Imperial 20 Years Old 1997 Licensed Bottling (G&M)

Imperial ceased distilling in 1998 and the buildings at Carron were demolished in 2013, so every remaining bottle draws on spirit laid down before that final silence. Gordon & MacPhail drew this 20 years old release from 1997 spirit for its Licensed Bottling range. It was released for Europe.

Imperial's spirit was light and fruity, the Speyside character built for blending, which is part of why single malt releases stayed uncommon. This bottling matured in an ex-Oloroso sherry butt. Across 20 years, Oloroso is a fully oxidised sherry, so the wood entered the cask loaded with polyphenols and melanoidins, the latter reading as fig and raisin.

Bottled at 43%, the ex-Oloroso wood gives dried fruit and a walnut dryness drawn from its tannins, with a leather and cocoa edge from slow oxidation. Recorded bottle notes run to a sweaty note. Imperial's esters persist underneath as stewed orchard fruit, into a dry, nutty finish.