What Spey does

Spey (SPEY Media Ltd) is a public relations and communications agency founded in 2017, headquartered in Forres, Speyside, Scotland, with a second office in Edinburgh. The firm serves clients primarily in the whisky, food and drink, and hospitality sectors across the UK, with a niche specialization in Scottish craft spirits. Spey operates as a boutique professional services agency, providing bespoke PR strategy, media relations, content, and communications support to a mix of enterprise and mid-market clients.

Spey has developed proprietary infrastructure in the form of the PR Climate Impact Carbon Tracker, built in partnership with sustainability consultancy Aether, which measures the carbon footprint associated with PR campaign activity. The firm holds B Corp certification granted in March 2024 and maintains approximately 14 staff across its two offices. Its revenue model is built on retainer-based engagements and project fees, with multi-year contracts across named clients including Glenfiddich, Berry Bros and Rudd Spirits, Port of Leith Distillery, Lind & Lime, Briggs of Burton, FareShare UK, Galloway Cheddar, House of Edgar, Organic Architects, Melness Crofters', AES Solar, and St Margaret's School. The firm has won Whisky Magazine Icons of Whisky PR Agency of the Year for six consecutive years (2021–2026) and DARE Awards PR Agency of the Year in 2020, 2022, 2023, and 2024, anchoring its category-leading position within the Scottish drinks and hospitality PR niche. In 2024, Spey was acquired by Muckle Media Group.

Name

Spey

Legal name

SPEY Media Ltd

Website

https://spey.scot

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Spey is a Scotland-based PR and communications agency serving whisky, food and drink, and hospitality clients with bespoke retainer-based services. Operating from Forres and Edinburgh with about 14 staff, the firm offers proprietary carbon-impact tracking via a partnership with Aether.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Relations and Communications Services

NAICS

Public Relations Agencies (541820), Public Relations Agencies (54182)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Social Media & Community Management (PR-led) (BPAFADAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Public Affairs & Government Relations (MPAAADAE)

Keywords

• Public relations services
• Communications agency
• Media relations
• Social media management
• Experiential marketing

Headquarters

HQ city

Forres

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. PR and Communications Services: Professional services revenue generated from providing consumer and corporate PR, social media management, content creation, creative strategy, experiential marketing, and internal communications services to clients on a project and retainer basis.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Spey is a Speyside-headquartered public relations and communications agency selling integrated consumer and corporate PR, social media management, content and design production, influencer engagement, experiential marketing, and internal communications services to enterprise clients in the whisky and spirits, food and drink, and luxury lifestyle sectors. Services are delivered on a project and retainer basis, supplemented by a proprietary PR climate impact carbon tracking tool.

Product overview

Spey is a PR and marketing communications agency offering a unified suite of services including Creative Strategy, Public Relations, Social Media, Influencer Engagement, Content & Design, Experiential, and Internal Communications. The agency also produces the annual Spey Influencer Report, a research publication analyzing Scottish TikTok creators. These services are delivered as integrated communications solutions rather than discrete software products. Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Speyside with an Edinburgh office, Spey was acquired by Muckle Media Group in 2024 and specializes primarily in whisky, food, drink, and hospitality sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Creative Strategy Brand strategy services covering communications, digital experiences, and customer relationship development for enterprise clients in whisky, food and drink, and luxury sectors.
• Public Relations Media relations, social media, and creative services across consumer and corporate communications for enterprise clients in whisky, food and drink, and luxury sectors.
• Social Media Content creation, shareable content development, and channel management for paid and earned social media strategies targeting enterprise brand clients.
• Influencer Engagement Partnership services with micro and macro influencers relevant to target audiences including millennials, Gen Z, and baby boomers, designed for enterprise brand clients.
• Content and Design Brand identity development, campaign collateral, website design, and email marketing production services delivered by Spey's studio for enterprise clients.
• Experiential Event creation and management enabling brands to engage consumers and media through one-of-a-kind experiences, including whisky festival sponsorships and industry tastings.
• Internal Communications Employee and stakeholder communications development for enterprise clients, designed to foster engagement and shared purpose inside organisations.
• Spey Influencer Report Annual research publication analysing Scottish TikTok influencers ranked by engagement rate, including creator Q&As and trend analysis for brand strategy, built on Modash influencer data.

Quantifiable outcome

• 198 pieces of coverage, 6.2B reach for Glen Affric Tartan campaign
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AethercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2024Environmental data experts partnered with Spey to develop the first ever carbon tracker tool to measure the climate impact of PR activities. Aether is at the forefront of greenhouse gas and air quality emissions review across international, national and local government markets.
• ModashcoreTechnology or IntegrationInfluencer marketing platform used by Spey's digital team to gather data for annual Scottish Influencer Reports. Modash provides engagement rate data and influencer analytics for ranking Scottish TikTok creators.
• Muckle Media GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMuckle Media acquired Spey in 2024. Nathalie Agnew, MD of Muckle Media leads Spey. The acquisition expanded Spey's capabilities with additional design studio resources and creative team.
• Lind & Lime DistilleryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosted joint B Corp panel discussion event exploring what B Corp means for the food and drink sector in Scotland. Event included tour of gin distillery and cocktail session.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The BIG Partnership: One of the largest independent PR agencies in Scotland with offices in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, and London. Comparable as a similarly positioned full-service Scottish PR firm serving consumer, food and drink, and energy clients.
• Muckle Media: Acquired Spey in 2024 and now operates the brand within its group. A Scotland-based B2B PR and communications agency with overlapping consumer, corporate, and creative services — the closest direct comparable on size, geography, and service mix.
• Stripe Communications: Edinburgh-headquartered PR and communications agency with a strong consumer, food and drink, and lifestyle client base. Directly comparable on geography, vertical focus, and full-service PR/creative offering.
• Beattie Communications: UK-wide integrated communications group with consumer, brand, and B2B PR offerings. Comparable in service breadth (PR, social, content, design) and mid-sized UK agency positioning.
• Baird's PR: Specialist whisky, spirits, and food and drink PR agency based in Scotland. A direct niche competitor in Spey's core vertical with a comparable focus on beverage industry clients and a long-standing category reputation.
• Holyrood Communications (Holyrood PR): Edinburgh-based PR and public affairs agency. Comparable as a Scotland-based communications firm offering consumer, corporate, and public affairs services to enterprise clients.

Regional players

• Frame Communications: Glasgow-based PR and communications agency with consumer, corporate, and food and drink sector strength. Comparable in service mix and Scottish mid-market positioning, though with a Glasgow rather than Speyside base.
• Clark Communications: Edinburgh-headquartered B2B PR and communications agency with strengths in technology, professional services, and consumer sectors. Comparable as a similarly sized Scottish PR firm serving mid-market and enterprise clients.

Broad incumbents

• FleishmanHillard (UK): Global PR network with a strong UK presence and dedicated food and drink, luxury, and consumer practices. Comparable as an incumbent competitor bidding for the same enterprise whisky, food, and lifestyle clients, but with much broader geographic and service reach.
• Edelman (UK): World's largest PR firm with a substantial London office and dedicated consumer, food, and brand practices. Comparable on enterprise client targeting and integrated earned/paid/owned capabilities, though at vastly greater scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wearespey

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Spey