IMPERIAL
| Distillery Opened | Capacity | Malting Floor | Washback Type | Number of Washbacks | Number of Wash Stills | Number of Spirit Stills |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1897 | 1.6 million litres | / | Larch | 6 | 2 | 2 |
Imperial Distillery was founded in 1897, the year of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee, by Thomas Mackenzie. The distillery was named in honor of the Royal House.
The Imperial distillery becomes part of Dailuaine-Talisker Distilleries in 1898.
The buildings were designed by the prominent distillery architect Charles Doig.
The Imperial distillery launched production the same year, although in 1899, it was forced to close due to the Pattison whisky crash.
The Imperial distillery remained closed for the next two decades, not re-opening until 1919.
The distillery's site had been acquired by DCL, but was managed as part of a dual ownership with Dewars and Johnnie Walker in 1916, and when production re-launched, it was under their management.
In 1925 the Imperial distillery was entirely bought out by DCL, but they decided to cease production again. The Imperial distillery lay quiet until 1955, when it was re-opened, this time by SMD.
Two decades of production followed before the Imperial distillery was mothballed once more in 1985 and then sold to Allied Distillers in 1989.
In 1998, the Imperial distillery was mothballed, and most of the buildings were demolished in 2013.
Chivas Brothers built a new distillery on the place which is now called Dalmunach.
The Imperial distillery was equipped with six larch washbacks and four stills; two wash, two spirit. The wash stills had a capacity of 18'500 litres, while the spirit stills had a capacity of 20'500. Both of the stills were pear shaped, with wide, spherical lids, and gradually narrowing necks.
The Imperial distillery's range consist of:
- 15 yo
- 20 yo
- 19 yo
Image source: Twitter