SPEY Fumare - 46%
From the distillery website
A small, hand-built, artisan distillery nestled amongst the foothills of the beautiful Cairngorm Mountains, still hand distilling in time-honoured traditions and widely acknowledged to be amongst the prettiest of all Scotland’s distilleries. Originally a barley mill and croft dating back to the 1700's, it closed in 1965 and over the next 25 years it was slowly and lovingly converted into a single malt distillery, which then started producing spirit in 1990.
Multi Award Winner - The first ever peated distillery bottling from Speyside Distillers. Produced from peated barley, which the distillery only used for a small amount of time each year. 100% matured in bourbon barrels, & bottled a 46%, non chill-filtered and with no added colouring. A limited release of 18,000 individually numbered bottles.
Tasting notes:
Appearance: Pale straw coloured, forms a thin line, eventually beading and falling as slow, thin legs.
Nose: Light, sweet medicinal peat with a touch of ash and a puff of sea breeze. Caramel sweetness, roasted pineapple, vanilla and coconut cream.
Palate: Light and elegant, slightly buttery mouthfeel. Tropical fruit, especially roasted and slightly charred pineapple, lemon and lime citrus wrapped up in a blanket of sweet, ashy smoke, a touch of salt and ginger warmth.
Summary: I’ve been keen to get my hands on this one as I was hugely impressed by the Cask Strength bottling last year. As could be expected, there are many similarities between the two bottlings, with both being light, elegant whiskies with notes you would normally associate with a whisky of coastal or island origin.
This is a malt with much appeal for those who enjoy a peated whisky but favour a more refined, gentle dram. The current price is £48, which for me represents good value although my own preference would be to spend a little more and go for the Cask Strength version, now in its fourth iteration.
If you would like more information on SPEY malts, or the Speyside distillery, follow the link to the company website.
Transparency: this sample was received free of charge for independent review. The author has no affiliation with the distillers and no goods or other incentives were exchanged, offered or requested.
