Rosebank 18 Years Old 1990 Cask #612 (Ian Macleod)

Ian Macleod selected this Rosebank, an 18 year old Lowland malt, from 1990, drawn from cask 612 and bottled at 46%. The outturn was 744 bottles. Rosebank, opened in 1840 at Falkirk, on the Lowland canal side, was closed in 1993 and long mourned. The 108 foot chimney stood over Falkirk through the long silent years.

Drawn off after a third distillation and condensed slowly in worm tubs, the make took the Rosebank style. An Oloroso butt held it, sherry meeting the grassy Lowland spirit. By this age the grassy spirit rounds into honey, citrus and marzipan. Worm tub condensers slow the copper contact, lending a fuller body to the light Lowland spirit. 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.

At 46% it is smooth and floral. The Oloroso brings dried fruit, fig and a nutty depth, and green apple and a floral lift sit alongside honeyed oak sweetness underneath. A green apple and a herbal note lift it. A delicate, fruity finish lingers long. This is a revered triple distilled malt from a distillery silent for thirty years.