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Domain: Banff

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.