Alexander (Alec) Harvey, continued the family trading business by smuggling casks and bottles of SPEY from Seaham Hall in County Durham to the USA, at the height of prohibition.

In 1955, Alec’s daughter Doreen married John McDonough and a year later they had their first child, also called John and then in 1961 their daughter Linda. Inspired by his grandfather’s entrepreneurial spirit and successful foray into whisky trading, John Harvey Jnr. began a long career with Grand Metropolitan-International Distillers and Vintners, eventually relocating to Taiwan before reverting back to the family Scotch Whisky business.

In 1990, John relaunched SPEY in his adopted home, together with Taiwanese colleagues, building it to the No.3 malt brand in a few short years. Then in 2012, John Harvey McDonough realised his grandfather’s dream of returning to distilling, when Harvey’s bought Speyside Distillery Company Limited (SDCL), operating the beautiful Speyside Distillery.

The acquisition will safe-guard the supply of SPEY Whisky, this truly exquisite single malt, for generations to come, making Alec Harvey very happy indeed - in the company of the heavenly angels!

Glen Spey is substantially different to the corn husk dryness of Knockando or to Strathmill. As with its neighbour, Glen Grant, there’s a purifier pipe at work here which brings in a pleasing light oiliness to the spirit adding some texture to its nuttiness.

The distillery was built as Mill of Rothes in 1878 (the same year as its neighbour Glenrothes) by a local grain merchant James Stuart who was, at the time, the licensee of Macallan. It changed name to Glen Spey in 1887 when Stuart bought Macallan and sold the plant to the London gin producer W&A Gilbey as its first foray into Scotch. In time it would add Knockando and Strathmill to its estate. The distillery became the ‘home’ of its Spey Royal blend.

A merger between Gilbey and the parent company of fellow London-based wine merchant Justerini & Brooks helped to create IDV and brought with it the J&B blend, which Glen Spey was already providing fillings for. The merger in 1997 between IDV and Guinness, which created Diageo, saw the distillery (and J&B’s ownership) change once more.

Outwith the firm’s ‘Flora & Fauna’ range it is very rarely seen as single malt.

1878

James Stuart builds a distillery

known as Mill of Rothes

1887

The distillery's name is changed

to Glen Spey when Stuart sells

the site to English company

W&A Gilbey

1962

W&A Gilbey merges with United Wine

Traders to form International Distillers

and Vintners (IDV)

1970

An expansion at the distillery increases

the number of stills from two to four

1972

IDV is bought by Watney Mann, and

subsequently Grand Metropolitan

1997

Guinness and Grand Metropolitan

merge and form Diageo

2001

Glen Spey is bottled as a single malt

in the Flora & Fauna range

2010

A 21-year-old single malt is released

as part of Diageo's Special Releases

Glen Spey only produces Gin now

Glen Spey produced for the J & B Blended Scotch

CONDENSER TYPE i

Shell and tube

FERMENTATION TIME i

Minimum 46hrs

FILLING STRENGTH i

63.5%

GRIST WEIGHT (T) i

4.4

HEAT SOURCE i

Steam

MALT SPECIFICATION i

Non peated

MALT SUPPLIER i

Mainly in house

MASH TUN TYPE i

Lauter

NEW-MAKE PHENOL LEVEL i

Non peaty

NEW-MAKE STRENGTH i

71-72%

SPIRIT STILL CHARGE (L) i

7,200

SPIRIT STILL SHAPE i

Ball

STILLS i

WASH STILL CHARGE (L) i

10,500

WASH STILL SHAPE i

Ball

WASHBACK TYPE i

Steel

WASHBACKS i

WATER SOURCE i

Deonie Burn

WORT CLARITY i

Cloudy

YEAST TYPE i

Pressed

Diageo

1997 - present

Grand Metropolitan

1972 - 1997

International Distillers & Vintners

1962 - 1972

W&A Gilbey

1887 - 1962

James Stuart & Co

1878 - 1887