SPEY Trutina (46% ABV) which takes its name from the latin for something that is balanced and pure, has been matured in bourbon casks. SPEY Fumare (46% ABV) which translates from Latin as smoky, is the brands first whisky to be produced using peated barley.
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| SPEY Trutina and Fumare bottle labels |
The new releases, from the distillery based in the Cairngorm mountain range in the Scottish highlands, are said to be both a nod to the distilling traditions at the Speyside Distillery, and a continuation of the distillery’s long-association with the poet, Lord Byron.
In 2015, SPEY released a limited edition bottling; Lord Byron: The Marriage , to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the poet’s marriage in 1815, where Byron was to have given King George III a cask of his favourite SPEY whisky as a gift.
Commenting on the launch, John Harvey McDonough, CEO of the Speyside Distillery, said: “We’ve never before released a malt using our peated barley. We have kept our peated malts sleeping quietly in our maturation warehouse and have now awoken them to create the beautifully smoky Fumare. This is something which is absolutely unique. Because peated whisky is not something that we are known for, it has been interesting to hear the very positive reaction from those who have tasted it.”
He went on to say: “We wanted to launch another expression – a twin for Fumare – that would be the polar opposite. Trutina brings that balance and together these new expressions continue our journey at Speyside Distillery. We have a long history with Lord Byron, as he gifted whisky, which is thought to have been SPEY, to King George III on the occasion of his marriage. Byron loved the Latin language, and so these expressions are a tribute to that passion.”
Limited to 18,000 bottles each, SPEY Trutina and SPEY Fumare, will be available next month from specialist retailers. RRP (tbc).
Posted by Steve Rush