Imperial Distillery

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General
Pronunciation im’perial Pronunciation
Translation
Region Highlands / Speyside
Distiller Allied Distillers Ltd.
Owner Chivas Brothers Ltd. (Pernod Ricard)
Address Carron
Aberlour
Morayshire
AB38 7QP
Scotland
Telephone +44 (0)1340 - 81 02 76
+44 (0)1340 - 81 05 63 (Fax)
LatLong 57° 27’ 17.3” N   03° 17’ 59.1” W
Altitude 113 m
Grid Reference NJ221412
Website
E-mail
Open to public
Remarks

History
1897
Distillery was built by Thomas Mackenzie, who already had substantial interests in the Dailuaine and Talisker Distilleries. The buildings were designed by Charles Doig from Elgin and constructed from red Aberdeen bricks within a frame of iron beams. This construction was used to restrict the possibility of damage by fire, a common problem in those days. The progress of the distillery was reported by a local journalist, who noted that the malt kilns were being surmounted with a large imperial coronet that "once gilded, would flash and glitter in the sunlight like the crescent on a Turkish minaret ... among the dark pine woods of Carron and the brown hills which encircle it"
1898
Transferred to Dailuaine-Talisker Distilleries Ltd.
1899
The distillery closed following the crash of Pattison’s, the blender from Leith, in 1898. The demand for whisky decreased heavily
1919-25
Reopened
1925
Dailuaine-Talisker passed to the Distillers Company Ltd. (DCL) on the merge of the ’Big Three’ blenders with the Distillers Company Ltd. (DCL). Production restarted for one season only. Then the distillery got problems with the effluent disposal. During the next thirty years, Imperial operated purely as a maltings. In the 1950s, it transpired that effluents could be recovered by drying, and used as a high-protein animal feed, so the earlier disposal problems were overcome
1952
Distillers Company Ltd. (DCL) started an expriment here and at Aultmore Distillery on making animal feed, named "dark grains", of the protein-rich draff and pot ale. This was very successful and nowadays the animal feed is made by every distillery
1955
Under the management of Scottish Malt Distillers Ltd. (SMD) the distillery was rebuilt and reopened
1965
Enlarged from two to four stills. Saladin maltings
1969
Stills became steamheated
1982
Dailuaine-Talisker Distilleries disbanded and Imperial went over to Scottish Malt Distillers (SMD)
1985
The distillery was closed
1989
Sold to Allied Distillers and reopened
1998
Mothballed
1999
Owned by Allied Distillers Ltd.
2004
Owned by Allied Distillers Ltd.

Technical Specifications
General Water Source
for production and cooling from a spring named Tonory in the Mannoch Hills via Ballintom Burn to distillery
  Annual Output
  Finished Spirit (phenols)
  Blending Roles
most of production direct to customers who fill casks themselves. almost 100% blend (Teachers, Long John, Ballantine's, Old Smugglers)
Malt Malt Source
  Malt Type
  Malt Specification (phenols)
  Own Malting Floor
  Malt Storage
Mill
  Grist Storage
Mashing Mash Tun
  Mash Size
  First Water
  Second Water
  Third Water
  Fourth Water
Fermentation Washbacks 6 made of Oregon Pine
  Washback Charge
  Yeast
  Amount of Yeast
  Length of Fermentation
  Initial Fermentation Temp.
  Strength of Wash
Distillation Wash Stills 2
  Wash Still Built
  Wash Still Charge
  Heat Source steamheated
  Wash Still Height
  Lyne Arm
  Low Wines Run
  Low Wines Collection Range
  Spirit Stills
2
  Spirit Still Built
  Spirit Still Charge
  Strength of Spirit Still Charge
  Heat Source steamheated
  Spirit Still Height
  Lyne Arm
  Coolers
  Foreshot Run
  Spirit Run
  Feints Run
  Spirit Cut
  Distilling Strength
Storage Storage Strength
  Average Spirit Yield
  Disposal of Pot Ale/Spent Lees
  Type of Casks bourbon, refill
  Warehouses
  Vatting and Bottling Location



Sources used