Imperial is a distillery with a tumultuous history. Its periods of closure are as significant as its production periods. Founded in 1897, it began distilling its whisky in the summer of 1898. From 1899 to 1954, it only produced whisky for 8 years! Quickly falling under the ownership of the Distillers Company Ltd, all of its production was absorbed into blends such as Teachers, Long John, and Ballantine’s. It was closed again from 1985 to 1989 and then from 1998 to 2000, and it ultimately never reopened its doors. Only one official version of its malt was bottled, Imperial 15 years.