Speyside

An Auctioneer's guide to Speyside, home of the world's most famous single malts.

Speyside is a small whisky producing enclave within the Highlands of Scotland, centred in Morayshire around the river Spey. It's home to some of the world's most famous whisky distilleries including Glenfiddich, Glenlivet, Glen Grant and, of course, Macallan.

George Smith of Glenlivet was famously granted the first licence to legally distil in the region in 1824, and the reputation of his malt whisky was such that neighbouring distilleries used '-Glenlivet' as a suffix for generations to come. It's common to see old bottles from well-known distilleries with this attachment, such as Aberlour-Glenlivet, Glenfarclas-Glenlivet and Macallan-Glenlivet.

The region is responsible for 60% of Scotland's malt whisky production and the style of Speyside whisky ranges from the light and grassy spirit produced at Glenfiddich and Glenlivet, to the rich, sherried malts produced at The Macallan and Glenfarclas.