An imperial sequel


July 9, 2024

An imperial sequel

Nothing to do with the British crown, right? Well, as a result, we felt guilty about keeping so many undrunk Imperials in the sample library, especially since we had already taken so long previously. So, we are going to add two or three more, but we’ll go quiiiickly...

Imperial 23 yo 1995/2019 (45.2%, The Whisky Exchange ‘The Magic of The Cask’, refill bourbon barrel, cask #7896, 125 bottles)

One that Angus already liked a lot. I think the label was working with UV, I hope that’s not the case with the whisky. Colour: straw. Nose: full of mandarins, orange zests, green melons, plus acacia honey and whiffs of butterfly lavender. Touch of paraffin. All perfect. Mouth: sweets, cream eggs, pink grapefruits, lemon drops, then white pepper and a touch of turmeric. A few touches of eucalyptus syrup and citron liqueur. Finish: medium length, more paraffin and candlewax, plus white peaches. A very delicate touch of violet liqueur, I mean proper violet liqueur, not ‘parfait amour’. There’s no perfect love anyway, is there? Of course there is (you never know who’s reading your blog…) Comments: certainly one of my favourites.
SGP:651 - 89 points.

Remember that excellent ‘licensed’ Imperial from G&M’s?

Imperial 18 yo 1995/2014 (43%, Gordon & MacPhail, licensed bottling, AD/JFGD)

One day we’ll publish something again about ‘how to read G&M codes’. Colour: gold. Nose: very beautiful, very delicate, between a young Chardonnay from Burgundy and white asparagus, then more lemon. Much fresher, fruitier, and less marked by the casks than the 1979 from the last session. Whiffs of honeysuckle and wisteria. Mouth: one of the best ‘licensed bottlings’ of G&M, yet one of the least known. This time we’re on all types of oranges, in all their forms, particularly as simple juice. Also a bit of Earl Grey and, once again, a hint of lavender. Not the lavender of 1980s B., mind you. Finish: medium length but very well balanced. Orange cake, biscuits, some grated zest and chen-pi (dried and aged mandarin peels, a marvel). Comments: perfect classicism, and it goes down so easily. The base is very close to TWE’s ‘UV’.
SGP:651 - 88 points.

Imperial 25 yo 1995/2021 (50.1%, The Whisky Exchange, cask #7845, bourbon barrel, 165 bottles)

One either likes it or not when bottlers add tasting notes on their labels. In this case, they mention pineapple. So off we go on a pineapple hunt... Although it’s possible Mr Abbott wrote these notes on the label, and we know that Mr Abbott is an excellent taster. Colour: straw. Nose: we remain on our course, after all it’s another 1995, with citrus, melon, light honeys, a touch of chalk, young Chardonnay, a bit of paraffin and, drumroll please, apple juice with a few drops of pineapple juice. Indeed. Mouth: classic Imperial, very fruity, tight, a bit nervy, refreshing, with beeswax, apricots, pink grapefruit... and fresh pineapple. Mind you, Victoria pineapples, not pineapple candies or liqueurs. Finish: long with a bit of lemonade and blood orange. Lovely green pepper in the aftertaste. Comments: it seems we have a tight-knit group today.
SGP:651 - 88 points.

Alright, we’re changing vintages for the last one. Just barely...

Imperial 23 yo 1996/2019 (48.3%, The Single Malts of Scotland, Belgium exclusive, bourbon barrel, cask #18, 129 bottles)

A bottling for The Nectar. Colour: white wine. Nose: it seems there was a bit of peat in the previous cask content, but it’s discreet and delicate, a bit like HP. Besides that, green apples, citrus, green apples, citrus, green apples, citrus... We love both. A slight waxy touch that reminds us of that famous distillery from Sutherland that starts with a ‘C’. Cardhu is not in Sutherland. Mouth: same impressions, a bit of peat and an unusual medicinal salinity for Imperial, but it works. Green apples, citrus, ashes, green apples, citrus, ashes, green apples, citrus, ashes... and some beeswax. Nothing to add. Finish: same. It’s excellent, salty, ashy, lemony, waxy. Comments: you might say it’s the effect of the vintage.
SGP:552 - 87 points.

We’re changing vintages again… It’s important to remember that Imperial was closed in 1998 and demolished in 2013. How could anyone demolish such a distillery...

Imperial 24 yo 1994/2019 (43.8%, The Single Malts of Scotland, barrel, cask #5869, 178 bottles)

They really released some remarkable Imperial series at TSMOS/Elixir. Colour: white wine. Nose: completely different, with Swiss cheese, a few gym socks, fruit purée and notes of white beer. I find this nose debatable, in the sense that ‘one can discuss it’. Well, you see. Mouth: back to the lighter citrus, cane syrup, but also a slightly salty and ‘dirty’ side. Almost basaltic. On the other hand, these flavours add complexity to this Imperial. One can discuss it... Finish: medium length, cleaner, fruity, honeyed, but with a touch of cream cheese at the end. Comments: one could discuss this endlessly. That's not our point today.
SGP:561 - 85 points.

We’re really going to stop this madness with the next one, I promise you, but we’re going back to 1995...

Imperial 19 yo 1995/2015 (46%, Signatory Vintage, Un-Chillfiltered Collection, hogshead, cask #50204-205)

It was really great when Signatory launched this collection, you’d buy 6 or 12 at random, then open them to discover their higher highs and their few... lows. The prices were very reasonable, you see. Colour: white wine. Nose: very nice, with apples smoked with fir and beech woods. Or something like that. In the background, that beeswax we’ve encountered many times in these Clyne... I mean Imperials. Lovely notes of fresh bread and croissants too. Mouth: beer, praline, malt, cappuccino, chestnut honey, and again that slightly smoky side. It’s really maltier and smokier than the others, even more so than TSMOS’s for Belgium. Finish: long, with apples, ashes, cider, and sweet beer. A bit of toffee and Toblerone in the aftertaste. Comments: a bit less ‘neat and tidy’ than most of the others, but perhaps also more ‘fun’.
SGP:541 - 86 points.

I will add in conclusion that it is rather exhausting to conduct a near-horizontal tasting like this, and perhaps that was noticeable. We will try not to do it too often (does he say, already thinking about the next one).

We’re done, hasta luego.

(Thank you, Tom, and Whisky Bibliothek!)

Check the index of all Imperial we've tasted so far