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Description
Spey Valley Brewery was the first commercial “micro” brewery to be located in the heart of Speyside, creating the finest hand-crafted beers from the same water as Speyside’s world renowned malt whiskies.
The company was founded in 2007 by a distiller, David MacDonald, and a local farmer, Innes MacPherson, who set out to produce world-class beers on the farm in Mulben. Initially brewing from a tiny pilot plant, for the first four years the brewery survived on the owners’ day jobs and focused exclusively upon getting the recipes and the products right. Distribution was deliberately confined to a limited number of informed, local buyers and it wasn’t until 2011 that the first commercial casks arrived on the market.
The first product – Spey Stout – was enthusiastically received by consumers and critically acclaimed throughout the wider brewing world. Encouraged by this early success, the company expanded production in 2012 and began distributing more widely throughout the North East and further afield. In early 2016, production moved to a dedicated unit – still on the farm! – that has seen Spey Valley Brewery become the largest brewery in the local area.
Brewery closed in 2020 and relaunched in Summer 2023 with a different beer lineup.
The company was founded in 2007 by a distiller, David MacDonald, and a local farmer, Innes MacPherson, who set out to produce world-class beers on the farm in Mulben. Initially brewing from a tiny pilot plant, for the first four years the brewery survived on the owners’ day jobs and focused exclusively upon getting the recipes and the products right. Distribution was deliberately confined to a limited number of informed, local buyers and it wasn’t until 2011 that the first commercial casks arrived on the market.
The first product – Spey Stout – was enthusiastically received by consumers and critically acclaimed throughout the wider brewing world. Encouraged by this early success, the company expanded production in 2012 and began distributing more widely throughout the North East and further afield. In early 2016, production moved to a dedicated unit – still on the farm! – that has seen Spey Valley Brewery become the largest brewery in the local area.
Brewery closed in 2020 and relaunched in Summer 2023 with a different beer lineup.
7.8/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 8
Keg at Six Degrees North Abz. It pours oily jet black with just a few tan bubbles on top. The aroma is rich, bitter - sweet, oily, loads of umami, marmite, meatiness, damp whisky barrel, dried fruits, nuttiness, chocolate, praline, ferrero rocher, jammy, victoria sponge cake, vanilla, unctuous and oily. The taste is slick, oily, toothy, chewy, bitter - sweet, roasty, toasted malt, loads of chocolate, gateaux, jammy, victoria sponge cake, jam rolly polly with ice cream, toothy, warming booze, cherry, vanilla, black forest gateaux, charred oak, fruity whisky, toffee and touch of spice with a slick vanilla chocolate finish. Fulsome body, light carbonation and slick mouth feel. Just needs a touch more carbonation to elevate it. Aroma maybe has too much umami vibes, but the taste is great. Nice work.
Tried
on 20 Apr 2022
at 16:05
7.6/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Bottle on the cheap from Lidl Inverurie. It pours black with a bubbly light tan head. The aroma is rich roasted, charred, umami, tarry, dark chocolate, chocolate truffles, tobacco, coffee, mocha and dark fruits. The taste is dry, rich roasted, charred, bitter - sweet, umami, dark chocolate, nutty, toothy, toasted spice, dark fruits, touch of cherry, chocolate truffles, kick of booze, light tannin, umami and liquorice with a dry, hard roasted finish. Fulsome body and fine to moderate carbonation. Quite flavour stuff. Great bang for your buck.
Tried
from Bottle
on 21 Jan 2022
at 20:24
8/10
bottle at James... dark black... thin tan lacing... soft fruit pine chocolate roast malts nose... dark chocolate roast malts... dark malts... Light blackcurrant... soft roast
Tried
from Bottle
on 10 Jan 2022
at 13:52
8.1/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Bottle thanks to Stuu666. Appearance - deep brown to black with orange chinks. Nose - blackberry, molasses and tar. Light smoke. Taste - tar, molasses and chewy blueberries and blackberries. Palate - dry finish. Rich texture, medium to full bodied. Overall - lovely, and complex too!
Tried
from Bottle
on 10 Jan 2022
at 13:50
8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Bottle at James's. Pours deep brown, nose is roasted, chocolate, treacle, taste is bitter, roasted, chewy, chocolate.
Tried
from Bottle
on 10 Jan 2022
at 13:50
8.1/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Bottle thanks to Stuu666. Pours clear dark brown with red chinks and a thin tan head. Aromas of light chocolate and coffee. Taste is tarry, more chocolate. Rich.
Tried
from Bottle
on 10 Jan 2022
at 13:48
5.2/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 5
Flavor 5
Texture 6
Overall 5
Bottle at James's. Pours golden, nose is toffee, floral, lemon, taste is similar, minerals.
Tried
from Bottle
on 10 Jan 2022
at 13:23
6.6/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 8
Overall 6.5
Bottle thanks to cgarvieuk. Appearance - hazy yellow. Off white head. Nose - light custard and lemon. Bready. Taste - lemon and bread Palate - light body, dry and light roasty. Overall - OK.
Tried
from Bottle
on 10 Jan 2022
at 13:19
6/10
bottle at James... Light amber... thin white.. soft dry fruit.. light dry floral fruit
Tried
from Bottle
on 10 Jan 2022
at 13:19
6.9/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Bottle thanks to cgarvieuk. Pours just-clear golden with a thick white head. Aromas of light citrus and biscuit. Taste is more of the same. Thin finish.
Tried
from Bottle
on 10 Jan 2022
at 13:16