Imperial 30 y.o. 1994 30 years of friendship

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 41.1% | Chill filtration: Yes | Colouring: No

Special Features:

Limited to 150 bottles, this anniversary release celebrates the 30-year friendship between Sukhinder Singh of Elixir Distillers and Thierry Bénitah of La Maison du Whisky with a 30-year-old Imperial single malt. Distilled on 22 August 1994, the whisky matured in refill bourbon barrels 5868 and 5870. Elixir Distillers bottled it on 16 April 2025 at 41.1% for the Collection Itinéraires.

The whisky spans a broad spectrum from floral, waxy and ripe-fruit notes through green herbs and malt to honey and delicate pastries.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: The nose opens fresh and delicate with a green chlorophyll note, Williams pear, vanilla, cut hay and sage. With air, ginger, cardamom, lemon peel, pineapple and banana emerge, while jasmine, peony, a waxy note, delicate honeyed sweetness, apricot and guava deepen its floral and ripe-fruit character.
• Palate: The whisky is direct and refined on the palate. Lemon and vanilla lead into white beans and courgette blossoms, followed by delicate malt grains and lavender honey. Apricot, guava, creamy vanilla and caramel add further layers, while cardamom and herbal tea provide spicy and herbaceous accents.
• Finish: The finish is medium in length, full and elegant. Coconut and almond combine with fennel and verbena before flan, semolina cake, lemon tart and acacia honey introduce a pastry-like character. Yellow fruits, basil and warm honey keep the aftertaste fruity and herbaceous.

Distillery/Bottler:

Thomas MacKenzie founded the Imperial Distillery in 1897, the year of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee. Its first brief period of production was followed by several lengthy closures during the 20th century. Allied Distillers reopened the distillery in 1991; it closed again in 1998 and was demolished in 2013. The Dalmunach Distillery, which opened in 2015, now occupies the site.

Elixir Distillers handled the bottling of this Imperial single malt. Sukhinder Singh, who founded The Whisky Exchange with his brother in 1999, and Thierry Bénitah, head of La Maison du Whisky, which was founded in 1956, launched the edition together to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their friendship and their longstanding connection within the whisky industry.

Facts: