Rosebank 20 Years Old 1990 Sestante (Silver Seal)

From Silver Seal comes this Rosebank, a 20 year old release, from 1990 and bottled at 56.7%. Just 298 bottles were filled. Rosebank stood on the banks of the canal in the central Lowlands from 1840 until it was silenced in 1993. After closure the site fell derelict, and thieves even took the copper stills in 2008.

The spirit was run three times through copper pot stills, then cooled in worm tubs, for the refined Lowland style quite its own. An ex-Bourbon barrel shaped it, gentle American oak beneath the fruit. Around two decades the malt gains a waxy weight over its floral core. Triple distillation strips heavy congeners, concentrating light esters such as ethyl hexanoate, giving pear and apple notes. 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.

At 56.7%, undiluted, it is deep and floral. Honeysuckle and lemon zest meet soft vanilla and honey from the cask. Soft citrus and orchard fruit sit behind the sweetness. The close is gentle, florals over soft oak. This is a collectable relic of a cult Lowland name.