There is absolutely no shortage of whisky, these days. We’re knocking on at roughly 140 distilleries in Scotland today, and more are still to come. In 4 or 5 years’ time, IF (big if, here) every distillery currently in various stages of planning or construction will actually see the light of day, half of all distilleries in Scotland will have been built in the 21st Century. I’m not going to bang on about how far more spirit is being produced than actually bought, let alone consumed, at the moment, but it seems we’re heading for a loch that could well house a whole extended family of Nessies.
Much in the same way that trying those first whiskies from young and new distilleries would give us something of a thrill – literally having the privilege to witness whisky genesis 2.0, I tend to feel excitement when given the chance to try something from a distillery that’s no longer active, or even completely vanished. It’s a similar sort of eagerness and anticipation, but from the complete opposite side of the spectrum. The former is about seeing what these new kids will bring to the party, knowing that if you find one that ticks your boxes, it’ll be a an interesting and wonderful journey to learn and discover where they will take things and how things will pan out in times to come. The latter gives you the opportunity to try something that’s inevitably increasingly rare, as with every sip you take there will be less and less of it available.
In a way, getting your hands on something that is no longer being made, tends to give it an aura of superiority, much in the same way like a star is at its brightest when it becomes a supernova and is actually already gone.
We tend to revere what is rare and what’s no longer there, often with good cause. But always should we beg the question: just because it’s rare, does it mean it’s worth going the extra mile for? Be it financially or by putting in the time and effort to retrieve it? Bear the occasional official release from those owning the brand/stock/name/… of a long gone distillery, our best chances are, yet again, I dare add, indie bottlers. Much in the same way some active distilleries will have a stronger appeal than others (Springbank vs., say, Tamnavulin, anyone?), not every closed distillery will be as desirable as the Brora’s, Port Ellens and Rosebanks of the world. And while it’s hard to put a pin on the exact amount of the stock that is still available of any given closed distillery, ( as probably no one knows just exactly how much casks, let alone bottles are stashed away in various warehouses and vaults in Scotland and beyond), the aura, desirability and price tag will likely be determined by reputation, and, as a consequence, hype and possibly mythification. Much in the same way these things tend to go with operating distilleries.
Signatory Vintage Imperial 22 yo (1995-2017). Hogshead matured, 53.1% ABV. Bottled for the nectar, 219 bottles. Secondary market only (roughly €250 to €350).
The story of Imperial is probably quite well know, so I’ll just summarize things briefly in case you ‘re not familiar.
Named ’Imperial’ as it was built in 1897, the same year as Victoria’s 60th anniversary /diamond jubilee as queen of England. And arguably, it’s been one of the most unfortunate distilleries in a long list of unfortunate distilleries. For starters, it was built at the wrong time. By the end of the 19th century, the first big wave of whisky had more or less passed with a stagnating market looking to decrease further still. And when it did open its doors, just around the corner lied the Pattison Crash. Subsequently, Imperial was mothballed in 1899, to eventually be sold on to Diageo’s predecessor DCL who reopened its doors in 1919. 6 years later, DCL merged with Scottish Malt Distilleries, and again the distillery was mothballed - this time for a full 3 decades even.
The sixties brought new prospects as whisky was, once again, booming. The dust was blown off the stills, saladin maltings were installed and the production capacity increased with two new stills. For the first time since its opening more than half a century earlier, things were looking bright indeed. For a full two decades, Imperial did what it was meant to do, until the loch of the 80’s hit the industry and hit it hard. Mothballed and sold on yet another time, this time to Allied Distillers in 1989, who, in 1991, put life back into it for the 4th time, only to shut it down again in 1998. A final glimmer of hope -when Chivas bought Allied in 2005 – at the dawn of the current boom, but it wasn’t meant to be. Rather than giving Imperial another change, Chivas decided to tear the place down in 2013 to build a brand new one on its foundations instead: where once stood Imperial, now stands Dalmunach.
(Imperial Distillery. Note the crown on top of the malting building... photo credit Scotch.com)
Obviously, as time progresses, prices for bottles from closed distilleries will - almost inevitably – creep up, for reasons explained above. And while Imperial never gained something even resembling ‘Brora status’, it seems to have become one of those ‘if you know, you know’ distilleries, appealing to many enthusiasts with its gentle, slightly creamy, soft spirit character. While arguably relatively affordable compared to anything with the words ‘Port’ and ‘Ellen’ on it, still I found the price tag of this one to be already quite deer. Cue my inner cheapskate to come to the rescue with the always reliable ‘TRY BEFORE YOU BUY’ motto. But how? And where?
Cue whisky festivals! Long live whisky festivals! Any half decent, self-respecting festival will have at least 1 stand where you can slow down and indulge in old, rare, or otherwise hard-to-come-by whisky. if it’s a pay per dram sort of event, you’ll be parting with some of your cash, no doubt, but nowhere near of what you’d pay for a full bottle. Also, given the many dangers and pitfalls of these events when it comes to the over consumption of strong liquor, forking out for some rare and expensive stuff is a very valid strategy from preventing just that. You’ll drink less, and you’ll drink slow. Pretty much guaranteed!
This particular sample I picked up at a local festival a while ago. It wasn’t cheap, but by no means ridiculously expensive, and because I was already a few drams in, I was pretty convinced that I wouldn’t get the most out of the experience if I had sipped it then and there. Luckily, the festival allowed for empty sample bottles to be filled up (a very sensible policy to again avoid over consumption, which unfortunately isn’t always a given these days) and I took it home to be enjoyed later. As it turns out ‘later’ meant ‘last weekend’. Which brings us to the actual review.
Nose
Fruity, but with a ‘funky’ twist to it, like a wet cellar or a basement note. A fungi – like umami note as well. Give it time though, and this mostly diminishes as things open up (possibly some OBE here? Or some other exterior factor impacting the sample?). The funk doesn’t entirely disappear, but is now happy pals with clear and obvious fruit notes – melon, kiwi, avocado, … with a creamy – lactic note rounding things of nicely. It may be 22 years old whisky, and it definitely has depth’ suggesting a decent and respectable age statement, but it doesn’t ‘suggest’ 22 years of maturation in an oak vessel. Refill hoggie here?
Palate
Fizzy arrival. Pleasantly fruity, and there’s subtle sweetness countered by an equally subtle hint of wood and wood spice. A medium-full texture, with a pleasant mixture of ginger and pepper all the way at the back of the palate. Little to nothing now in terms of that funky – umami note I got on the nose. A somewhat delicate dram overall.
Finish
Sweet and spicy (more wood than pepper).
Final thoughts
Subtle and delicate, but also busy . Overall a very, very decent dram, and I’m well pleased to have tried it, but let’s conclude with saying I don’t mind not having to cough up the price for a full bottle on secondary. If you never tried something like this, it reminds me – if only a bit – of something sitting halfway between Kilkerran 12 and a bourbon cask matured Glencadam. Good, as said, but in my opinion not exceptional and it would definitely struggle to even remotely merit the asking prices of today.
Next week, another closed and gone distillery and arguably one to keep an eye out for as well...
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