Rosebank Rare Malts Selection 20 Years Old 1981

An official Rosebank single malt, a 20 year old Lowland malt, from 1981 and bottled at 62.3%. Only 6000 bottles were released. Rosebank, founded in 1840 by James Rankine beside the Forth and Clyde Canal, was shut by its owners in 1993. Its last spirit ran in 1993, a finite legacy revered ever since.

It was distilled three times and passed through traditional worm tub condensers, giving the delicate yet weighty character it was famed for. It was matured in refill ex-Bourbon oak, the classic wood for Rosebank. Past a decade and a half the florals deepen into honey and soft tropical fruit. The light triple distilled base lets cask character show clearly even after long years. The malt was matured slowly in the temperate Lowland climate before bottling. Few lost distilleries are mourned, or bottled, as devotedly as Rosebank. Laid down before 1993, this is spirit from a distillery silent for three decades.

At its natural 62.3% it is concentrated and honeyed. A gentle vanilla and coconut from the wood runs under citrus and a grassy freshness. It is refined and deep, the florals woven in. The finish is elegant, waxy and tropical. This is a piece of Lowland legend in the glass.