Lot #24 Adelphi One of One 29 Year Old Distilled at Imperial Distillery 1996
Estimate: £2,000—£3,000
Brand: Adelphi Distillery Associate
Format: Bottle | 70cl
Overview
29 year old Single Malt Scotch whisky from Imperial Distillery, bottled by long-established independent bottlers Adelphi Distillery Ltd especially for The Distillers One of One Auction.
Details
For the Distillers One of One auction, Adelphi Distillery Ltd proudly presents an extraordinary and singular creation: The Adelphi Archive Single Malt Scotch whisky – 29 Years Old – from the now demolished Imperial Distillery. This is Bottle No. 1 of 1, a unique and unrepeatable expression distilled on the 24th April 1996, carefully matured in a re-fill bourbon barrel for nearly three decades, and bottled exclusively for this charitable cause.
At 53.8% ABV and in a 70cl Glencairn crystal decanter, this rare single malt offers an exceptional tasting profile: inviting and complex, with bright grapefruit, sweet pastries, and a touch of preserved lemon on the nose. The palate is silky smooth, warming gently with a long, lingering finish—a true reflection of the elegance and depth for which Imperial Distillery was renowned before its closure.
This one-of-a-kind whisky is further elevated by its presentation. Wood craftsman Mike Buckley has created a bespoke handmade oak pedestal, taking 35 hours to complete. In a tribute to the distillery’s history, the stand incorporates an authentic bolt from the original barley dresser at Imperial, physically connecting this lot to its storied past.
The final artistic touches were delivered with heartfelt generosity: Nevis Design crafted a beautiful label design exclusively for this release, and it was printed by Labeltec in support of the Distillers’ Charity.
This offering is more than a whisky—it is a work of art, a piece of Scottish distilling history, and a collector’s dream. With its exquisite craftsmanship, deep provenance, and unparalleled exclusivity, the Adelphi Archive 29-Year-Old Imperial is a rare whisky treasure.
Tasting Notes
Inviting and complex with notes of grapefruit, sweet pastries, and a hint of preserved lemon. Smooth mouthfeel with gentle warmth and a long, lingering finish.
I am delighted that, as we celebrate 30 years of meticulous single cask selection, we have been able to draw a single bottle from a cask distilled and filled at the Imperial distillery in 1996 for this year’s Distillers One of One auction.
Not only does the single cask maturation make this whisky unrepeatable, but also the fact that the distillery no longer exists.
Production closed at Imperial in 2008, and the buildings were demolished in 2013 to make way for Dalmunach distillery. This was at the exact time that we were building our new Ardnamurchan distillery and we were offered the salvaged Porteous barley dresser for our small floor maltings.
The dresser is incomplete and unlikely to be used again but remains as a piece of history slumbering beneath our malt floor and is now minus a slightly rusty bolt which has found a new and very prestigious home in the beautiful, hand-crafted plinth that displays this extraordinary bottle. Truly a piece of history.
—Alex Bruce, Managing Director, Adelphi Distillery Ltd