Imperial

The Imperial distillery was located in the village of Carron in the famous Speyside region of Scotland and produced a single malt whisky.

Founded in 1897, it was named in honour of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee.

The distillery closed in 1998 and was demolished in 2013. The site is now home to Dalmunach distillery.

In later years the whisky was sweet, fruity and woody but earlier bottlings had a hint of smoke, thanks to the use of peat in the malting process.

Imperial was capable of producing 1.6 million litres per year.

The pot stills were large and pear-shaped. Some say their size was a factor in the distillery's closure. You either made a lot of spirit or no spirit. There was no flexibility.  

Imperial provided its own malt using traditional floor maltings until 1965 when Saladin boxes were installed. These large rectangular containers mechanised the labour-intensive job of turning the barley. Each box was equipped with vertical screws that hung from a crossbar. As the crossbar slid up and down the box, the screws raked and turned the grain. In doing so, they prevented the sprouting roots from becoming tangled. 

Most of Imperial’s whisky was sold to blenders. It was a major component in Teacher’s and Ballantine’s blended Scotch whiskies. The only official single malt was a 15-year-old released in the mid-'90s. 

Some casks of single malt were bottled by independent bottlers like Gordon & Macphail and Signatory Vintage.

The majority of spirit was matured in American oak casks that previously held bourbon whiskey. However, some sherry casks were used for their single malts. 

Imperial distillery was built during the Victorian whisky boom. Construction began in 1897, the year of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee and the distillery was named in her honour.

Imperial was established by Thomas MacKenzie, owner of Dailuaine and Talisker distilleries. It operated for just two years before the effects of The Pattison Crash brought production to a halt.

The Pattisons were blenders of Scotch whisky based in Edinburgh. Their shady business practices saw them declared bankrupt and jailed for fraud, but their unpaid debts had a dramatic effect on the industry. Boom turned to bust and several distilleries were forced to close.

Imperial lay dormant until 1919 when it was reopened by DCL. Difficulties with effluent waste disposal made the distillery more trouble than it was worth to the new owners. Production ceased in 1925, though the malt floor remained in use.

In 1955, DCL decided to reopen. By then the effluent waste problem had been resolved. It was discovered that waste products like draff and pot ale could be dried and made into animal feed for local farmers.

Imperial operated continuously until the mid-'80s when another industry slump saw it closed again. In 1989 it was sold to Allied Distillers who resumed production but only for a short time. The distillery closed for the final time in 1998.

Allied was bought over by Pernod Ricard. Rather than reopen, however, the new owners decided to demolish and start again. Since 2015, the location has been home to Dalmunach, a distillery capable of producing 10 million litres per annum.

Only limited stocks of Imperial whisky remain in existence. What little makes its way to market tends to be well-aged and bottled at full cask strength.