Banff 38 Year Old Sherry Cask

Douglas Laing Old & Rare Platinum Selection.

Bottled 2009. A highly sought after single sherry cask bottling of the closed Highland distillery.
Limited to 324 bottles.

Banff

The Mill of Banff malt whisky distillery was established by Major James McKilligan at Mains of Colleonard Farm just south of Banff in 1824 and acquired by James Simpson a local merchant and ship owner in 1852.  Mill of Banff Distillery closed in 1863 when Simpson’s son built a new distillery on a site to the west of Banff at Inverboyndie and named it Banff Distillery. Relocation enabled the opportunity to expand and take advantage of a plentiful supply of soft Speyside water and the new branch line connecting Banff to the main Inverness to Aberdeen railway. Despite surviving the ups and downs of the whisky industry Banff Distillery closed in 1983and partially demolished in 1985 but most of the rest of Banff Distillery came down during a fire in 1991 and although shells of a few warehouses are still standing Banff is a lost Highland malt whisky distillery.

Barley sugar sweet initially on the nose – it then runs citrically fruited, spicy, and displays some of its Sherry cask heritage - lightly oaked - plus something interestingly oceanic. Palate wise it carries some desiccating salt – yet is backed by that same earlier barley and fruit, plus a tobacco - and - mocha character. That all runs to a massivly sweet, spicy and warming style, with a light peated quality.