 Banff
Distillery was founded in 1824 by James McKilligan &
Company and its history is one of great fascination. The
distillery was completely destroyed by fire in 1877, however,
within five months it was quickly rebuilt and back in full
operation. In order to prevent future disasters, a fire
engine was kept permanently on the premises. During World
War II, the Banff facilities were utilized by soldiers as
billets. Misfortune struck once again when a lone German
aircraft bombed the distillery warehouse. Although no one
was injured, the distillery was burned to the ground.
A story in The Banffshire Journal reported that
"thousands of gallons of whisky were lost, either by
burning or running to waste over the land" and a highly
detailed article by an apparant eyewitness reporter stated
that "even the farm animals grazing in the neighbourhood
became visibly intoxicated." Even the cows, it was
said, could not be milked because they could not stand up
and many ducks and geese in the nearby ponds and waterways
were killed from alcohol overdose.
In October of 1959, a dangerous explosion which was caused
by coppersmith brazing, damaged much of the distillery.
Repairs were completed and production continued until the
distillery's closure in 1983  due
to lack of water and poor quality. It is presumed the entire
whisky inventory of the distillery was sold to the blending
trade, however, it is fortunate some of the casks were released
to the independent bottlers. This enabled the single malt
connoisseur to experience this soon to be extinct whisky
in its original state. After the closing of the distillery,
years later in 1991, one of the last remaining warehouses
was destroyed by fire.
Banff was formerly owned by United Distillers & Vintners
(Diageo). |
BANFF 1976 CADENHEAD'S
15 YEAR SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY
ABV: 56.0%
Region: Highland
Volume: 750.0 ML |
| Ardmore
won the gold medal “Best in Class” distinction
at the 2008 International Wine & Spirit Competition
where they described Ardmore in the below tasting
notes:
One wonders what perfectly peated is? This must
be close to it. Peat leads the way on the nose
followed by heather, sweet tobacco, chocolate,
orange and spice with gentle notes of peat all
the way along with wonderful malty tones. Subtle
but complex in the mouth with lively flow and
loads of emerging flavours. With time in the glass
oats, honey and heather begin to show. Gentle
oak cradle. Long, sublimely smooth finish. Gorgeous
dram. |
|
|
|
