Rosebank are a sleeping giant. Known the world over as “The King of the Lowlands”, this was, and still is, the crème-de-la-crème of Lowland single malt whisky. Its fame was made by being one of the lightest, most floral Scottish whiskies ever made. What made this characteristic even stronger is that it accomplished this whilst being distilled in the centre of Scotland’s industry-heavy Central Belt, which had up until that point been known for punchy, hearty drams.
Unique in almost every fashion. Rosebank is a mothballed distillery that had a one-of-a-kind production. It married worm tub condensers with a triple distillation. The resulting contrast in flavour between lightness and richness made it an era-defining name in Lowland single malt whisky. When whisky sales fell during the nineties, Rosebank were an unfortunate casualty. Mothballed in 1993, the fabric of the building was crumbling when Ian Macleod Distillers saved the day in 2017. It has one plan: to revive the distillery as it was, generating jobs for Falkirk residents, permeating the local air with the aroma of whisky distillation, and to resurrect from the dead this world-class whisky.
Its name originated after the roses which grew along the banks of the canal.
The world-famous whisky writer Michael Jackson described Rosebank as “the finest example of a Lowland malt”. In his “Complete Book of Whisky”, notes that Rosebank should be ranked in the top five of all Scottish malts.
During the latter half of the 19th century, the demand for Rosebank whisky was so great that it would charge rent to whisky blenders for their barrels taking up space while they waited for their order.
History
Rosebank Distillery’s history is one of turbulence, and unlike any other. It began in 1840. Described as the ‘King of the Lowlands’, it was extremely productive until it’s gates closed in 1993. It was known amongst whisky critics as not only one of the best Lowland single malts ever produced, but one of the best Scottish single malts. In 2008, as plans to reopen the distillery were announced, the original Rosebank stills were stolen in the dead of night. These stills, along with other equipment, were not recovered. It was saved from becoming a footnote in history by Ian Macleod Distillers in 2017, who purchased the site from Scottish Canals. Rosebank Distillery expects to reopen in July 2022, with full trademark rights being purchased from Diageo. Fans who have been lucky to taste the extremely rare expressions from the site are at a fever pitch level of excitement.
Taste Profile
Rosebank is known for flavours of...
Floral Notes
Creaminess
Caramel
Vanilla
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A giant of the Lowlands, this gives competition to any whisky in the world.