Imperial 1996 JWC

Imperial Distillery was a single malt Scotch whisky producer located in Carron, Speyside, Scotland. Founded in 1897 by Thomas Mackenzie during the late Victorian whisky boom, the distillery experienced a tumultuous century of intermittent operation until its final closure in 1998. Throughout its existence, Imperial was mothballed and reopened multiple times (1925, 1955, 1989, 1998) due to economic downturns and changing market conditions, earning it a reputation as one of Speyside's most troubled distilleries. The only widely recognized official bottling was a 15-year-old expression released in the mid-1990s as part of Diageo's Flora & Fauna series, though a few rare distillery editions exist. The distillery was demolished in 2013, and in 2015, Chivas Brothers (Pernod Ricard) completed the state-of-the-art Dalmunach Distillery on the same site. Today, Imperial whiskies are highly sought-after collector's items, prized for their rarity and representation of a 'lost distillery' from Speyside's golden era.