Imperial 18 Year Old 1995 Signatory Vintage for Asta Morris

I can hardly believe that I missed this one at the time of release, but it is true. A bottling of a closed distillery – Imperial – bottled in 2014 for none other than Crazy Bert and his company Asta Morris. Fortunately, my friend Benny VDB had bought a bottle at the time and it was still not empty 7 years later and was therefore able to provide me with a sample. Hurrah! Because today you’ll need about 300 EUR if you would still like to buy a bottle.

Delicious, mineral and waxy nose on all kinds of citrus fruit. Think lime, mandarin and candied orange peels, on a bed of mint. Turkish Delight, honey and pebbles. Hint of vanilla pudding and chamomile tea. A bit old school and absolutely delicious. Wow!

Great mouthfeel. Slightly waxy, although less than the nose announced. And then... oh! Blissful taste profile. Very mineral with hints of tropical fruit (kiwi, mango and pineapple) supplemented with apricots in their own juice and mandarins in syrup. Nice touch of slate and gently seasoned on ginger and licorice. Very tasty and my heart breaks again that I did not buy this bottle at the time.

The finish is medium to long with the return of the chamomile tea and some soft oak.

Only my ninth Imperial on almost 6,000 tasted whiskies. What's wrong with me?! Thank you, Benny!

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