Imperial 18 Years Old 1993 Distillery Labels (43%, Gordon & MacPhail, 2011)

• Speyside single malt scotch whisky
• 43% ABV, ~ £45 for 70cl
• Score: 87/100

What they say:

Colour: Golden amber.

WITHOUT WATER: Nose: Initially creamy, perfumed and fresh. Followed with hints of fudge, cooked fruit, and toasted malt. Palate: Starts off vary peppery with a slight bitterness (dark chocolate) and mouth coating. Followed by some spicy notes with hints of dates and liquorice.

WITH WATER: Nose: Fresh with hints of perfume and potpourri (fresh flowers). Vanilla and toasted malt elements linger. Palate: Continues to be peppery with hints of paprika. A Creamy bitterness with hints of coffee beans and dried fruits (figs).
Body: Medium.

Finish: Medium.

Cask Type(s): 1st fill Sherry Butts.

Whisky Style: Speysider – fresh and flavoursome

What I say:

Dram #3 from Thomas McEntee’s Imperial Tasting for the Water Of Life Society held on 12th March 2015. From the Gordon & MacPhail Distillery Labels range is this Imperial expression distilled in 1993 and bottled in 2011 after ~ 18 years maturation in 1st fill sherry butts. A slightly younger version of the Imperial we tasted here: Imperial 19 Years Old 1995 ~43% (Gordon & MacPhail)

Colour:

Dark copper/ruby amber (11/20), quick/fast flowing medium sized tears

Nose:

Orange zest, supple new leather – like at shop ready for crafting, zesty and fruity citrus, jelly babies, lemon, orange, raspberry, strawberry a real fruit mixture – but still refreshing and individually identifiable within that mixture.

Taste:

Zesty and creamy, orange oil, smooth and creamy vanilla, brown sugar, lemon and orange segments/jelly slices (the kind I associate with Christmas time) grapefruit zest, caramel and toffee, butterscotch and fudge, oak wood

Finish:

Medium length, zesty fruit mellows into caramel oak and butterscotch

Overall:

Fruity and zesty, this sherried Imperial expression had the potential to be my favourite of the tasting, on serial dramming however I noticed a tendency for a little eucalyptus oil and menthol to creep into the finish though it wasn’t strong enough for me to find it unpleasing.