Imperial 1995 (Signatory) Review

“The Emperor is Dead, Long Live the Emperor”

Country: Scotland

Region: Speyside

Brand: Imperial 1995 (Signatory Vintage - Cask Strength Selection)

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: 16 Years

ABV: 57.8 % 

Colour: Golden Sunlight

Nose: The Alcohol is quite strong so make sure you give this Imperial sufficient time in the glass. The Imperial is Malty and Fruity with Sweet Barley, Butter Kekse, Vanilla, Bee Wax, Toffee, Nuts, Oak, Mango, Pineapple, Nectarine, Red Apple, Melon, Mint and Floral notes. Traces of Bourbon, Ashes and Lemon.

Palate: Strong Delivery thanks to the high ABV. Quite Spicy as well. Less Sweet than the Nose would suggest. I find Sweet Barley, Butter Kekse, Bee Wax, Oak, Nuts, Vanilla, Orange, Nectarine, Licorice, Pepper and Ginger. Traces of Bourbon and Tobacco.

Finish: Too short. It's quite clearly the weakest part of this Imperial. It's Sweet, Spicy and quite Dry towards the end. I find Sweet Barley, Orange, Nectarine, Lemon, Vanilla, Oak, Nuts, light Bourbon, Licorice, Aniseed and Pepper.   

I only had a small sample to begin with and unfortunately I managed to spill most of it over the floor.  So there wasn't enough left to try it with Water as well. Sorry about that!  

Rating: 86

Nose: 22 - Taste: 21.5 - Finish: 21 - Overall: 21.5

General Remarks: The Imperial Distillery was founded in 1897 as a sort of back up to nearby Dailuaine. It already stopped production after 1 year and remained closed until 1919. It was bought by DCL but closed once more in 1925 only to start up again in 1955. In 1965, the production capacity was doubled using Stills that are among the largest in the Speyside area. This made the Distillery quite vulnerable in times of over-supply or lacking demand and in 1985 it closed yet again. Production started again in 1991 but in 1998 the final curtain fell. In 2005, the distillery was bought by Chivas (Pernod Ricard) only to be demolished in 2013. The distillery was located in Carron, four miles South-West of Aberlour.    

The Imperial 1995 I'm tasting today was distilled on the 9th of October 1995 and matured in 2 Hogsheads with Cask # 50322 and 50323. It was bottled without Chill Filtration and at Cask Strength on the 29th of March 2012 by Indie bottler Signatory. This Imperial is naturally coloured. It won't be easy to find and I expect the price to be around 85 US Dollars (September 2015). Samples can still be bought at Master of Malt though.

Signatory Vintage Scotch Whisky Co.Ltd. is an independent bottler, founded in 1988 by Andrew - and Brian Symington. In 2002 they bought the Edradour Distillery.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good.

Conclusion: I wasn't familiar with this Distillery until now and once more, like with the 1993 Tamnavulin I tasted last week, I'm pleasantly surprised. What a pity this Distillery stopped production. Again, the Barley surprises in a positive way and I believe that the Imperial would be a great ingredient for Blends while it holds its ground as a Single Malt as well. A pity that the Finish is too Short. It would also benefit from a slightly lower ABV. Still, I scored the Imperial higher than the Tamnavulin because the latter lacks sufficient balance. The Imperial is better in that respect. Interesting distillery. Will try to find samples of other expressions!

Jan van den Ende                                                            September 21, 2015

Allt-A-Bhainne 1991 Signatory Review

“A Question of Balance”

Country: Scotland

Region: Speyside

Brand: Allt-A-Bhainne 1991 (Signatory Vintage) - Cask Strength Selection

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: 21 Years

ABV: 55 % 

Colour: Light Gold

Nose: Sweet Ripe Fruit like Mango and Pineapple. But also the specific Dutch treat "Beschuit Met Muisjes" (See Picture Below). It's a sort of Crispy Biscuit with Aniseed Topping. It's mainly served to celebrate the birth of a Son (Blue and White) or Daughter (Pink and White). Some Honey and Vanilla as well. The Alcohol is not totally integrated and stings a bit so be sure to give this Malt time to open up. With time, the Pineapple gets stronger and stronger and is now accompanied by Banana Ice Cream, Bread Dough and Orange. I'm not quite convinced by the Quality of the Cask. In all those long 21 years, it did not add a lot to the Aroma of the Spirit. Bitter Almonds mostly. This Bitterness and the Alcohol spoil some of the Nosing fun I'm afraid. A pity really! 

Beschuit Met Muisjes

Palate: Less Sweet than I expected after the Nose. Quite Punchy and Herbal actually. I find Orange Juice, Lemon, Herbal Tea, Vanilla, Banana, Mango, Oak, Caramel/Toffee, Honey, Pepper and Cinnamon. A hint of Tobacco as well.

Finish: Long, Sweet, Sour, Spicy and, unfortunately, quite Bitter towards the end with Malt, Orange (Juice), Toffee, Banana, Lemon, Honey, Heather, Grass, Oak and Herbal Tea.

With a bit of Water the Alcohol retreats of course and that's a good thing. On the Palate and in the Finish, Spices and Herbs starts to dominate. My advise is to Nose and Taste this Allt-A-Bhainne both Neat and with a bit of Water.

Rating: 84

Nose: 21.5 - Taste: 20.5 - Finish: 21 - Overall: 21

The Allt-A-Bhainne Distillery!

General Remarks: This Allt-A-Bhainne was distilled on the 9th of July 1991 and was bottled on the 6th of October 2012. It matured in a Ex-Bourbon Hogshead (#90114). All Casks for the Cask Strength Selection Series are individually selected and bottled by Signatory Vintage Scotch Whisky Co.Ltd, from Pitlochry, Scotland. This particular Allt-A-Bhainne costs around 100 US Dollars. This recent distillery was founded in 1975 by Chivas Brothers, bought by Pernod Ricard in 2001. Most of the spirit goes into Blends, some is bottled as Single Malt under the name Deerstalker and some casks are bought by Independent bottlers.

Signatory Vintage Scotch Whisky Co.Ltd. is an independent bottler, founded in 1988 by Andrew - and Brian Symington. In 2002 they bought the Edradour Distillery.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: The Spirit of Allt-A-Bhainne is Nervous but Fruity and Pleasant. But in my opinion it needs First Class Wood to interact. And I don't think that's the case here. I believe this was a Refill Cask and it did not gave enough Aromas and Flavours to the Spirit. On the contrary, it added a certain Bitterness I could easily live without. The Allt-A-Bhainne 1991 is not a bad Single Malt but it does not deliver sufficiently to justify its price. I did like the Spirit however and I will try to find other Indie expressions.   

Jan van den Ende                                                            August 26, 2014

Laphroaig 1995 Review

Country: Scotland

Region: Islay

Brand: Laphroaig 1995 (Signatory Vintage) - Cask Strength Selection

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: 16 Years

ABV: 59.4 %

Sample Provided By: Marcus, Germany. Thanks!  

Date: 24/09/2013

Colour: Light Amber

Nose: A combination of very ripe Fruit like Apple, Cherries, Banana, Pineapple and Strawberries and Sweet Peat, Leather and light Smoke. I also get Malt, Oak, Grass, Straw, Lemon, Raw Meat, Shell Fish, Salt, Toffee and light Spices like Pepper and Ginger. Maritime and Mineral tones are all over the place. Unfortunately I also get a bit of Rubber and/or PVC Pipe although this softens up over time.

Palate: Strong Delivery. Mouth-Coating, Fruity and Warming though a bit too Soapy for my taste. I find Vanilla, Sweet Peat, Smoked - and Cured Meat, Honey, Heather and other almost Perfumed Floral tones, Pepper, Cinnamon, Ginger, Lemon, Cocoa Powder and a touch of Iodine. 

Finish: Strong Finish! Quite Long, Meaty, slightly Rubbery, Soapy and Perfumed with Smoke and Ashes, Floral Soap, Smoked Meat, Sweet Peat, Vanilla, Caramel, Cinnamon, Ginger, Salt and Cigar Tobacco. 

With a bit of Water the Nose gets more Smoke and Malt. More Fruit and Perfumed Soap on the Palate and some Licorice and more Pepper in the Finish. Better sip it neat. 

Rating: 86

Nose: 21 - Taste: 21.5 - Finish: 22 - Overall: 21.5

Marcus's Bottle that produced the Sample!

General Remarks: This Laphroaig was distilled on the 4th of April 1995 and was bottled on the 25th of October 2011. It matured in an Ex-Bourbon Barrel (Cask #43). Today we are tasting a sample out of bottle # 181 out of 221 special decanter bottles. All Casks for this Selection are individually selected and bottled by Signatory Vintage Scotch Whisky Co.Ltd, located in Pitlochry, Scotland. It costs around 130 US Dollars.

Signatory Vintage Scotch Whisky Co.Ltd. is an independent bottler, founded in 1988 by Andrew - and Brian Symington. In 2002 they bough the Edradour Distillery.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good/Fascinating

Conclusion: A Single Malt like this is what makes Tasting Whisky and writing about it so fascinating. There's so much to discover. What a difference with the poor excuse of a Blend I had to suffer two days ago. Unfortunately I only had a small sample of this Laphroaig but it kept me busy and interested for almost 2 hours! It's an amazing combination of Coastal, Fruity, Earthy, Meaty, Smoky and Mineral Aromas. The Alcohol is perfectly integrated. Still, it didn't quite make it to the very top of my ranking because of two flaws that drew away my attention from the other Flavours and Aromas. On the Nose there's the slight off-note in the form of PVC Pipe. Many people won't be bothered by it perhaps but I find it distracting. And on the Palate and in the Finish the Soap and Perfume are a bit overdone for my taste. In conclusion I would say that this is an extraordinary Single Malt, well worth exploring. But not quite my favourite Flavour Profile.

Jan van den Ende                                                        September 2013