Imperial Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Carron, Morayshire
AB34 7QP Scotland
Tel: +44 (0) 1340 810 276
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The Imperial Distillery was built in 1897 by Thomas MacKenzie. It is situated high above the banks of the River Spey and next to the Carron train station (closed in the 1960s). Across the river is the Dailuanie Distillery. The year Imperial was built was the same as Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee which had influence when naming the distillery.

Imperial Distillery was taken over by Dailuaine-Talisker Distilleries Ltd in 1898. Production started the summer of 1898, but the distillery closed a year later and remained silent for twenty years. It reopened after WWI in 1919, but then closed again from 1925 until 1955. At the time of its closing in 1925, ownership was transferred to DCL.

In 1955 Imperial Distillery was renovated and reopened. Thirty years later (1985) it closed until it was reopened in 1989 by new owners, Allied Distillers. In 1998 it was mothballed and in 2005, taken over by Ricard Pernod and remains in operation today.

The majority of the production at Imperial is for blending and contributes to these brands: Ballantine's, Teachers, Old Smuggler and Long John. Imperial's single malt is is exclusively available from independent bottlers.

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ImperialWhisky Distillery

The Imperial Distillery

The Imperial Distillery is surrounded by pine forests and on tidy grounds which makes it a very attractive setting. The distillery was built with Aberdeen red brick which differs it from other Speyside distilleries. It was also constructed within a framework of iron beams (Charles Doig design) with the purpose of making the distillery fire resistant.

The water supply comes from the Mannoch hills which creates the Ballintom Burn. From this burn, the water travels by gravity to the condensers - therefore not requiring the need for power. A series of walls within the dam which was designed by Tom Dunn, Allied's Chief Engineer Manager creates a long canal by which the hot water has to travel before it reaches the outlet and is reintroduced into the burn in a safe manner.

Imperial was rebuilt in 1960 and stills were increased from two to four - this enabled the distillery to double production by 1965. Capacity at Imperial is 36,000 litres.

The Imperial Distillery does not have a visitors centre.