A Single Highland Malt Scotch Whisky from Drumguish Distillery Co. Ltd. 

Drumguish was Speyside distillery's first single malt brand, launched in 1993. It was named after the surrounding area and lost 19th century distillery of the same name. The brand was short-lived however, and was discontinued in 1999.

Speyside distillery was the second of those built by George Christie, his first being the North of Scotland grain plant in 1957. His malt distillery did not until 30 years later however, and began production in 1990. In its short history it has appeared in several guises, including Drumguish, Spey, Cu Dhub, Glentromie and Black Burn.

Speyside distillery was the second of those built by George Christie, his first being the North of Scotland grain plant in 1957. The whisky entrepreneur George Christie, who built the now-defunct North of Scotland grain distillery in 1957, commissioned the construction of a new single malt whisky distillery in Speyside in 1962. Beset by delays, the distillery was completed in 1987, the year after Christie had sold the company, and the new Speyside distillery finally began producing spirit in 1990.

Early bottlings of Speyside’s whisky, such as Drumguish, were not met with great success in the UK, but the distillery subsequently found its niche producing the Spey Malt and several proprietary blends for Asian markets. In its short history it has appeared in several guises, including Drumguish, Spey, Cu Dhub, Glentromie and Black Burn. After being bought in 2000 by a consortium including George Christie’s son Ricky, Speyside changed hands again in 2012 when it was taken over by Harvey’s of Edinburgh.

Speyside distillery is a small site, it has a pair of stills which were originally installed in the Lochside distillery but were cut down to size in order to fit into their new surroundings. The whisky-making process here is taken at a relaxed pace. Ferments are long; distillation slow. The result is a light style. Virtually unseen as a single malt – it has appeared under the Drumguish and Glentromie labels and is the liquid in the Loch Dhu ‘homage’ Cu Dubh – the distillery’s whisky is still further travelled than many of its compatriots. The mature spirit has appeared, incognito, in blends across Asia, has been launched in Mongolia, is a single malt range (called ‘Spey’) in Taiwan, and has been added to neutral spirit to produce Bhutanese whisky.

The distillery, one of the most southerly of the Speyside triangle, is nestled near Kingussie in the Cairngorms.

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.

Speyside Distillery has closed its original location near Kingussie. Operations ceased in the spring of 2025, and the distillery is now considered a "lost distillery" or "ghost distillery". While the brand, SPEY, will continue to exist, the whisky produced from this point forward will be from a different location and under a different distillery name.