Rosebank 10 Years Old 1991 Cask #543 (van Wees)

A Rosebank single malt, selected and bottled by van Wees, aged 10 year old, from 1991, drawn from cask 543 and bottled at 43%. Established in 1840 on the Forth and Clyde Canal at Falkirk, Rosebank was mothballed in 1993. Its last spirit ran in 1993, a finite legacy revered ever since.

It was put through three stills and worm tubs for body and finesse, giving the delicate yet weighty character it was famed for. It was matured in refill ex-Bourbon oak, the classic wood for Rosebank. Younger here, it keeps a crisp, green freshness over light honey. The clean, high collected spirit ages gracefully, keeping its floral lift. Its final vintages of the early 1990s are among the most sought after of all Lowland malts. The malt was matured slowly in the temperate Lowland climate before bottling. Few lost distilleries are mourned, or bottled, as devotedly as Rosebank.

At an approachable 43% it is delicate and balanced. A delicate floral, waxy depth sit alongside a quiet vanilla from the refill oak. It is clean and elegant, the grassy spirit shining through. It finishes clean, fragrant and bright. This is spirit from the lost years of Rosebank, finite for good.