Banff Distillery was first erected in 1824, but lasted just about 4 decades before the Banff we know today was risen as a new and improved Banff in 1863. In its early days they triple-distilled their whisky at Banff, but that stopped in 1924, and I have not been able to get a hold of any of that (of course I haven't!). It's said to be a lot of fires and some explosions and stuff at Banff through the years, which is sad. Not only because there's a hold in the production and therefore income for a while, but also because when they so often have to replace their distilling equipment, the output must at some point start differing more and more from the original Banff. Somewhere along the way Banff managed to distill on million liters of triple-distilled whisky a year, which made them one of the bigger distilleries in Scotland. DCL, or Diageo as its called today. bought the distillery back in 1932. There was a bombing of some Banff Warehouses in WW2 which is written a lot about and you'll find good information about that other places online. In 1959 there was an explosion t Banff, ruining much of its equipment, but fortunately no one got hurt. Banff was then closed in 1983 as DCL saw it as unneeded as they already had too much stock lying around in their warehouses. Shame...
Banff 21yo 43% Chieftain's Choice
I had a ful bottle of this, and I believe I traded most of it away. I think other people enjoyed it quite a bit more than I did. But I kept 5cl and perhaps some breathing in a small bottle have done it well. The color is light golden. It smells vanilla, malty, fresh, clean, green apples, soapy, air freshener, chemical. The taste is sweet and peppery, peat, raw onions, strong garlic, green apples. Not much in this one, but the initial peppery sensation on the palate is superb. The finish is short and malty.
A chance to try subdued Banff, but why not have an alive and kicking one instead?: 4.5
Banff 18yo 1978-1997 43% Signatory Vintage cask#4617 btl.320/2460
Quite some Banffs from Signatory in this session, lets try them one by one now. The color is light golden. It smells sulphury, iodine, peaty, waxy, wheat, dry herbs, salty butter, again a closed one, but this has some interesting heavy cigar and earthy notes. Unusual and fascinating. The taste is salty, peaty, nutty, peppery, gingerbread, raw onions, not up to par with the Chieftain's. Lets add some water. Now it turns sweeter, vanilla, banana, grapefruit, ginger, hay, Macallan from american oak? The finish is peppery with some bitter rubbery notes. Malty too. Quite bland to be fair.
One to nose, then give to someone else to drink: 4
Banff 31yo 1975-2007 43% Signatory Vintage cask#3343
Can Banff at 43%abv excel with due to aging? Surely! Will this one? Lets see. The last two ones were a bit weakened by the low strength while this one can be closer to CS. The color is golden amber. It smells of honey, mint, grassy, waxy, stewed onions, but the mix of wax and honey implies a classic highland style. The taste is peppery, soapy, leather, onions, grassy, spirity. Is this really 31yo? It tastes more like a 10yo. Lets add some water. Now it turns more peppery and bitter, perfumy, heather, wax, ginger. The finish is bitter, peppery and grainy.
Tired oak?: 4.5
Banff 29yo 1980-2009 54.5% Signatory Vintage cask#2918
Ah, finally a Banff at CS. I wonder how this will compare to the low strength ones. This comes from a bourbon hogshead. The color is golden. It smells sweet, peppery, vanilla, creamy, rich, waxy, marshmallows, syrup. Rich vanilla stands out. Dessert malt deluxe! The taste is peppery, spirity, vanilla, quite some heat in this one. Water to the rescue, but lets not drop it all the way down to 43%abv. Now it turns more peppery, grassy, chili, again very powerful, packed with black pepper, chillies, a lot of heat in a small whisky.
I suspect a small, over-toasted hoggie: 6
Banff 25yo 1976-2001 55.8% Signatory Vintage cask#2251
This one was bottled back when Signatory had no ncnc-series or such, all looked the same so to speak. Those were the days SV! Its just a personal opinion, but I feel that by creating a whosle bunch of new series, as we see IB's doing these days, and more often than not trying too build a quality hierarchy within their own range, they're digging a bit of a grave for themselves. There will in the future, as I see it, get harder and harder to keep these supreme series as "supreme" as they are today, as the existence of older casks are on the decline. Back to Banff! The color is golden. It smells grassy, fresh leaves, thyme, basil, honey, vanilla, malty, rich, creamy. I'm amazed by how many fragrances there are on these Banffs. The taste is zesty, bitter, lime leaves, heather, ginger, seems to come from an intense white oak of some kind, fino? Lets add some water. Now it turns rawer, peppery, new-make, spirity, grainy. The finish is spirity.
I'd rarely turn down a Banff, but this one I could: 3
Banff 33yo 1975-2008 48.1% Celtic Heartlands Jim McEwan
It seems Banff have experienced a bit of a revelation with a lot of good IB bottlings the past few years. Lets try a few of those. The color on this one is dark golden. It smells waxy, perfumy, oaky, nail polish, leather, earthy, old style. A rare treat? The taste is peppery, minty, earthy, wasabi, pistachio, peppermint, gingerbread, Svendborg cheese, rustic. I love this old rustic style, but its certainly not for the feinsmeckers out there. Old style, rugged and earthy whisky. The finish is earthy, clay, coffee beans. Lets add some water. Now it turns a bit lighter, a bit sweeter, and a bit less Banff-ish.
With whiskies becoming younger and younger, I fear this style might disappears: 7.5
Banff 33yo 1975-2008 50% Old Malt Cask Douglas Laing cask#3971
Same age and vintage as the CH, but not at CS this time, or it could be, but unlikely. I wonder what the OMC-series would be like if they were all bottled at CS. The color is golden. It smells light, fresh, grassy, malty, hay, heather, waxy, very light and sweet. Reminds me more of some light speysiders from bourbon oak. The taste is vanilla, creamy, cinnamon, sweet licorice, banana liqueur, hazelnut, rubbery. A strange Banff. The taste is waxy, peppery, honey, salty butter, leather, bacon crisps, salty grease. I like it, but its sure unusual. The finish is floral and peppery. Adding water. Now it turns sweeter, more vanilla and banana liqueur, so sweet..
I've never had a Banff like this before, shows a new side of itself: 7.5
Banff 37yo 1971-2008 53% Douglas Laing Old and Rare
Lets throw some 1971's into the mix. First this one from some sherry cask. The color is white wine. It smells peppery, minty, ginger, salty, heather, grassy, kinda raw, I guess from an inactive cask. The taste is peppery, syrup, coffee beans, dandelions, floral, honey, peppery, tarry, peat, oaky, ginger. The finish is long and peppery. Its a perfectly good malt whisky, but it seems the age have tired the spirit some and not added very much. One might expect a winner at this age.
Close, but no cigar: 7.5
Banff 36yo 1971-2007 53.7% Closed Distilleries Part des Anges cask#364
Another oldie at CS. The color is golden. I smells waxy, salty, earthy, tarry, ginger, ashes, grassy, oaky, leather. The taste is sweet, peaty, vanilla, honey, fresh herbs, stewed onions, waxy, lavender, aioli. The finish is peppery and nutty. Lets add some water. Now it turns sweeter, spearmint, vanilla, peppery, raw onions, creamy, much better with added water in my opinion.
Add water and have yourself a winner: 8
Banff 22yo 1982-2004 57.1% OB Rare Malts
A rare Banff Official Bottling, they only got on the market long after the distillery was closed down. Better late than never? The color is golden. It smells peppery, butter, creamy, light, hay, vanilla, ginger, beans, boiled broccoli. The taste is sweet, vanilla, peaty, onions, ginger, leather, light and easy whisky. Lets add some water. Now it turns waxy, burnt, varnish, soapy, leather, peppery, tarry, another one that excels greatly with added water. The finish is drying, peppery and tarry.
Superb Banff: 8
Banff 26yo 1978-2004 46% Chieftain's Choice cask#371
This one was matured in a sherry cask. I know Ian Macleod bottled a few both Banffs and Broras in the mid- to late oughties at 46%abv. Too bad they weren't CS. The color is amber orange. It smells dark berries, leather, cinnamon, honey, dry, sour herbs, leaves, dried onions, coffee beans. I can already suspect this would be stunning at CS. The taste is cinnamon, chili, amoroso sherry, leather, peppery, waxy, drying. Lets add some water. Now it turns hazy right away. Good! The taste is of caramel, malt vinegar, malt syrup, peat, watermelon, honey, apricots, peaches, lavender. Much more pleasant with added water. The finish is mild, minty, sweet red berries.
Great Banff, another swimmer: 8
Banff 24yo 50% Old Malt Cask Douglas Laing
No vintage or cask reference on this miniature, I believe it was bottled in the early oughties. The color is golden. It smells honeyed, buttery, peppery, floral, nutty, cashews, pesto, rich. The taste is peppery, vanilla, aniseed, peppery, bitter, onions, radishes, coal, peaty. The finish is ashes, coal, green apples, iodine, waxy. Lets add some water. Now it turns creamier, vanilla, peppery, butter, ashes. A great Banff at a medium strength, but even this needs a drop of water to really shine.
Instant classic: 8
Banff 37yo 1971-2008 53.3% The Dead Whisky Society cask#633
That 1971 from Part des Anges was great, lets hope this can show the same quality. I've not tried many from The Dead Whisky Society. The color is honeyed golden. It smells peaty, peppery, smoky, honey, dry white wine, tannins, sweet sherry, vanilla, ashes, buttery, camphor, butterscotch, nice one! The taste is rich, vanilla, waxy, peppery, aniseed, licorice, hay, ginger, chillies, salty, ashes, burnt oak, phenols, sulphury. This is superb! The finish is peppery, vanilla, honey, smooth, gingery again, malty, mustard, aniseed, burnt, bitter herbs. Lets add some water. Now it turns softer, more honey, grassy, vegetal, mustard, raw onions, leeks, grape fruit.
Easy an 8, its been a few of those now: 8
Banff 25yo 1976-2001 57.1% James MacArthur's cask#2260
James MacArthur's, lets have a small break before this one to be sure I don't jump the score just because of my pre-tasting excitement. The color is golden. It smells rich, vanilla, heather, honey, creamy, toffee, dark chocolate, ashes, burgundy wine, stewed onions, leather, perfumy, vanilla crust, raisins, brown bananas. The taste is rich, marzipan, honey, nutty, hazels, ashes, ripe grapes, brown sauce, pineapple, earthy, peppery, flavorful, but at the same time, not earthy, salty, peppery, peaty or anything else like the previous Banffs in these tasting. The finish is peppery, oaky, burnt, ashes, ashes. Adding water. Now it turns peppery, spirity, pistachio, green chillies, minty, vegetal, herbal, grassy.
This one must be enjoyed without added water, if not it seems a difficult task to me: 6.5
Banff 17yo 1976-1994 60.5% Cadenhead's
Same vintage as the JMcA, but 8 years less on oak, I hope that that has invigorated the whisky a bit (wrong chronologically, I know). Some evaporation in this miniature, see picture. The color is amber. It smells peaty, peppery, licorice, oaky, burnt, ashes, smoked cheese, bacon, buttery, iodine, sulphur, leather, stearic. A great nose. The taste is cinnamon, ashes, peat, leather, hay, peppery, chillies, sulphury, tannins, really strong, reminds me of some sherried Bowmores, The Vault bottlings for instance. The finish is peppery, sulphury, iodine, tonic water. Adding water. Now it turns more sweeter, honey, vanilla, rubbery.
Great young Banff: 7.5
Banff 15yo 1976-1991 61.1% James MacArthur's
About as young a Banff as you're likely to get today to finish this three-parted session. And thats why I love so many of JMcA's bottlings. Although I fear some of their miniatures are 0.7l bottles rebottled into miniatures. The color is pale golden. It smells peaty, peppery, waxy, herbal, aniseed, tannins, vanilla, buttery, coal, ashes, burnt oak, sulphur, one of the strongest and most powerful nosings I've ever done. The taste is sour, mango, lemon, oranges, honey, ginger, sweet and sour. Its a quite simple noes, but everything tells me this is great whisky. It's not how complex but how good it is. If you know what I mean. The finish is gingery, grape soda, blood oranges, beetroot liqueur, grapefruit, ashes, peat, peppery, earthy. This is quite perfect as a finishing malt, it's just that macho and zesty. Lets add some water. Now it turns sweeter, peppery, lemon peel, lime peel, just a bit too bitter now.
Its a great dram, nor complex or typical Banff, but so enjoyable, old style bourbon-wood: 8.5
Banff then
What's left of Banff
Next tasting: Port Ellen Distillery
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