Rosebank 16 Years Old 1990 Cask #DL 2057 (Douglas Laing)

A Rosebank single malt, selected and bottled by Douglas Laing, a 16 year old release, from 1990, drawn from cask DL 2057 and bottled at 50%. Only 357 bottles were released. Rosebank stood on the Forth and Clyde Canal at Falkirk from 1840 until it 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. Maturation came in ex-Bourbon wood, lending honey and vanilla under the grass. Mid age brings a fuller honey and a deeper tropical note to the florals. The clean, high collected spirit ages gracefully, keeping its floral lift. Closed in 1993, the site fell derelict and its copper stills were stolen in 2008. Ian Macleod rescued the distillery, the trademark and the last casks, reopening it in 2023. The first new make ran on the 5th of June 2023, almost thirty years to the day after closure.

Bottled at a cask strength 50%, it is rich. A delicate floral, waxy depth sit alongside a quiet vanilla from the refill oak. It is clean and elegant, the grassy spirit shining through. The close is gentle, florals over soft oak. This is a collectable relic of a cult Lowland name.