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View Full Version : Imperial Distillery, Speyside, April 2009



zimbob
22-04-2009, 10:24 PM
Visited this place on Monday night, with some other folk, who aren't members here...

I've been before, over a year ago, and it's safe to say since then the place has become even better secured, access requires a good bit of lateral-thinking ( thanks to the hard-to-find member of our party ) and a fair degree of agility. No bad thing really, should keep the place good :thumb:

Some more cribbed history :p


Built in 1897, by Thomas MacKenzie, it coincided with Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee, which was no doubt an influencing factor when naming the distillery.

With a shaky start and history Imperial distillery started production in the summer of 1898 only to close a year later for over 20 years. Production did recommence in 1919 but, again, for only six years.

The Distillery reopened in 1925, when ownership was transferred to Distiller Company Ltd (imaginative moniker :rolleyes: ) then closed again at some point (sketchy....) In 1955 Scottish Malt Distillers renovated and reopened it, increasing the number of stills from 2 to 4, then in 1985 it closed again.
Allied Distillers reopened it in 1989, then mothballed it in 1998, in which state it has remained ever since, although in 2005 Pernod Ricard took it over, but as yet have done nothing with it....


The construction of Imperial differs from other Speyside distilleries as it was built of red Aberdeen brick with an iron beam and pillar framework to make it fire resistant. A nearby water supply of quality is a key factor in the location of any suitable distillery site. Imperial, however is 60 feet above the River Spey and next to a railway line.

The water supply originates from the Mannoch hills to form the Ballintom Burn from where the water is drawn. Although, the location of the railway line was considered originally to be important than proximity to the Spey it did not stop the line from closing in the late 1960s.

I was only able to find a tiny photo of the place as it was...

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff309/zimbob1000/Imperial%20200409/ImperialDist.jpg

That's the history over with, on with the pics :)

Guardhouse-type affair :

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff309/zimbob1000/Imperial%20200409/Imperial200409121.jpg

The place itself:

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff309/zimbob1000/Imperial%20200409/Imperial200409116.jpg

Water treatment stuff :

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff309/zimbob1000/Imperial%20200409/Imperial200409095.jpg

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff309/zimbob1000/Imperial%20200409/Imperial200409092.jpg

Round back :

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff309/zimbob1000/Imperial%20200409/Imperial200409086.jpg

Inside, plenty of switches and the like :)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff309/zimbob1000/Imperial%20200409/Imperial200409029.jpg

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff309/zimbob1000/Imperial%20200409/Imperial200409028.jpg

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff309/zimbob1000/Imperial%20200409/Imperial200409079.jpg

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff309/zimbob1000/Imperial%20200409/Imperial200409027.jpg

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff309/zimbob1000/Imperial%20200409/Imperial200409024.jpg

The spirit safe :

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff309/zimbob1000/Imperial%20200409/Imperial200409022.jpg

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff309/zimbob1000/Imperial%20200409/Imperial200409017.jpg

Always good to see flaky paint :smclap

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff309/zimbob1000/Imperial%20200409/Imperial200409069.jpg

I'll continue this, took so-o-o many pics :rolleyes:

zimbob
22-04-2009, 10:42 PM
So on to the stills - these are so photogenic :)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff309/zimbob1000/Imperial%20200409/Imperial200409063.jpg

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff309/zimbob1000/Imperial%20200409/Imperial200409072.jpg

Looking into a still :

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff309/zimbob1000/Imperial%20200409/Imperial200409076.jpg

Along :

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff309/zimbob1000/Imperial%20200409/Imperial200409066.jpg

HDR :o

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff309/zimbob1000/Imperial%20200409/Imperial200409007_6_8_5_4.jpg

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff309/zimbob1000/Imperial%20200409/Imperial200409073.jpg

Bottom of the stills :

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff309/zimbob1000/Imperial%20200409/Imperial200409019.jpg

Mash Room :

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff309/zimbob1000/Imperial%20200409/Imperial200409042.jpg

Inside Mash Tun :

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff309/zimbob1000/Imperial%20200409/Imperial200409045.jpg

Conveyor :

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff309/zimbob1000/Imperial%20200409/Imperial200409046.jpg

Few other random shots :

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff309/zimbob1000/Imperial%20200409/Imperial200409058.jpg

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff309/zimbob1000/Imperial%20200409/Imperial200409051.jpg

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff309/zimbob1000/Imperial%20200409/Imperial200409068.jpg

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff309/zimbob1000/Imperial%20200409/Imperial200409038.jpg

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff309/zimbob1000/Imperial%20200409/Imperial200409011.jpg

Another grand explore, I enjoyed this place 2nd time round as much as the first :)