Speyside Distillery

The Tromie Mills site at Kingussie carries centuries of milling history, originally processing barley for the surrounding agricultural community. It ceased operations in 1965 and sat derelict until Alex Fairlie acquired the property and began an extraordinary personal project to convert it into a whisky distillery, largely by hand and over a quarter century of work.

First distillation took place on Christmas Day 1990, giving Speyside Distillery its founding date. The distillery operated as a truly artisan producer — small, hand-crafted, and deliberately removed from the industrial scale of its Speyside neighbours. Drawing water from the River Tromie through the historic mill lade provided an authentic connection to the site's agricultural past. Spirit was produced under the Spey brand, with the darker Beinn Dubh ("Black Mountain" in Scottish Gaelic) single malt and Byron's Gin completing the range.

In April 2021, Glasgow Whisky (a separate company from The Glasgow Distillery) acquired the Tromie Mills site with plans to redevelop it. Speyside Distillers, the leaseholder, continued operating the distillery under their existing lease terms until the lease expired. Production halted in late 2024, and the formal handover to Glasgow Whisky took place on 1 May 2025. Planning permission for the new Glen Tromie Distillery — targeting zero carbon emissions — was approved in 2025.

The distillery operated a small still configuration suited to artisan single malt production. Water was sourced from the River Tromie via the historic stone mill lade that had served the original grain mill centuries before. The isolation and purity of the Cairngorm water source gave the spirit a clean, mineral quality. Production capacity was modest, reflecting the deliberately craft-scale nature of the operation.

Spey single malt was characterised as "light, delicate and characterful," produced through traditional hand-distilling methods that prioritised quality over volume. The clean Cairngorm water and careful distillation created a Speyside spirit with fresh fruit, gentle floral notes, and a smooth palate. Beinn Dubh offered a darker, more robust character, while Byron's Gin reflected the same commitment to flavour integrity. Independent bottlers periodically released vintage Speyside Distillery expressions that showed the spirit's development potential with age.

Closed. The distillery ceased production in late 2024 and is no longer operating as Speyside Distillery. The former website at speysidedistillery.co.uk may remain active for reference purposes but visitor access has ended.