Rosebank 21 Years Old SMS The Roses Edition 6 (Speciality Drinks Ltd)

Speciality Drinks Ltd selected this Rosebank, a 21 year old release, and bottled at 52.7%. Just 840 bottles were filled. Rosebank stood on the Forth and Clyde Canal at Falkirk from 1840 until it was mothballed in 1993. It was long hailed as the King of the Lowlands.

It was put through three stills and worm tubs for body and finesse, giving a clean, fruity spirit with a worm tub weight. A Madeira cask lent raisin and a caramelised sweetness to the floral spirit. Past a decade and a half the florals deepen into honey and soft tropical fruit. The clean, high collected spirit ages gracefully, keeping its floral lift. Blenders prized the malt for its elegant, floral character and unusual weight. 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.

Bottled at a cask strength 52.7%, it is rich. The Madeira lends raisin, brown sugar and a caramelised note, and green apple and a floral lift sit alongside a quiet vanilla from the refill oak. A green apple and a herbal note lift it. The close is gentle, florals over soft oak. This is a collectable relic of a cult Lowland name.