Banff

Banff Distillery is, regretably, no longer in existence. It was completely dismantled in 1983 and the entire whisky inventory of the distillery was sold, presumably to the blending trade. Fortunately, some of the casks were released to the independent bottlers, which enabled the single malt connoisseur to experience this, soon to be extinct, whisky in its original state. Banff Distillery was founded in 1824 by James Mckilligan and Company. It was destroyed by fire and rebuilt in 1877. As were some other Scottish distilleries, the Banff facilities were utilized by soldiers as billets during World War II. As pertains to "security", however, this was of no help as a lone German aircraft bombed the distillery warehouse and it was burned to the ground. A story in the local Banffshire Journal stated that "thousands of gallons of whisky were lost, either by burning or running to waste over the land." The highly detailed article by the 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.

Banff