Imperial 19 Years Old 1995 Distilery Labels (43%, Gordon & MacPhail, 2014)

• 43% ABV,
• £58.95 for 70cl
• Score: 89/100

What they say:

A 1995 vintage whisky from closed (although rumours are abound of its resurrection) Imperial, bottled by Gordon & Macphail with a retro distillery label.

What I say:

Dram #2 from WOLS tasting 14/3 ‘Age is only a number’ is this sherry-matured expression from the now closed Imperial Distillery in Speyside. Distilled in 1995 and bottled 2014 we were guessing at around 19 years old (so 5 years younger than the 24yo Miltonduff)

Colour:

Red gold

Nose:

Sherry influence, red fruits, strawberry, raspberry, tannic suede leather, wine gums, sweet sugar syrup

Taste:

Waxy and subtle this had a little cereal barley malt and then a lot of strawberries and cream, fruity but sweet and jammy not citric

Finish:

Long sweet and fruity (no sulphur or tannins here) almost dessert-like

Overall:

This is a beautiful Imperial expression from G&M, lightly sherried so that the fruits carry into the creamy maltyness of the Imperial spirit with only a hint of tannins on the nose. One of those whiskies that surprises you and gets better the more you explore.