Rosebank 10 Years Old 1989 Cask #875 (Lombard)

This Rosebank was from the independent bottler Lombard, a 10 year old Lowland malt, from 1989, drawn from cask 875 and bottled at 56%. Rosebank, founded in 1840 by James Rankine beside the Forth and Clyde Canal, was shut by its owners in 1993. It was long hailed as the King of the Lowlands.

It was distilled three times and passed through traditional worm tub condensers, giving a clean, fruity spirit with a worm tub weight. Ex-Bourbon casks held the spirit, soft oak that lets the florals lead. Still young, the malt is grassy and zesty with a delicate lift. 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. History on the site runs back to the Stark brothers in 1798, before Rankine's 1840 distillery.

At a full 56% it is intense yet elegant. A gentle vanilla and coconut from the wood runs under gooseberry and fresh grass. A beeswax and a tropical fruit give it real depth. The finish is elegant, waxy and tropical. This is a piece of Lowland legend in the glass.