Rosebank 14 Years Old 1990 Cask #494 (G&M)

Gordon & MacPhail bottled this Rosebank single malt matured to 14 year old, from 1990, drawn from cask 494 and bottled at 58.8%. Only 301 bottles were released. The Lowland Rosebank, built in 1840 on the banks of the canal in the central Lowlands, was silenced in 1993. After closure the site fell derelict, and thieves even took the copper stills in 2008.

The spirit was run three times through copper pot stills, then cooled in worm tubs, for the refined Lowland style quite its own. Ex-Bourbon casks held the spirit, soft oak that lets the florals lead. By this age the grassy spirit rounds into honey, citrus and marzipan. Triple distillation strips heavy congeners, concentrating light esters such as ethyl hexanoate, giving pear and apple notes. Blenders prized the malt for its elegant, floral character and unusual weight. Closed in 1993, the site fell derelict and its copper stills were stolen in 2008.

Undiluted at 58.8%, it is layered. Marzipan and soft tropical fruit meet soft vanilla and honey from the cask. Beneath it run lemon, grass and a waxy weight. Lemon, honey and oak draw out the close. This is a rare survivor of the 1993 closure.