Where have the days gone, when one could try Banff every evening? Oh! that's right, it was never so.
Tonight, we are revisiting an old friend. A friend we have not tried for two-and-a-half years to the day.
A friend we first met in 2011, before this blog existed and before anyone realised that Whisky Show was spelled with no definite article. Fred Laing had what seemed like the best stall at the festival, that year, with, amongst other goodies, a 19yo Littlemill, and this. Neither called for tokens; they were just there for all to try. I fell in love with both, and was particularly impressed by this Banff, entranced by its smell of Chaumes rind. That note has not been very pronounced since, making me wonder if, perhaps, I had forgotten to brush my teeth, that day. Let us see.
Banff 35yo 1975/2011 (42.4%, Douglas Laing An Old & Rare Platinum Selection, 158b, b#149): nose: phwoar! The depth of this is remarkable. Wood varnish, lacquered wood, precious wood -- it is akin to setting foot in an antique shop: elegant, noble, never planky. It has a layer of sherried notes too, which is surprising; although the cask is not specified, it is relatively safe to assume a Bourbon barrel: Douglas Laing tend to indicate a sherry cask. Polished dashboards, drinks cabinets, perhaps a touch of rancio, then, at last and very faint, washed-rind cheese. Gentle fruit emerges from the cheese board, with elderberry and redcurrant alongside fresh fig, mutating into dunnage warehouse, with its dust-dry clay floor, syrup-and-lichen-covered staves and boozy vapours in the musty air. If searching for it, one might find a mustard-y note too; honey mustard, spread on a cheese-and-pineapple toastie. Those currants, however... Very seductive! Mouth: sweeter than I remembered it, the elderberry and currant lead the way on the palate, dampened with a drop of teak oil, though the woody notes of the nose are nigh-on absent. Elderberry dominates, rich, sweet and a tad acidic, followed by a bitterer lichen-y touch that is well pleasant indeed. A spoonful of manuka honey, caramelising in a sauce pan, a pinch of discreet spices (mustard powder, wasabi, asa foetida) and fig paste complete the picture. The texture is silky, as may be expected from something at this naturally-lowish strength. Finish: wonderfully laced with a hefty dose of elderberry cordial, the finish lasts forever, bringing wave after wave of dark fruits, both fresh and dry: elderberries, of course, but also currants, figs, prunes accompanied by caramelised plantain slices and caramelised pineapple slices. There is more bitterness here than in the mouth, with anecdotal cucumber peel and the buff rind of Ossau-Iraty, served with fig jam for balance. Towards the death, Chaumes rind appears, fleeting, yet oh! so present. Repeated sipping brings a slight numbness to the gums and a dry grassiness to the gob, perhaps hay bales or straw. Incidentally, straw was used in the Chaumes ads from the 1990s. What a wonderful drop. It is rather different from my original memories, but displays the same level of quality every time. I feel stingy for scoring it so low. 9/10
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