Published in Scotland Magazine Issue 3 on 5/7/2002.

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Speyside: Castles and whisky

Gavin D Smith explores the history and wonder of one of Scotland's most popular tourist destinations

Famed throughout the world for its malt whiskies, Speyside comprises vast expanses of rich, fertile farmland and bleak, dramatic areas of moorland, punctuated by the pagoda roofs of distilleries and the towers of castles. Indeed, Aberdeen & Grampian Tourist Board market the area as ‘Scotland’s Castle and Whisky Country’. There is an abundance of both, and so much else to see, besides.

For the purposes of malt whisky classification, acclaimed writer and broadcaster Derek Cooper in The Whisky Roads of Scotland defines Speyside as being those parts of the counties of Banffshire and Morayshire which constitute ‘… a golden triangle in the north-east corner of Scotland centred on Elgin, Rothes, Keith and Dufftown’.

The Spey lies at the heart of the region, and is renowned as one of Scotland’s finest salmon rivers. It is also the country’s fastest-flowing river, and second in length only to the Tay. It rises in the high country of Badenoch, southwest of The Cairngorms, a dozen miles from Dalwhinnie, and flows by Aviemore, Grantown, Craigellachie and Rothes to the sea between Elgin and Buckie.

As well as being attractive to the angler, the rivers of Speyside are also of great significance to the distilling industry, with the Findhorn, Lossie, Fiddich, Livet and Avon providing an unrivalled source of water, perfectly suited to whisky-making.

Some 50 distilleries – around half Scotland’s current productive total – fit into the Speyside category, making whisky production, and all t.....

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By Gavin D. Smith

Section : Regional Focus

Page number : 46