Speyside Distillery becomes a “Lost Distillery”

Speyside Distillery is set to become Scotland’s next “lost distillery”. 

The brand’s parent company, Speyside Distillers Company, confirmed plans to relocate operations in 2025, marking the end of whisky distillation at the current site.

Speyside Distillery becomes a “Lost Distillery”

Announced during the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival 2025, CEO John Harvey McDonough revealed the company’s decision to move production to a newly acquired Highland estate at Strathmashie by Laggan. 

While the new facility is still in the planning phase, the move signals a major step in a different direction for the brand, complete with a new distillery name.

The existing distillery, nestled near Kingussie in the Cairngorms, will cease production entirely. That means going forward, all spirit made there will be classified as Scotch whisky from a lost distillery. 

Who Are Speyside Distillery?

Good things come to those who wait

Founded in the 1990s and tucked away in a converted barley mill, Speyside Distillery is a single malt distillery responsible for the SPEY range as well as Beinn Dubh The Black.

The idea for the distillery goes back to the 1950s, when industry legend George Christie – never one to rush a good thing – dreamt up a single malt site not long after building the North of Scotland grain distillery in Clackmannan. (Some of those old grain casks are still kicking about under the Scott’s Selection label, now in the hands of his son Ricky.) It would take more than 30 years of planning and persistence for the Speyside Distillery dream to finally materialise, which it did, in 1990.

It’s a small setup, even now. Just a pair of stills – originally from Lochside Distillery – cut down to fit the site. Everything’s done slowly. Long fermentations, leisurely distillation that results in a light, elegant style.

For years, very little whisky was bottled as a single malt. It popped up under names like Drumguish and Glentromie, snuck into blends across Asia, even helped create Bhutanese whisky by being mixed with neutral spirit. The most consistent single malt outing is SPEY – mostly seen in Taiwan, where the brand has a decent following.

SPEY, Michael Owen, and a new beginning

In 2013, the distillery was sold to Harvey’s of Edinburgh (with Taiwanese backing), and the following year saw the launch of the SPEYrange. Oh, and yes – Michael Owen did become a brand ambassador in 2014,

The distillery has racked up a tidy haul of awards over the years, but hasn’t reached the terminal velocity to become a household name. Perhaps the slightly confusing distillery name, which it shares with Scotland’s most productive whisky region, was a roadblock. One that will be removed by the new move. Plus, the old site simply lacked the capacity to facilitate a significant leap forward.

In a market where scarcity and story matter just as much as flavour, Speyside Distillery’s new “lost” status could give collectors and whisky lovers one more reason to pay attention. Though just because a distillery is lost, that doesn’t mean its whisky automatically becomes gold dust. 

What is a “Lost Distillery” 

The term “lost distillery” is usually reserved for sites that closed due to economic collapse, war, or industrial misfortune. Think Dallas Dhu, Caperdonich, Brora, Port Ellen, Rosebank, Cambus, or Port Dundas. All shuttered, some since revived, usually the ones that command eye-watering sums at auction.

But Speyside Distillery’s case is quite different. It’s not closing due to hardship, but expansion. Global demand for its single malt has soared, and the team is looking to the future.

Regardless, once production stops, every drop of spirit from the original Speyside Distillery becomes finite. And history tells us that finite often turns to collectable.

What Happens Next?

Until the new site is operational, whisky stocks from the current distillery will be placed into storage for further maturation. Future releases will be offered on allocation only to account for the potential growing demand amid dwindling supply.

As for the name ‘Speyside Distillery’? Scotch whisky lore, I guess. Its legacy will live on through bottles already on shelves and maturing casks still to come. Only for those quick enough to get their hands on them…

The Last Drop: Speyside Distillery becomes a “Lost Distillery”

Speyside Distillery will relocate in 2025, making all whisky from the original site officially “lost distillery” liquid. Expect limited, allocated releases, rising demand, and a potential fast track to collectable status.

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