Scotland, Speyside: Single malt whisky through the producing distilleries: history, making, production and tasting notes

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Banff

Description of the whisky

The distillery

Banff distillerie
Banff Distillery
Inverboyndie
Banffshire B 9139
Owner: United Distillers & Vintners (Diageo)
Creation date1824
The last remains of the Banff distillery: old warehouses somewhere in the middle of nowhere...

The history of the Banff distillery is just a succession of destructions and reconstructions.
The distillery was settled just a mile outside the town Banff, on the seaside North of Speyside. It has been founded in 1824 by James Mc Killigan. Its first name was Mill of Banff then Inverboyndie Distillery.
Closed in 1863, it has been rebuild on another site in Inverboyndie.
Destroyed by fire in 1877, it has been the target of a bombing in august 1941. In 1953, an explosion in the still room damaged the distillery once again.
The last building of the distillery has been destroyed by a fire in 1991.
However, its malt can still be found at some independent distillers.
The malt of the Banff distillery was used in the "Slater Rodger" blend.

The whisky

A propos des notes de dégustation Your own tasting notes

List of the bottles

Description of the distillery

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Bannf: official bottlings

Banff
Rare Malts
Aged 21 years
Distilled in 1982

Age
 21 years
Alcohol
 57,1%
Bottler
 Official
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Banff Rare malts 21
A very fresh nose, with nice notes of cut grass, hints of spices (pepper) and a delicate fruity smell (a mix of green apple and ripe pear) which gives this whisky an interesting complexity and announces lots of pleasure in the palate. The first palate impression is that it is rather acid and the alcohol is very present. The taste developes gently on more woody hints, while remaining amazingly fresh. The fresh and lingering finish consists of a nice mix of citrus fruits and fine woody notes, with clear alcohol remains after a while.
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 Banff: independent bottlings
 

Banff
Chieftain's Choice
Aged 23 years
Age
 23 years
Alcohol
 46%
Bottler
 Ian McLeod
=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros< 25 euros
 Banff Chieftains
 

23 years spent in a cask didn't give this whisky a wood taste, but gave this alcohol a surprising sweetness. Very pleasant from the very first nosing, the taste completely confirms the first impression. An excellent bottle. What a pity this distillery has been completely dismantled more than 10 years ago. If that distillery would still exist, we could probably still find very good malts for a reasonable price. The price indeed is the only negative aspect of this bottle, as it costs about 150 Euros for one litre...

A second tasting did not contradict the first one, but the result of the blind tasting was lower. Probably due to the tasting mood....

The nose detects nice fresh floral hints. In the palate, a very nice complexity, where woody notes (unlike the firs notes) are mixed with fruity and malty hints. A very nice balance and a finish developing from malt to walnut (probably due to the wood) or even chocolate.

The nose is quite marked by cereals with some yeast hints. Nice notes of vanilla come and brighten up this relatively smooth though rather austere nose.
The palate is some more interesting, though presenting a lack of complexity. Nice cereal notes with some hints of citrus fruit and a touch of smoke.
The finish is not too long but however rather pleasant and prolongs perfectly the mouth. This blind tasting notes are quite contrasting with others written earlier. Is this an effect of oxidation? This whisky certainly deserves another tasting.

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Speyside

Speyside Map

The Speyside area is situated at the North of the Cairngorm mountain and goes to the Moray firth. It is delimited by two rivers: the Findhorn at the West side and the Deveron on the East side.
The area is named after the river Spey. Most of the distilleries take their water in one of its affluents; the Fiddich, the Livet or the Avon.
About sixty distilleries from Speyside are described on this site.

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Click on the map for a list of the distilleries of the area, on the title for further information
about the Speyside area, and if you want to make an "alphabetical journey" through the area, please
click on one of the pagode roofs, according to the direction you want to follow

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