Edition Spirits Speyburn Tasting Notes

Edition Spirits ‘The First Editions’ Speyburn 2005 (12 year old) 56.2%

Sherry Butt/ Code: EDI0340/ HL14654

Dist: Oct 2005 Btl: 2018/ Tasted: Mar 2018

A chunky, coffee and raw cereal nose. Quite malty and toffee’d with developing, luscious apricot and orange conserve. With time a touch of cider apple.

The palate is grippy and toffee’d with gritty tannins, malt, cereal and apricot. Rather foursquare and lacking a bit of elegance. Medium length with the finish a little masked but lingering malt and a subtle, dark chocolate after-taste.

Diluted the nose becomes delightfully honeyed and floral. It’s really opened up now and shows hints of honeysuckle and sweet barley. The palate now shows crunchy barley, sweet honey, citrus, pear, peach and orange conserve. Now it has the wow factor! Good length with lingering honey, citrus and dark chocolate.

Edition Spirits ‘The First Editions’ Speyburn 2006 (12 year old) 56.3%

Sherry Butt/ Code: EDI0421/ HL15539

Dist: Oct 2006 Btl: 2018/ Tasted: Dec 2018

The nose is subtly sherried with just a touch of dried fruit. Pleasantly barley’d with milk chocolate and a little edgy spirit coming through. Late gooseberry, pear and cinnamon dust.

The palate is as subtly sherried as the nose suggests with dried fruit, liquorice, coffee and milk chocolate. Hints of barley, apricot and banana beneath. Full and juicy with lingering woody spice, raisin and barley.

Water makes the nose oily and waxy with a subtle orange note and more aromatic and nutty sherry character. There’s a little more woody spice on the palate now, but the natural oils balance. Sweet orange notes on the middle with more mineral, barley and honey on the finish.

Edition Spirits ‘The First Edition’ Speyburn 2007 (14 year old) 50.2%

Sherry Finish/ Code: EDI0685

Dist: Mar 2007 Btl: 2021?/ Tasted: June 2021

A very heavily sherried nose – Prune, walnut, treacle and raisinated fruit. A touch of citrus and spice but not much else.

The palate is dry and very tannic. Again loads of raisinated fruit and treacle. Medium length with lingering dried fruit and spice.

Diluted its still very sherried, although there is a touch more citrus. However there is a slight sulphur blemish now and more drying tannins.

Carn Mor Speyburn Tasting Notes

Carn Mor Strictly Limited Speyburn 2009 (7 year old) 46%

Bourbon/ Dist: 2009 Btl: Feb 2017/ Tasted: Jan 2017

A delightfully fresh, citric and grassy nose with herbal barley and light honey. With time hints of white fruit and malt.

The palate is fresh, edgy and citric with balancing barley and toffee’d/ buttery oak. Straightforward but charming with the citrus returning on the finish.

Hunter Laing Speyburn Tasting Notes

Hunter Laing Hepburns Choice Speyburn 2005? (10 year old) 46%

Bourbon/ Code: HEP0105/ Dist: 2005? Btl: July 2015/ Tasted: Aug 2015

The nose is lightly earthy and just this side of musty with barley, caramel and herbal notes.

Quite heavy on the caramel/ burnt toffee on the palate with hints of barley. Gently spiced and citric finish with a lightly oiled and herbal finish.

Hunter Laing Hepburns Choice Speyburn 2006 (12 year old) 46%

Sherry Butt/ Code: HEP0355/ Dist: Jun 2006 Btl: 2018/ Tasted: Dec 2018

An aromatic and nutty nose with apricot, barley, liquorice and subtle dried sherry fruit.

The palate opens with the subtle dried fruit, followed by apricot and minerals. The tannins come through on the middle bringing coffee notes, but mainly rather bitter wood notes. Dry, tannic and spicy finish with lingering light treacle and coffee.

Hunter Laing Old Malt Cask Speyburn 2005 (12 year old) 50%

Sherry Butt/ Code: OMC2750/ HL14655

Dist: Oct 2005 Btl: Feb 2018/ Tasted: Mar 2018

Aromas of sweet barley and dusty vanilla oak. It feels a lot more mature than its age statement and there isn’t a huge input from the sherry, which allows the soft white fruit, lime, gooseberry and butter notes to come through. Pleasantly fragrant and slightly minty.

The palate displays no shortage of sweet barley and citrus. Like the nose there isn’t a huge amount of sherry notes, thus it shows more buttery American oak, honey, gooseberry and lime. Pleasantly tart on the middle with the creamy oak underpinning. Long  and finally displaying a little sherry wood spice, along with a touch of rose petal, citrus and white liquorice.

Hunter Laing Old Malt Cask Speyburn 2004 (13 year old) 50%

Sherry Butt/ Code: OMC2831/ HL15306

Dist: Nov 2004 Btl: Aug 2018/ Tasted: Sept 2018

The nose is quite cereally but honeyed with burnt orange, apricot, edgy barkey and a touch of oak.

The palate is a little hard with honey, toffee and a developing dusty oak note. Slightly tannic middle with a touch of citrus, toffee and toasted spice. The oak really dries the finish .

Douglas McGibbon Speyburn Tasting Notes

Douglas McGibbon Provenance Speyburn 2004 (8 year old) 46%

Sherry Butt/ Code: PRV0969/ DMG9435

Dist: Nov 2004 Btl: Feb 2013/ Tasted: Mar 2013

The buttery oak shows first on the nose followed by lime, grass, malt and a touch of gristy barley. Quite herbal and lightly honeyed with a developing floral note. 

The palate is quite fudgy and buttery with some barley, honey and citrus. Rather pleasant with a fresh if slightly alcoholic finish and a grassy after-taste.

Douglas McGibbon Provenance Speyburn 2005 (8 year old) 46%

Sherry Finished/ Code: PRV1118/ DMG10437

Dist: Oct 2005 Btl: Sept 2014/ Tasted: Oct 2014

The nose is fresh, gristy and grassy with plenty of barley, lime and a touch of sherried dried fruit. It becomes quite estery with time – banana and apricot along with a touch of butterscotch. 

The palate opens with more of the light sherried notes but the grassy, citrus character comes through. Quite spicy on the middle with a hint of white fruit. Good length with a barley and spice finish.

Douglas Laing Speyburn Tasting Notes

Douglas Laing Old Particular Speyburn 2003 (15 year old) 48.4%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: OLD0577/ DL12389

Dist: Jan 2003 Btl: Feb 2018/ Tasted: Mar 2018

Aromas of straw-like barley with a touch of lime and creamy, slightly toffee’d oak. With time the nose opens up to show more fragrant barley with hints of strawberry, dried grass and earth.

The palate opens with some sweet-ish barley, straw and creamy oak. Voluptuous and appealing with a gentle citrus note on the middle. The becomes quite toffee’d but the citrus and alcohol balance. Good length with a Sauvignon Blanc-esque grassy finish and a gentle, sweetly spiced after-taste.

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Douglas Laing Provenance Speyburn 2008 (9 year old) 46%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: PRV1307/ DL11785

Dist: Sept 2008 Btl: May 2017/ Tasted: Aug 2017

Gristy and cereally on the nose with hints of grass, burnt caramel, rye-like herbs and grippy oak.

The palate is crisp, grassy and citric. A touch more evolved than the nose with some lovely Alsace-esque white fruit, oily peach and honey. Long, with lingering grass and vanilla.

Douglas Laing Provenance Speyburn 2007 (10 year old) 46%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: PRV1273/ DL11641

Dist: Jan 2007 Btl: Feb 2017/ Tasted: May 2017

A dense and barley nose with a gently honeyed character and a light, mineral freshness. Hints of malt, biscuits and honeysuckle emerge.

The palate is full and barley’d with hints of melon, pear and minerals. Subtly sweet middle with a little vanilla oak. Well balanced finish with hints of marzipan and citrus.

Douglas Laing Provenance Speyburn 2008 (10 year old) 46%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: PRV1400/ DL12764

Dist: Sept 2008 Btl: Sept 2018/ Tasted: Nov 2018

The nose is quite heavy and malty with subtle ascetic notes. Dense, oily barley and oak follow but the ascetic notes begin to dominate.

The palate is fresher and cleaner, if a little watery with hints of malt, apricot, grass and sweet oak. Medium length with a citric, mineral and slightly hard barley finish.

Douglas Laing Provenance Speyburn 2005 (12 year old) 46%

Refill Sherry Butt/ Code: PRV1259/DL11654

Dist: Feb 2005 Btl: Feb 2017/ Tasted: Apr 2017

Granulated sugar coated barley on the nose with cinnamon and pepper. Good depth with an almost refill sherry richness. Late notes of honey and vanilla.

Full and toffee’d on the palate, the ok is pretty dominant. There’s a suggestion of barley, honey and spice and a lovely citrus finish clears the overt oak and leaves a slight milky residue.

Douglas Laing Provenance Speyburn 2006 (12 year old) 46%

Sherry Butt/ Code: PRV1413/ DL12964

Dist: Oct 2006 Btl: Oct 2018/ Tasted: Feb 2019

The nose is soapy and a little confected with barley, apricot, apple blossom, lime, kiwi and vanilla ice cream.

The palate is full and slightly creamy with vanilla, toffee, apple blossom, barley, honey and subtle herbal notes. Good, crisp, citric middle and a long mouth-watering almond, lime and kiwi finish. Gentle spicy after-taste.  In conclusion: The palate is way more interesting than the nose, but neither shows a great deal of sherry character.

Douglas Laing Provenance Speyburn 2006 (12 year old) 46%

Sherry Butt/ Code: PRV1441/ DL13079

Dist: Oct 2006 Btl: Feb 2019/ Tasted: Nov 2019

The nose a little on the austere side with citrus, off-sweet barley and pear. It fills out a bit as the oak appears along with subtle notes of banana and apricot.

The palate opens with sweeter barley and hints of honey, lemon and vanilla. Good, fleshy middle with apricot and pear. Long with barley, lime and marzipan.

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Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask Speyburn 1990 (10 year old) 50%

Bourbon/ Dist: Jan 1990 Btl: Feb 2000/ Tasted: Sept 2002

Quite a pungent, oily nose of spicy fruit cake and dried orange peel.

The palate is smooth with a good depth of citrus fruit and plenty of intense alcohol. Straightforward but very long.

Douglas Laing Premier Barrel Speyburn 2008 (10 year old) 46%

Bourbon/ Code: PRB0167/ Dist: Sept 2008 Btl: 2019/ Tasted: May 2019

Aromas of fragrant barley and hints of white wine vinegar, sweet oak and subtle malt.

The palate is fresher, more citric and mineral. Hints of burnt toffee, barley and ,alt follow. Pleasant and reasonably deep with lingering burnt toffee and slightly hard edged barley. Lightly herbal after-taste.

Speyburn Distillery Bottlings Tasting Notes

Speyburn Bradan Orach 40%

100% Bourbon matured.

Tasted: Feb 2012

A fresh, slightly high toned nose. Quite gristy with a touch of grass along with some pleasant honey flecks.

The palate is soft, a touch subdued with some pleasant malty moments, however it feels a tad hollow. The light honey comes back on the finish as does a slight herbaceous/ grassy note.

Speyburn Bradan Orach 40%

Code: L13 284 R13/5269 IB/ Btl: 2013

Tasted: Dec 2014

The nose is quite bready and full with dusty barley, wheat flakes citrus, honey, herbal rye-like notes and with time an almost sweet peated note.

Soft, honeyed and herbal on the palate with hints of baked bread and baked fruit. Good depth with the oak adding a touch of toffee. Good length with lingering lightly oiled toffee and herbal spices.

Speyburn 10 year old 40%

American & Spanish oak

Tasted: May 2002

A warm dry sweet scented malt.

On the palate it is clean, flavourful and lightly malty with hints of honey, herbs and heathery notes. A fresh, sweet, lightly syrupy and herbal finish.

Speyburn 10 year old 40%

Code: L11-304-1B R11/5160

Btl: 2011/ Tasted: Nov 2012

An inviting nose of crisp honeyed barley. Quite full with a gentle herbaceous character and no shortage of citrus. Lightly fruited but showing a good depth.

The palate is lighter than the nose would suggest with a pleasant degree of grassy, honeyed notes along with a touch of fleshy fruit but maybe more accented towards the citrus than I remember it. The oils build pleasantly with a good barley intensity on the middle. Good length with a light bittering from the oak and the citrus lingering.

Speyburn 10 year old 40%

Code: L12-178-IB-12/5107

Btl: 2012/ Tasted: Dec 2014

The nose displays plenty of boiled sweets, barley and honey on the nose along with some fragrant white fruit and grassy notes.

The palate opens with a touch of toffee, followed by citrus and barley. Quite full but the oak subdues the fresher elements. Reasonable length with citrus, soft spice, coffee and milk chocolate.

Speyburn 10 year old 40%

Re-tasted: Dec 2017

The nose is displaying a little more sherry character than I remember with soft, caramelised orange and sweet fruit. Hints of creamy American oak and barley come through.

The palate opens with ripe apricot and subtly sweet white peach and pear. The sherry is subtler and adds some gentle spice and tannin notes on the middle. Well balanced and juicy finish with lingering creamy American oak and sweet spices.

Speyburn 15 year old 46%

American & Spanish oak

Tasted: Nov 2017

A stunning, rich and luscious nose that oozes honey and dusty, mature American oak. In fact it feels a lot older than 15. Lovely depth with hints of white fruit, apricot, heather, acacia and fragrant barley.

The palate is super soft and smooth with honey, brown sugar, apricot, barley and subtle spicy, dried fruit. A touch of cinnamon, heather and honey comes through on the middle. Lovely intensity and minerality and a long, luscious, mature oak, spice and herbal finish.

Speyburn 25 Years Old 46%

American oak, ex-Bourbon and ex-Fino Sherry casks

Tasted: Feb 2012

Stunning aromas of molten, mature honey by the bucketful with herbal nuances. The oak has a slight sawdusty character and adds some beautiful mature, creamy vanillins. The spices are seriously riotous and with time a musky perfume note arises.

The liquid, mature honey glides over the tongue. Very full with some majestically developing oils and barley. The alcohol and granity notes keep the oils and full fat vanilla sweetness in check. Sheer poetry! A stunning length with hints of violets and lavender emerging and those beautifully sweet vanillins lingering. In conclusion: A seriously symphonic malt!

Speyburn 25 year old 46%

Re-Tasted: Mar 2012

An oily and mature nose, quite granity with straw and green fruits. Seriously complex, layered and inviting with some lovely sawdusty oak .

The palate is gentle and full with sugar crusted apricot, straw and juicy honey. The flavours envelope the palate, with the delicate sugars balancing the oak which underpins and supports. Wonderfully deep, yet a touch linear (am I being a bit picky?), but it does what it does amazingly well, it just goes on and on and on. Lovely length, gently lingering, finishing with some grippy wood spices but that beautiful green fruit notes stays to the very end. Very Impressive.

Speyburn 25 year old 46%

Re-Tasted: Nov 2012

A lovely dense nose of herbal honey, fennel, white liquorice and lithe vanilla oak. Some lovely sugar’d notes put in an appearance as the oak takes on that lovely aged sawdusty character. I have to say that interplay between the honey and oak is breath taking!

The palate is soft and gently vanilla’d with minerally squashed apricots drizzled with a light honey and topped with just the lightest dusting of crumbly spice (nutmeg?). Then the lightly sawdusty oak pushes through but the herbal honey returns, finally finishing with a granity flourish. I don’t think it quite reaches the heights of the previous bottling but it’s lovely nevertheless!

Speyburn 25 year old 46%

Re-Tasted: Dec 2013

The nose is deliciously sawdusty with burnished marzipan and oodles of oak. Dusty and elegant with hints of lightly roasted nuts, demarara sugar and hints of toffee and citrus.

Soft and fleshy on the palate, opening with apricot and white fruit. The lovely citrus notes keep the sweet, sawdusty oak in check, but it dries slightly on the middle. Lightly herbal with some sweetening brown sugar. A gentle and spicy finish with the marzipan notes lingering and a lovely sugared after-taste. In conclusion: Stunningly mature, maybe a little heavy on the oak but the complexity of the sugars is breath taking,

Speyburn ‘Clan Cask’ 1975 (37 year old) 55.9%

Pedro Ximinez Sherry Cask 3413

Dist: 1975 Btl: May 2012/ Tasted: Nov 2012

A huge, leafy Oloroso nose with buckets of herbal dried fruit – sultanas, prune, orange peel, all liberally sugar coated. Immaculately clean with a light earth, peppery spices and a light floral note. With time the earthy/ dunnage notes become more prominent and the complexity of the orange fruits is magnificent. Finally a touch of light barley seeps through.

The palate is wonderfully luscious, opening with chocolatey spices and moist fruitcake. The alcohol builds along with the spices, which in turn become a shade more peppery. The middle is quite piquant but the sugars and light honey counteract that well. All the while this is going on; the sherry plays out a sublime orchestration of dried fruit in the background! Very long with some earthy tannins and bitter chocolate notes in the finish.

A drop of water softens the nose and maybe lessens the complexity a tad but it does bring out a touch of distillery character! Seriously mellow now and that luscious sugar coated orange fruit is divine. The palate is very much like the nose – a mellow mouthful of lightly sherried orange fruit lightly flecked with slightly bitter tannins and dark chocolate! Yum!