Imperial 1995-2014 - 18 Year Old - Signatory Vintage Cask Strength Collection - Cask 50143-50144

Originally founded in 1897, Imperial was a Speyside distillery that enjoyed only sporadic production. Imperial was owned for most of its lifetime by Diageo forerunner Scottish Malt Distillers, who only operated it between 1955-1985. Imperial was sold in 1989 to Allied Distillers, who briefly restarted production but mothballed it again in 1998. Allied Distillers were taken over in 2005 by Pernod Ricard, who demolished Imperial in 2013 to make way for the construction of the enormous Dalmunach distillery. 

Imperial was never officially bottled as a single malt during its lifetime, although Allied did a rather mediocre official 15-year-old around the turn of the millennium with the distillery already in mothballs. The best Imperial single malts are older vintage independent bottlings from Cadenhead’s and Douglas Laing, and more recent editions from Signatory, the SMWS and Elixir Distillers.

Signatory Vintage Whisky Company was founded by Andrew Symington in 1988 after a spell as assistant manager at the Prestonfield House Hotel, where he had the opportunity to buy a cask of Glenlivet 1968. A robust and canny businessman, Symington had soon acquired some outstanding parcels of casks from great distilleries, and quickly established a reputation among single malt fans for good value, high quality single casks, the majority of which were released at full strength.

Throughout the 1990s and beyond, Signatory released outstanding whisky from Ardbeg, Glenfarclas, Springbank and many more, with frequently remarkable examples of lost or obscure distilleries. Soon established as one of the leading new wave independent bottlers, Symington was also an early exponent of bottling whiskies without colouring or chill filtration, a policy that has also served Signatory well at their Edradour distillery, which was purchased in 2002.