Glen Spey Distillery, Rothes: A Gilbey’s Malt
Glen Spey at a glance
| Region | Speyside (Rothes, Moray) |
| Founded | 1878 |
| Owner | Diageo |
| Visitor centre | No — production-only |
| Tours | No public tours |
| Opening | Not open to the public |
| Website | malts.com |
Overview
Glen Spey, in Rothes, is a light, grassy Speyside malt made chiefly for blends — it was long a mainstay of the J&B blend. It is one of four distilleries in the little town of Rothes.
The history
Glen Spey began life as James Stuart’s “Mill of Rothes” meal mill, converted to a distillery in 1878 and bought in 1887 by the London wine-and-gin firm W&A Gilbey — one of the first English drinks companies to own a Scotch distillery.
The water & the land
Glen Spey is made with water from the Doonie Burn at Rothes.
Glen Spey had no founding clan — it was a converted meal mill in Rothes, on the Grant/Seafield estate lands.
Visiting
Glen Spey is not open to the public — it is a working production distillery with no visitor centre. Its whisky appears mainly in blends and in occasional official or independent single-malt bottlings.
Nearby & more whisky
- Also in Rothes: Glenrothes
- Another Rothes distillery: Glen Grant
- The whole picture: Scotch whisky — the full guide
Sources
- Glen Spey distillery — Wikipedia.
- Diageo.