Glen Elgin Malt Whisky

First, there was a river: Scotland's second longest, the Spey. The landscape-carving work that its hurrying waters carried out after the last Ice Age gave the engineers of Scotland's 19th-century railway a wonderful opportunity. Where the river had led, the rails could follow. Thus Speyside was born: a part of the whisky-distilling Highlands where the iron horse could take the strain. A century later, we're still exploring the treasures of that legacy.

These craggy green uplands, incised by shy wooded valleys, are perfect dram-country. The tumbling water was ideal for both brewing (whisky, after all, is just distilled beer) and early power-generation; the Black Isle and the lush Moray coast provided grain in plenty, and there was peat on the hills, too. By the time building began on the Glen Elgin distillery in 1898, there were hundreds of other stills trickling away in the villages and hamlets that lay between the Cairngorms and the sea.

This once-secretive whisky is about to be shot to stardom. Diageo's Classic Malts Collection (six malts from different Scottish locations, each representing a different regional style) has proved so popular, a second series is being launched. The authoritative and commanding Cragganmore was chosen to represent Speyside in the first collection. For the second, step forward Glen Elgin. The malt has also been freshly boxed and made available to flirt with new drinkers on its own account, which is why it's now in Waitrose.

I travelled north to Inverness to find out what all the fuss was about. It was high summer: up on the hills, the wind turbines were performing their graceful ballet to an unusually bright blue backdrop, while down at the distillery the trademark house martins were slicing round the warehouses like fighter planes.

According to Nick Ballard and Sean Pritchard, the respective outgoing and incoming site operations managers, the hallmark of Glen Elgin is its richly fruity style. Whisky buffs might well assign this to its wide spirit 'cuts' - a key decision during the distilling process about when to save and when to discard the distillate - and the fact that it's one of the few distilleries to retain the old-style worm tubs. These condense the spirit vapour rising from the stills back into liquid form, giving less copper contact than usual. (By the way, both the martins and the worm tubs are on the label.)

But distilling is only a part of the flavour equation, and the 12 years the spirit spends ageing in imported ex-bourbon casks made of American white oak is no less important. There's a fruity aroma in the transparent spirit running from the still, but by the time it's passed 12 years in wood, this modulates towards something earthy and spicy.

Glen Elgin is also one of the few malt whisky distilleries where the stills are sometimes tended by a woman, one Alexia Cookson. In the old days, distillery work was heavy and demanding - workers needed not only to be men, but hard men. Modern machinery has taken away much of that graft but - as Alexia will confirm - left all the skill. Indeed, more skill than ever, since multi-tasking is the order of the day: Alexia and her co-workers, Ali Gray, Alex Kane and Hamish Stewart, not only staff this distillery on their own, they also work shifts at nearby distilleries Linkwood, Mannochmore and Glenlossie.

Is Glen Elgin ready for stardom? Just now, the distillery has the slightly bewildered, eye-rubbing look of a talented youngster who's been plucked from the ranks and can't quite believe what's happening. Give the malt a taste, though, and you'll find all the assurance that has given it such a high reputation among professional whisky blenders down the years. The men in white coats have always ranked this intricately flavoured dram as 'top class'. Now you can put it to the test, too.