Distillery celebrates Flying Scotsman with whisky

Speyside Distillery has launched a commemorative bottle of its Beinn Dubh “black whisky” to mark the return of the Flying Scotsman steam train to the National Railway Museum.

The Beinn Dubh Flying Scotsman has been produced under licence for the museum, which saw the return of the historic exhibition yesterday (Thursday 26 February) after a decade long absence.

“I don’t think there could be a better whisky to sum up everything that Flying Scotsman stands for,” said Speyside Distillery CEO John Harvey McDonough.

“Just as the locomotive was a pioneer of its day and continues to set new records, Speyside Distillery is marrying traditional distilling techniques with innovative ideas.

“We are extremely grateful to have been selected by the Flying Scotsman to develop its own brand single malt Scotch whisky, and it will be a huge honour for us to see Beinn Dubh Flying Scotsman hit the shelves in a couple of weeks.”

Described as a “black single malt”, Beinn Dubh is created using locally sourced barley and is finished in toasted port casks from the Douro Valley in Portugal – resulting in a dark colour.

The whisky was first launched in September last year during Europe’s biggest Harley Davidson motorcycle rally.

Its latest brand extension features an image of the Flying Scotsman – the first steam locomotive to break the 100mph barrier in 1934 during a run from London to Leeds – to celebrate its £4.2m restoration.

The Beinn Dubh Flying Scotsman (40%abv) will be available to buy from the National Railway Museum retail outlets. Speyside Distillery will also put the commemorative bottle on limited edition general release.