Rosebank 8 Years Old 1990 Cask #98-1180 (Dun Eideann)

Dun Eideann bottled this Rosebank single malt, an 8 year old from 1990, drawn from cask 98-1180 and bottled at 43%. Rosebank was opened in 1840 on the Forth and Clyde Canal at Falkirk and 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. An ex-Bourbon barrel shaped it, gentle American oak beneath the fruit. At this age the spirit is bright and floral, the citrus and grass fresh. The slow loss of the angel's share concentrates the honeyed, fruity core over decades. The 108 foot chimney remained a Falkirk landmark through the long silent decades. Its final vintages of the early 1990s are among the most sought after of all Lowland malts. The malt was matured slowly in the temperate Lowland climate before bottling. Few lost distilleries are mourned, or bottled, as devotedly as Rosebank.

At an easy 43% it is gentle. Marzipan and soft tropical fruit meet a quiet vanilla from the refill oak. Beneath it run lemon, grass and a waxy weight. It closes long, floral and honeyed. This is a finite pour from the King of the Lowlands.