Imperial 25 Years Old 1995 Cask #7861 (Elixir)

Imperial was a Speyside distillery at Carron that fell silent for the last time in 1998 and was demolished in 2013, which caps its single malt at whatever was already in cask. This single cask was filled in 1995 and bottled by Elixir Distillers at 25 years old, for its The Single Malts of Scotland range. Single cask number 7861 yielded 185 bottles, released for Belgium.

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 ex-Bourbon American oak. Across 25 years, the toasted staves released vanillin, which reads as vanilla, and oak lactones, which carry coconut, while the cask char filtered heavier sulphur notes from the spirit.

Bottled at its natural cask strength of 54%, without dilution, the ex-Bourbon wood supplies furfural for toasted almond, eugenol for clove and warm spice, and maltol for a soft toffee sweetness. Recorded bottle notes run to fresh orchard fruit and honey. The long maturation draws tannins from the oak, drying the finish into clean wood.