“What was dead, may never die,” or so says the first half the Ironborn dedication to their drowned God in the Game of Thrones— and surely Imperial, shuttered in 1998, reborn as Dalmunach in 2015, may follow the creed. Well, I imagine Chivas Brothers hopes so!  This old and very mature Imperial was provided by a friend as part of their Speyside 30-Year tasting.

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Whisky: Imperial 30 Year (1989), Elixir Distillers Cask 362

Country/Region: Scotland/Speyside

ABV: 43.3%

Cask: Bourbon Barrel

Age: 30 Years (Distilled 1 Nov. 1989, Bottled 1 Nov. 2019)

Notes: With the aroma I found I was a castaway, a tropical adventure to be sure, but one devoid of sweet fruit. Charred wood and an old derelict sailboat offered salt crusted wood, waxed canvas, and a bit of char. Dried coconut husks and palm fronds sat on warm, mineral-rich sand with fleeting hints of vanilla. Sand-dollars I discovered aplenty, something to buy a lemon-grass and tangerine soda. Light-bodied and surprisingly industrial, there was a dirtiness to this that lay somewhere among the rusted beachside wrecks as mellow, but present oil-stained rags, soot, engine grease, and coal dust. More tropical tea arrived with hints of fruit infused herbs and florals— a touch of pineapple-plumeria and mango-turmeric. The flavors were delicate, but well-defined with a delightful evolution.  The finish was long and drying with driftwood, coconut husks, and rusted metal.

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Score: 8 (87)

Mental Image: Castaway Finds a Beach bar

Conclusion: Completely unlike any Imperial I have had before (which is not many mind you), this had an unexpected dirtiness to it that I struggled to describe. Tropical notions lingered further in the background, peaking out from the shoreline wreckage that came to mind as I sipped— vaguely like a very old White Horse I tried, if not a bit more lively. The mouthfeel and weight were just lacking a bit here, as if the volume were turned just a bit too low to really get stuck into the whisky in the way that I wanted. That, however, is a quibble for what was otherwise a wonderfully interesting and enjoyable dram.