Speyside
Glossary
SPEYSIDE
The beautiful, wild highlands of Speyside in north-east Scotland is one of the country's five whisky-making regions. Speyside is arguably the most famous of all the whisky areas in Scotland and is home to the majority of distilleries.
The River Spey runs through this wild terrain and is the primary reason why whisky-making has such a long history here, including The Macallan. The River flows through the heart of our Macallan Estate. This water source plays an essential role in our distillation process, as it is used as cooling water.
Over half of Scotland's total distilleries are set in Speyside. The drier and more mild climate combined with fertile soil makes it ideal for growing barley and distilling new make spirit. Furthermore, the area's comparative lack of accessibility made it more difficult for whisky tax collectors to monitor the production in the region- at least until the whisky boom of the 1820s after the 1823 Exercise Act and growth of the railway into the north.
King George IV discovered Speyside whisky on a trip to Edinburgh in the early 1820's. It was through his endeavours to secure a steady supply that the spotlight was shone on the superior quality of these distinct Highland spirits.
Speyside is famous for developing lighter and sweeter whisky that tends to exhibit floral, fruity notes; it is not well known for producing particularly smoky or peaty whiskies. The Macallan creates whiskies that are matured in Sherry-seasoned oak casks, which produces a deep complexity of flavour notes and range of rich, natural colours.