Imperial 1991 (Silver Seal)

Middle-aged Imperial is usually quite nice with a typical Speyside profile, check the Imperial 1990 by The Whisky Agency for instance. Shortly after, Silver Seal released this Imperial 1991.

 

Imperial 1991 Silver SealImperial 19 yo 1991
(55,3%, Silver Seal 2011, 199 btl.)

Nose: a full nose, rather aromatic, with malty notes, vanilla, fruits (especially apple and orange) and a dash of honey. A fine layer of fresh herbs and oak. A few mineral notes as well. Everything we expected from this kind of Imperial.

Mouth: nice interplay of soft syrupy fruits (vaguely tropical, but fading quickly) with lots of spices (ginger, pepper) and an obvious bitterness (Seville oranges and pine resin). I’ve had rounder and more candied expressions but it’s still nice.

Finish: medium long on liquorice, grass and oak.

Quality-wise we’re not complaining. Even with the slight oakiness it’s pretty much in line with expectations. But why are Silver Seal bottlings 20 to 50% more expensive than similar releases from other bottlers? The last few days we’ve seen many comments about increasing prices – in the case of Silver Seal it’s actually quite stunning. Around € 130.

Score: 86/100