Rosebank 17 Years Old 1991 Cask #2206 (Speciality Drinks Ltd)

Bottled by Speciality Drinks Ltd, this Rosebank, a 17 year old Lowland malt, from 1991, drawn from cask 2206 and bottled at 46%. A release of 259 bottles. Rosebank, first established in 1840 on the canal at Camelon, near Falkirk, was brought to a halt in 1993. Ian Macleod bought the site, the trademark and the last casks from Diageo in 2017.

The spirit was triple distilled and worm tub cooled, the Rosebank way, for the elegant, floral style that crowned it King of the Lowlands. It rested in ex-Bourbon oak, the wood adding only a light honeyed sweetness. By this age the grassy spirit rounds into honey, citrus and marzipan. Long, cool Lowland maturation lets the floral spirit take oak slowly over many years. 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 an approachable 46% it is delicate and balanced. Vanilla and a light cream from the barrel 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.