THE town of Keith, in the north-east, is now in the Moray Council area, but was traditionally in the county of Banff shire.
Like the former county of Moray, Banff shire has a coastal plain, good for growing grain, and long river valleys stretching south into the Grampian mountains. These draw to themselves much of the rain from the Atlantic, which falls as snow in winter. The melting of the snow in the spring means that there is a steady flow of water in the rivers for much of the year, and this has meant for many years that the area is known for its Scotch whisky distilleries.