Rosebank Rare Malts Selection 20 Years Old 1979

This Rosebank, an official release, aged 20 year old, from 1979 and bottled at 60.3%. Founded by James Rankine in 1840 on the banks of the canal in the central Lowlands, Rosebank was silenced in 1993. Ian Macleod bought the site, the trademark and the last casks from Diageo in 2017.

The spirit was run three times through copper pot stills, then cooled in worm tubs, for the elegant, floral style that crowned it King of the Lowlands. An American oak cask shaped it, flattering the floral, ester rich make. Mid age brings a fuller honey and a deeper tropical note to the florals. Time in the cask deepens the delicate spirit into honey, tropical fruit and beeswax. Water came from the Carron Valley, feeding a light, ester rich Lowland spirit. The 108 foot chimney remained a Falkirk landmark through the long silent decades. Its final vintages of the early 1990s are among the most sought after of all Lowland malts.

At a hearty 60.3% it carries real weight. Green apple and a floral lift sit alongside soft vanilla and honey from the cask. A green apple and a herbal note lift it. It finishes clean, fragrant and bright. This is spirit from the lost years of Rosebank, finite for good.