Imperial 10 Years Old 1998

Speyside single malt scotch whisky

53.6% ABV, £55 at auction see Whisky Auctioneer item

Score: 83/100

What they say:

An Imperial selected by the Editor of Whisky Magazine and bottled by Duncan Taylor. Distilled in November 1998 and bottled in February 2009 from a single American hogshead, aged 10 years old at 53.6% ABV cask strength. Bottle number 29 of 252.

The Whisky

From the carefully selected stocks of Duncan Taylor & Co. Ltd, Whisky Magazine’s Independent Bottler of the Year 2009, we are proud to offer this commemorative bottling of 10 year old whisky. Distilled at the mothballed Imperial Distillery, in the heart of Speyside, the distillery nestles on the banks of the Spey river. Matured in an American oak hogshead cask, this is a wonderful expression of this rare whisky.

Tasting Note

Nose: Herbal, autumn leaves, wet cotton, sharp green fruits, lemon and cream, a little coconut and toasted marshmallow.

Palate: Cream and big green fruit notes with a little sweet wood at the end. Rich with oils and a great mouthfeel.

Finish: A restorative dram. Keeps entertaining with waves of sweetness.

What I say:

Dram #5 from Thomas McEntee’s Imperial Tasting for the Water Of Life Society held on 12th March 2015. A cask strength 10 year old Imperial expression, specially selected by Whisky Magazine from their Independent bottler of the Year 2009; Duncan Taylor & Co. Ltd.

Colour:

18 carat gold (8/20), fast-moving medium-sized tears

Nose:

Vanilla cream and custard, acetone/nail polish remover, cereal barley flour/grist, light grassy aroma, honey, fruity and estery, caramel, cooking/bramley apples, pine sap and cider vinegar

Taste:

Creamy vanilla and honey, almost greek yoghurt & honey, fruity and zesty, orange oil, some spiced pepper and cinnamon, raw cooking apple/bramley apple, caramel oak wood.

Finish:

Short and sour, woody oak, citrus lime, soor plum and rosey apple sweeties

Overall:

I found this expression quite short and simple, a little sour with unripe/green fruit and some green/virgin oak