Banffshire Centenary Blended Malt Brings Together 28 Distilleries

The county of Banffshire in Scotland is home to some 28 working Scotch distilleries, who apparently have decided to collaborate on a special limited edition whisky known as the Banffshire Centenary Blended Malt. Only 40 bottles will reportedly ever be made available.

Why have so many distilleries, including the likes of Glenfiddich and Balvenie, pulled together to offer into the blend a range of expressions dating back as far as 1995? To help raise funds for what’s called the NFUS Centenary Trust. This entity, the National Farmers Union of Scotland, is celebrating 100 years of existence apparently and its local chapter in Banffshire teamed with the keepers of the malt in the surrounding area not only to celebrate the anniversary but also to mark the bond between distilling and farming and help raise awareness around the “loss of knowledge among most of the population about the origins of their food and the countryside.”

It is rare indeed to have so many distillers working together on such a project, with the only other known example of such an area blend coming from the Isle of Islay. For the Banffshire Centenary Blended Malt just a liter of whisky was collected from each of the distilleries into a special cask over a two day period.

Bottled at 50% ABV, tasting notes from those involved in this unique undertaking indicate a mature, mellow offering that opens on “barley and breakfast cereal intertwining wonderfully with freshly picked summer flowers. Then, given time and appreciation, the vanilla sweet oak offers crème brûlée, hazelnut, digestive biscuits and syrup drizzled almonds…the taste buds are loving the flavours of soft fruits; apricot, pear stewed apple, candied almonds, cherries and honey and marzipan cake.”

Now, if this all sounds appealing to you, getting hold of a bottle might very well be tough initially. The first two bottles being released will be auctioned at a special dinner, while most of the rest will be released in auction and sealed offer formats between now and September. No price was made known as of yet, but expect it to be a pricey Scotch.