Speyside is a “protected region” for Scotch Whisky distilling under UK Government legislation.According to Visit Scotland, this region includes the area between the Highlands to the west, Aberdeenshire in the east and extending north to the Cairngorms National Park. Speyside single malt whisky is single malt Scotch whiskies, distilled in Strathspey, the area around the River Spey in Moray and Badenoch and Strathspey, in northeastern Scotland.
Today, I look at the Glenfiddich 12 year old single malt Scotch whisky. With its iconic triangular bottle, the Glenfiddich distillery has carved its name into the annals of whisky history as a stalwart producer of exceptional single malts.
One of the most exciting and indeed the oldest dram I tasted during 2019 was the Craigellachie 51 yo single malt whisky. Georgie Bell, the Global Malts Ambassador for Bacardi, brought a few bottles of this very very limited release to South Africa and I was fortunate to try it.
Many years ago, I worked for the South African Breweries. Based in Johannesburg at the Sandton head office, I had regular visits to the various distilleries. Each distillery has an individual culture, but the one constant was the smell. The delicious, malty, hoppy aroma of beer being brewed.
During the beginning of 2018, I tasted the Glenfiddich IPA Cask whisky and wrote my own tasting notes about it. This release was the first in Glenfiddich’s Experimental Series and I loved it. The second release in this series is the Glenfiddich Project XX single malt Scotch whisky and many people had opinions about this release.
When it comes to distilleries, Balvenie holds a special place in my heart, landing a spot in my top five favourite distilleries. It’s a sentiment shared by John, and our recent adventure into the world of whiskies led us to the Balvenie Doublewood 12 year old Speyside single malt Scotch whisky. A name that resonates with connoisseurs, Balvenie also boasts a 17 year old counterpart.
Today I am trying something from a distillery I have never tried before. I am trying the Cardhu 12 year old single malt Scotch whisky. The Cardhu distillery is a Speyside distillery located in Moray. It is part of the Diageo stable and has a long history of female whisky involvement.