Imperial 19 Year Old 1995 Cask Strength Collection (54.6%, Signatory, Cask #50164, 273 Bottles, 2015)

• Category: Speyside single malt scotch whisky
• Origin: Imperial Distillery
• Bottling: Signatory Cask Strength Collection, Cask 50164
• ABV: 54.6%
• Cost: £81.45
• Score: 89/100

What they say:

Distilled on 21/08/1995 at the Imperial Distillery in Speyside, this has matured for over 19 Years in Hogshead 50164 before bottling on 06/03/2015 at cask strength of 54.6% ABV and giving 273 bottles at outturn.

What I say:

The Imperial Distillery in Speyside is now long gone and the magnificent Dalmunach Distillery has risen in its place. This here is soon to be a piece of history, a single cask example from 1995, matured for 19 years in Hogshead 50164 before bottling at cask strength by Signatory in 2015.

Colour:

Refractive Eiswein gold (7/20) small-medium sized rounded droplets leave tapered legs.

Nose:

Bright and refreshing, vanilla and custard cream biscuits, vanilla Danish pastries, slightly sickly sweet, icing sugar and egg custard, cereal barley flour, some hints of citrus sweet lemon and lime, custard apple, oak laminate flooring.

Taste:

Vanilla-heavy crème brulee, richer and more brown sugar on the palate than the nose suggests, biscuit and malty cereal barley, citrus zing with lemon, grapefruit and orange, touch of apple and pear juice too – quite crisp and refreshing, creamed coconut and toffee with a hint of nut brittle.

Finish:

Medium, spiced cinnamon powder and grapefruit zest – quite sharp like citric sherbet

Overall:

Bright, crisp and sharp – what better descriptives could I look for when describing this single cask example? Eludes to its age with a depth and complexity but still some distillery character shines through, so not over-oaked! Packed full of cereals with a  touch of citrus zest and a healthy dollop of vanilla.