It is wild to imagine there was a period during which K&L in California regularly stocked store picks of ghost distilleries and that they were not outrageously expensive. This Imperial came out about a decade ago in the standard Signatory “un-chillfiltered” livery and surely retailed for $99… good luck getting an Imperial for that price these days!

---

Whisky: Imperial 19 Year (1995), Signatory Vintage Cask 50187 for K&L

Country/Region: Scotland/Speyside

ABV: 50.9%

Cask: Hogshead

Age: 19 Years (Distilled 1995, Bottled 7 July 2015)

Notes: Soft and tropical with sun-bleached wood, pineapple jam, and plenty of coconut cream. A touch of guava jelly directed me toward butter rolls and pancakes with coconut syrup. Haupia and kulolo came to mind with the coconut deluge, more husks joined with their woody fibers, a touch of vanilla, and sweet honey. Medium to light-bodied, the flavors were tropical and sweet with tons of honey and some woody pepper toward the end. Tobacco leaf and cigar box sat behind pineapple curd and coconut jellies— perhaps a bit of grassy pandan and kaya jam. The finish was medium to long and peppery with honey, toasted, and coconut jam.

---

Score: 7 (82)

Mental Image: Bountiful Breakfast Jam Selection

Conclusion: Wonderful and relaxing, this was a great representation of the 1995 Imperial lot that Signatory has bottled over the decades with plenty of tropical vibes and some austere woodiness. This was a bit too coconut for my taste, but at least it ran the gamut of different coconut flavors without getting stuck in artificial coconut candy land. The pepperiness toward the end and on the finish provided some good liveliness, a real spirited quality that drew attention to the relatively mellow influence of the cask— yes wood was always there, but never overpowering. Overall, a whisky for relaxing.