One of Speyside’s most picturesque distilleries is to permanently unlock its gates following the success of its first ever public opening during this year’s Spirit of Speyside Festival.
For 126 years, the Speyburn Distillery in Rothes has been making its award-winning single malt whiskies behind closed doors, but several special one-off events during the whisky festival earlier this year offered the public a rare chance to see inside – and tickets sold out within 12 hours.
A lot of positive feedback followed, including the prestigious ‘Best New Event’ award at the festival, convincing the Speyburn team to permanently renounce their cloistered existence.
So from 1st August, the distillery will run three behind-the-scenes tours a day, from Tuesdays through to Saturdays, and booking is now open via Speyburn’s website.
The distillery is tucked away in a leafy glen on the edge of Rothes near Aberlour, a location that has lost none of the quiet charm that first appealed to entrepreneur and Speyburn founder John Hopkins when he chose to build his distillery on this spot back in 1897.
Today, many of the original buildings, features and stonework still exist for guests to enjoy, as they are, at long last, invited to immerse themselves in Speyburn’s world, from the banks of the Granty Burn which provides the Distillery’s crystal-clear water; through to the filling of casks for maturation in Speyburn’s traditional dunnage warehouses.
The exploratory 1 hour 45 minutes tours will feature a special treat for whisky enthusiasts, with a peek into Speyburn’s Old Drum Maltings, a traditional maltings building featuring three floors of rarely seen vintage equipment. Mothballed half a century ago, it has lain locked and perfectly preserved until today, offering guests a unique glimpse into Speyside distilling history.
The tours will also provide an insight into Speyburn’s environmental credentials, and the measures its team are taking to protect the surrounding environment and make their whisky one of the most sustainably-produced on the market today.
Speyburn Distillery manager Euan Henderson explained that opening to visitors had been a ‘long-held dream’ for the distillery team, and that the time was finally right for it to become a reality.
“There is something very special about the setting and atmosphere at Speyburn, perhaps because it’s quite a hidden distillery and one that has gone about the business of making award-winning drams that are loved the world over in a very quiet and modest way,” said Euan.
“But now it’s time to let the world in and we couldn’t be more excited! There’s no artifice about the visitor experience we have created. This will be a true taste of Speyside distillery life that will offer an accessible and enjoyable experience for all.
“This is about the people who make our whiskies welcoming guests into our home to share a taste of Speyburn single malts and the stories and secrets of how they are made. There’s 126 years of previously unseen distilling history here just waiting to be discovered in the heart of Speyside so make sure you don’t miss your slot on one of our tours this summer.”
