Gordon & MacPhail earlier this year bottled a 1995 vintage from Imperial distillery that was recently demolished. Unlike many other distilleries that are no longer in existence, Imperial has never experienced much attention from enthusiasts, collectors or investors. Partially this is due to the start-stop nature of its history, being overshadowed by neighbours such as Glenfarclas and not having the retail presence of its own range of official single malts.
This sample was kindly provided by the Jolly Toper, so without further ado we’ll highlight the relevant bottle details and then try some tasting notes.
Taste: this is a really light Speyside whisky and one for a summer’s day rather than an evening in November. A tangy edge from the cask with marmalade, fresh vanilla and caramel.
The cask hasn’t brought much to the equation over 19 years and there isn’t anything distinctive happening. It’s a solid enough whisky but with Speyside offering such a huge variety and range of drams being average isn’t enough. Priced competitively you’re forking out for the opportunity to try a departed distillery than anything truly memorable.