- Places
The Insider Series | Speyside Distillery
At the very top of the River Spey stood Speyside Distillery, small, artisanal, and proudly hands-on. One mash a day, two still runs, and only the slow, careful heart of the spirit kept.
- Words By House of Decant
At the very top of the River Spey stood Speyside Distillery, small, artisanal, and proudly hands-on. One mash a day, two still runs, and only the slow, careful heart of the spirit kept.
“I’m a proud Scotsman,” says Senior Distiller Raymond MacKay, “but even more proud to be from this area, the furthest upstream distillery in Speyside.” His favourite dram? Chairman’s Choice: smooth, approachable, and named for the founder’s father. “If you’re not a whisky drinker,” he adds, “this is the one to start with.”
In May 2025, the stills fell silent. Production moved to a larger Highland estate, leaving the old site near Kingussie officially a lost distillery. Every cask and bottle from those warehouses is now finite, a rare legacy of a place that worked with patience, pride, and quiet artistry.
That makes us very lucky indeed to have seen this distillery before it closed its doors, to have caught a glimpse of Speyside in its original, intimate home before it passed into history.
Speyside’s story is one of intimacy giving way to legend: a hidden gem now etched into whisky history, its spirit living on in every dram.
