Origin: Lowlands (Scotland)
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Strength: 43%ABV
Ageing casks: Ex-Bourbon
Chillfiltered: Yes
Added colouring: Yes
Owner: Diageo
Average price: € 900,00
Official website: www.rosebank.com
Vote: 85/100
A distillery that has become highly sought after its closure, one of the so-called “unicorns” whose fame has grown over the years to the point where any expression still in circulation has become very expensive, between old and new recovering the increasingly rare casks still available. Rosebank reignited its triple-distillation stills in July 2023 thanks to new ownership, which has already been pulling out significant aging bottlings for some time now to celebrate its rebirth, reopening to the public on June 7, 2024.
My first approach with Rosebank was not the happiest, a single cask of Cadenhead’s that left me rather cold a few years ago.
As of today I’m looking to catch up, starting with the very classic expression of the apocryphal Flora & Fauna line (2006 version), when the distillery still belonged to Diageo, part of a five-stage vertical that will culminate on the day this blog turns exactly five years old: numerology has no secrets for me…
Tasting notes
Fruit and flowers dominate the nose, lots of peach and apricot with pineapple, yellow apple, unripe banana and linden, imbued with a fresh mineral streak that is quite incisive. In the background, vanilla, wildflower honey, white chocolate and a waxy note evident especially along the length. Slight lemon note. Fresh and appealing.
The palate begins with a somewhat exuberant alcoholic note, marked by rather lively pepper and ginger that acquiesce over time, on a proscenium dominated always by fruit (white, with tropical inflections) with more evident bitter and vegetal notes. Again peach, apple, and pineapple, heeled by hay, flowers, and rhubarb, while white chocolate, lemon, and propolis lie in the background. Balsamic and at times menthol note in crescendo.
Fairly long, vegetal and spicy finish with lemon, quince tart, walnuts and a saline edge.
Conquering in aromas with a hint of disappointment on tasting, though with enough personality and depth not to leave you unsatisfied. The contrasts are fun and interesting, hinting at the greatness it could express in different bottlings.