Speyside Distillery

Sometimes it takes almost 30 years to realise a lifelong dream – and sometimes the story ends differently than planned. In 1962, successful whisky merchant George Christie commissioned stonemason Alex Fairlie to build a distillery at the confluence of the Spey and Tromie near Kingussie. Nearly 20 years of construction alone, plus further years fitting out the technical equipment, passed before the first distillation finally took place on 12 December 1990.

In May 2025, however, owner Harvey's announced the definitive end for the site: the leased production had to relocate, with the mash tun, stills, and washbacks removed and put into storage at Forsyths in Rothes, while a new plant is built on the Highland estate of Strathmashie. "There will never be another Speyside Distillery," said CEO John Harvey McDonough. With SPEY Chairman's Choice, you will find a bottling from the era of the now "lost" original distillery in our selection.

Why did construction take almost 30 years?

George Christie acquired the site, idyllically located at the confluence of the Spey and Tromie, back in 1956, and in 1962 commissioned traditional stonemason (drystone dyker) Alex Fairlie to build the distillery. Fairlie single-handedly laid the distillery's stonework for nearly 20 years, and fitting out the technical equipment took several more years. It was only on 12 December 1990 that the first distillation took place – named after a historic distillery that had stood at almost the same site from 1895 to 1911. The result was a true gem: the distillery even served as the filming location for the fictional "Lagganmore" distillery in the hit BBC series "Monarch of the Glen".

Why did the distillery become a "lost distillery" in 2025?

The land always belonged to the Harvey family, who had leased the operation to the Speyside Distillers Co. In May 2025, during the Spirit of Speyside Festival, Harvey's CEO John Harvey McDonough announced the end of the lease: the production equipment – mash tun, stills, and washbacks – was removed and put into storage at Forsyths Ltd in Rothes, while an entirely new distillery is built on the newly acquired Highland estate of Strathmashie near Laggan. The original site near Kingussie, meanwhile, was taken over by the company Glasgow Whisky, which plans a new distillery there called "Glentromie", with a capacity of 1.4 million litres, by 2026. McDonough summed it up: "The whisky from Speyside Distillery is now from a lost distillery. There will never be another Speyside Distillery."

The most popular bottling at a glance

1. SPEY Chairman's Choice
A bottling from the era of the original distillery.
Taste: Creamy and buttery with caramel sweetness and dark fruit.
Serving suggestion: A piece of whisky history, while stocks last.

Facts and figures

Address (historic): Glen Tromie, Kingussie. Founded: 1962 (construction began), first distillation 12 December 1990. Owner: Speyside Distillers Co. / Harvey's. Status: production ceased 2025, relocation to Strathmashie planned.