IMPERIAL

The Imperial distillery has a turbulent history. It has spent as much time closed as it has in operation. Founded in 1897, it first began distilling its whisky in the summer of 1898. Yet from 1899 to 1954, it was only in production for a total of eight years. It then very quickly fell into the hands of the Distillers Company Ltd, where the entirety of its production was used in blends, including Teachers, Long John and Ballantine’s. Once again mothballed between 1985 and 1989, and then again in 1998 to 2000, it is now permanently closed. Only one official version of its single malt was bottled, the Imperial 15 Year Old.