Review by: The Muskox

It’d be nice to square away a couple of famous distilleries that I haven’t tried yet before hitting 1000 reviews. Thankfully, my whisky group held a “dead distilleries” tasting that included a few of the big ones – there’ll be some more from that tasting in this series of reviews. Rosebank seems to get a more mixed reception in my circles than distilleries like Brora and Port Ellen, which are often mentioned in the same breadth. This bottling from Dun Bheagan isn’t 30 years old or cask strength or anything, but will hopefully be tasty anyways.

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Distillery: Rosebank.

Bottler: Official bottling.

Region: Lowlands.

ABV: 46%.

Age: 15 years. Distilled in July 1991. Bottled in 2006.

Cask type: A vatting of casks #2047, #2054, and #2055, all bourbon barrels

Price: N/A, sample.

Color: 0.3, Pale gold. Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.

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Nose: Cool and floral. Rose petals, citrus peels, pear, delicate banana, and coconut water. Deep sweet flavours of Scottish tablet, manuka honey, digestive biscuits, and vanilla. Light herbs (parsley) and a bit of a mineral note (club soda?). Slightly toasted meringue.

Palate: Thick texture. Arrives fruity and sunny with Orangina, melon, and mango. Develops strongly floral and fragrant – loads of roses (I swear it’s not just the name), cardamom, patchouli, along with caramel, saltwater taffy, and a little oak.

Finish: Medium. Orange bitters and orange oil. Pears, mango, kiwi, and more rose petals. Lingering oak, toasted almonds, and light brown sugar. Very floral here again – fragrant soaps and dryer sheets.

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Possible SMWS bottling name: “Catnap in a sunny garden”

Conclusion: I had low expectations and ended up very impressed. As a fan of floral whiskies, I want to cover my body in this. The floral notes are intense but not too soapy (for me, at least). The mouthfeel is awesome, too. An excellent introduction to the distillery.

Final Score: 87.

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Scoring Legend:

• 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
• 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
• 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
• 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
• 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
• 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
• 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
• 50-59: Save it for mixing.
• 0-49: Blech.