Banff 29 years Cadenhead's One of 228 - bottled 2006 (Brown)

The Banff distillery was located in the east of Speyside in the Highlands of Scotland. It was built in 1824 by Major James McKilligan before coming into the hands of the Simpson family. The distillery was closed in 1863 by James Simpson Junior, who opened a new distillery in Inverboyndie, closer to the railway line. 1877 saw the first of a long series of fires that would plague Banff’‘s history. In 1932, in a difficult economic climate, the Simpson family sold the distillery to Scottish Malt Distillers Limited (SMD), a subsidiary of Distillers Company Limited (DCL) that managed its malt distilleries, but it remained closed until World War Two. In 1941, it was bombed by the Luftwaffe and production only began again after the war, before once again coming ceasing due to fire in 1959. Like many other distilleries, it closed in 1983 and, when it was being demolished in 1991, the last warehouse caught fire, bringing to a close the beautiful story of Banff. In the DCL era, Banff mainly produced whisky for blends, although a few bottlings of the malt can be found, particularly in the Rare Malts collection or with independent bottlers. Fans appreciate its fruity, oily and slightly smoky character.

A 29 year old Banff single cask bottled in 2006. Cadenhead's was founded in Aberdeen in 1842 by George Duncan. William Cadenhead then joined the company and, when George Duncan died in 1858, took over and renamed the business after himself. William’’s nephew Roberth Duthie developed the company in the early 20th century and it remained a family business until 1969. William Cadenhead Ltd was then sold to the Springbank distillery’’s owner J. & A. Mitchell and Co. Hedley G. Wright, a direct descendent of Archibald and John Mitchell, became William Cadenhead Ltd’’s CEO. In the past, Cadenhead had mainly sold its own brands, such as Putachieside, The Hielanman, Seven Stars and Green Label rums. Under Hedley G. Wright, the company began to take more of an interest in single malts. This led to the creation of the legendary collection of dumpy bottles in 1977. This series of single malts stood out for its very gentle filtration, lack of artificial colouring, and relatively high bottling strength for the time (80 proof/45.7% ABV). The labels included lots of information, including the month and year of distillation and bottling, and whether or not sherry casks were used. Also in 1977, the business moved to another address in Aberdeen, and finally to Campbeltown. In the 1980s, Cadenhead sold casks to legendary bottlers such as Samaroli and Corti Brothers through the subsidiary Duthie’’s. Finally, two new whisky ranges were created in 1991 and 1992, the Original Collection bottled at 46% and the Authentic Collection bottled at cask strength. Other special series to mark Cadenhead’’s major anniversaries (150 and 175 years), as well as new ranges launched since (Small Batch, World Whiskies, etc.), have all contributed to the company’’s ongoing history up to the present day. A limited edition of 228 bottles.