Banff 18yo 1980/1998

Banff 18yo 1980/1998

Chieftain’s Choice, Ian Macleod
Single malt - Speyside
Light copper
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Apple juice, barley sugar, malted grains, leather, celery salt, photocopy paper. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, cool, slightly oily, mouth coating.
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Apple juice, soot, barley sugar, malted grains, leather, lemon zest, white pepper, gooseberries. 
Finish: Medium. Tar, soot, photocopy paper, apple juice, wet stones. 

Comments: 

Appley and very feinty, with a big heap of old bottle effect. It layers up to a surprisingly smoky, tarry finish. Still complex and distinct after all these years. There can’t be much Banff left in the world.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Banff 23yo 1976/2000

Banff 23yo 1976/2000

Vintage, Signatory
Single malt - Speyside
Bright yellow
55.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Lemon zest, white grapes, apples, white pepper, fresh cut grass, kiwifruit, honey, hints of grapefruit. With water, magic marker, apples, lemon zest, fresh cut grass, hints of turmeric, hints of horseradish. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, airy, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Sour sweet. Apples, white pepper, lemon zest, grapefruit, white chocolate, fresh cut grass, hints of cinder toffee, hints of basil. With water, honey, magic marker, fresh cut grass, hints of horseradish. 
Finish: Long. White grapes, white chocolate, fresh cut grass, honey, apples. 

Comments: 

Cask 2249. Spicy and fruity, with some interesting notes of horseradish and turmeric. It’s unusual, maybe it’s old bottle effect, but a very specific one. It’s also quite tart with a sweet finish, magnificent stuff. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Banff 38yo 1975/2013

Banff 38yo 1975/2013

Tantalus, Duncan Taylor
Single malt - Speyside
Bright gold 
49.4% ABV
Dram

Nose: Leather, bananas, meringues, peaches, fresh cut grass, white chocolate, dark chocolate, hints of tobacco leaf. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, loosens, cool, slippery. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Leather, celery, peaches, pineapples, vanilla, bananas, hints of tobacco leaf. 

Finish: Long. White chocolate, dark chocolate, tobacco leaf, leather, meringues. 

Comments: 

Cask 1028. Lovely old Banff, lots of old bottle effect. It’s so leathery the fruity notes are somewhat obscured. But they still come through, and there’s also a lovely white chocolate note, followed by bitter dark chocolate. Very nice, just the sort of old dram I love.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Banff 22yo 1980/2003

Banff 22yo 1980/2003

Vintage, Signatory
Single malt - Speyside
Golden
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Bacon, white grapes, honeydew melon, smoke, cucumber, hints of raisins 
Mouthfeel: Light body, cool, slippery, loosens. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Malted grains, smoke, white grapes, honeydew melon, hints of cloves. 
Finish: Medium. Black tea, honeydew melon, winter melon, smoke, cloves, raisins. 

Comments: 

Cask 2915. This is a meaty Speyside, with more than a little hint of smoke, and a layer of fermentation on the tongue. Other than that, it's loaded with fruity esters and spice. This older style always brings a smile to my face, there's not a lot of this left, and I've been really lucky to taste this.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Banff 24yo 1974/1998

Banff 24yo 1974/1998

Connoisseur's Choice, Gordon & Macphail
Single malt - Speyside
Golden
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Leather, lemon juice, lavender, jasmine, peaches, hints of celery, hints of soy sauce. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, static, loose, airy, cool. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Leather, celery, white grapes, jasmine, hints of peaches. 
Finish: Medium. White tea, white grapes, coffee, raisins, hints of leather. 

Comments: 

There's heaps of old bottle effect in this, with the purported celery note as clear as a bell. I've always associated OBE with old leather, and it's the first time I've found the floral grassiness that many others say exists. What can I say, my palate is growing up. Anyway, the underlying whisky is floral and citrusy, with an alluring bitter sweet finish. This sort of stuff simply isn't made anymore.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Banff 32 yo 1976/2008

Banff 32 yo 1976/2008

Connoisseur's Choice, Gordon & Macphail
Single malt - Speyside
Light gold
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Leather, peat, apple juice, molasses, honey, pears, roses, hints of lemons.
Mouthfeel: Light body, slippery, mouth coating, turns watery.
Tasting: Bitter sour. Apple juice, pears, walnuts, leather, lemons, honey, hints of chocolate, hints of orange blossom.
Finish: Long. Walnuts, pears, molasses, roses, orange blossom.

Comments:

My first Banff! At first sniff tastes a bit old and tired, like it's been sat too long in the bottle. Perhaps even a little understrength. But leave it for a bit, and it develops, tastes tart and bitter but with luscious sweet notes of honey and pears flowing through it. It even becomes floral and citrusy. Very nice indeed. It's a real pleasure to taste a whisky older than I am, sadly gets rarer and more expensive every year.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.