From Imperial to Dalmunach - an old one had to go, a new one was brought to life.
Imperial Distillery
The decidedly colonial-sounding Imperial was named for Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee in 1897; construction having commenced that same year. Thomas Mackenzie founded the Imperial. The distillery was designed by the prolific architect Charles Doig.
The distillery lies in Moray, an eminent whisky region, though aesthetically the whisky distillery bares little semblance to its distilling neighbours; the Imperial was made of Aberdeen red brick and utilizes an iron framework to protect the buildings from fire damage. Production was halted for two decades following the Pattison Crisis. Imperial reopened in 1919 following its acquisition by a group headed by Distillers Company Limited three years prior.
Mackenzie consolidated his interests in the three distilleries under the company Dailuaine-Talisker Distilleries Ltd in 1898, the year Imperial started production. Unfortunately, it was the also the year that the Edinburgh blender Pattison's of Leith crashed, precipitating a major crisis in the industry. Demand for malt whisky slumped and Imperial was mothballed the following year, remaining closed until 1919.
During this silent period Thomas Mackenzie died and Dailuaine-Talisker Distilleries Ltd was taken over by a partnership of three very famous names in the blending industry: James Dewar, James Buchanan and John Walker. The distillery opened again in 1925, the year that the company was amalgamated into Distiller's Company Limited, but Imperial closed again in 1926 and remained shut until 1954, during which time only the maltings floors remained in use.
The distillery was refurbished and re-opened in 1955 under the stewardship of DCL's subsidiary Scottish Malt Distillers (SMD), and the number of stills was increased from two to four in 1965. The maltings were upgraded a decade later with the addition of a Saladin box. It carried on producing until 1985, when it fell silent again during another downturn.It was re-opened in 1989 after being sold to Allied Distillers. Allied renovated Imperial and reopened it in 1991. Production ceased again, however, in 1998 the distillery was officially closed. In 2005 Imperial became the property of a new owner, but it remains to be seen what will become of the distillery.
Prior to closing Imperial Distillery had a copper domed stainless steel mash tun with rotating paddles and 6 larch washbacks at 56,500 litres each. The number of stills had doubled from two to four in 1965 and the wash stills had a 36,000 litre capacity with an 18,800 litre charge, the spirit stills with a 31,820 litre capacity and a 21,000 litre charge, all condensing in tall slender shell and tube condensers. Production volume had reached 1.6m litres p.a. and almost all of it went into blends, right up until it closed, although there are a few single malts to be found from independent bottlers.
The distillery was almost demolished in 2005 for housing, its location above the banks of the Spey both picturesque and sufficiently high above the river to avoid any flooding risks in the event that Muckle Spate II ever rumbles down the valley.
Dalmunach Distillery
The new distillery, named Dalmunach after the nearby pool in the River Spey on whose banks the distillery sits, was officially opened in June 2015. It was built on the grounds of the mothballed Imperial Distillery using the latest innovations and environmental expertise such as heat recovery technology, the distillery is capable of producing up to 10 million litres. It houses eight unique copper pot stills, with a tulip shape used for the wash stills and an onion shape used for the spirit stills, replicating those from the previous Imperial. In a departure from distillery traditions, the stills have been positioned in a circular design that provides a unique aesthetic for the future. Other original features from the previous distillery have been carefully incorporated to ensure a sense of heritage remains intact. Red brick from the original mill building has been reclaimed to create a feature wall in the new entrance area, and wood from the original washbacks has been used to form an entrance ‘drum’ and adorn the gable walls of the new tun room which contains 16 new stainless steel washbacks. A new 9.5m diameter mashtun has been installed which draws spring water for production from the site’s original distilling water sources.
Enough facts about the site, guess you are here to find a cache? Right? You are looking for a small black film canister, hidden in a higher stump - head high (depending on your size). It's hidden unter a piece of birch bark. There is a wee passing place just a few steps from the cachesite. There is no need to enter the distillery grounds, the cache is located right next to the Speyside Way. Happy Caching.
Congratulation to Pimafro from Sweden for being the FTF here.