Imperial – 1979/2023 43 Year Old Gordon & MacPhail Private Collection Cask 5317 (70cl, 48.7%)

This is a single cask Imperial from Gordon & MacPhail's Private Collection, part of the Recollection Series #2. Imperial was a Speyside distillery that has since been demolished. The whisky was distilled on 16 July 1979 and rested for 43 years in cask 5317, a refill American hogshead, until it was bottled on 12 January 2023. The hogshead gave 133 bottles at a natural cask strength of 48.7%. It is non-chill-filtered, has no added colour and is unpeated. It comes in an oak presentation box. The nose combines ripe green apple, exotic fruit and light ginger, with Sicilian lemon peel, old leather and a touch of marzipan. On the palate come sweet pineapple and dried banana with herbal notes, then grapefruit, Brazil nut and ripe oak. The finish is full and long, with cocoa powder and fresh mint.