Rosebank 1991-2006 - 14 Year Old - Dun Bheagan - Cask 2052-2053

The writing was on the wall for Rosebank in 1988 when owners United Distillers preferred the less accomplished but much more tourist-friendly Glenkinchie for their new Classic Malts series. Rosebank closed in 1993, after UD balked at a £2m upgrade to the distillery’s effluent treatment facility, and soon became a cult lost distillery - the Lowland equivalent of Brora or Port Ellen. Miraculously, Diageo are now restoring both Brora and Port Ellen, while Rosebank is being rebuilt under new owners Ian MacLeod Distillers and is expected to reopen in late 2022.

Today, new bottlings of old Rosebank are dwindling, and prices have increased dramatically over the last decade. Essential official bottlings of Rosebank include the glorious 1979 and 1981 Rare Malt Editions, and the splendid Special Releases from 2007, 2011 and 2014. Indie Rosebanks from the early 1990s vintages are generally excellent and usually more affordable at auction.

Founded in 1933, Ian Macleod Distillers are rather low profile despite being the 10th-largest Scotch whisky company in the world.  The company is one of the largest suppliers of own-brand whiskies to bulk markets, with a diverse range of proprietary and independent bottling brands including Smokehead, Chieftain’s Choice and Isle of Skye.  The company also produces a variety of gins, vodkas and rums including Edinburgh Gin.

Ian Macleod acquired the Glengoyne distillery and the Langs whisky brands in 2003, changing the company name to Ian Macleod Distillers. Tamdhu distillery was purchased in 2011 and relaunched in 2013, while in October 2017 it was announced that Ian Macleod Distillers had acquired and were rebuilding the lost Lowland distillery Rosebank - a stunning coup that gladdened the hearts of whisky fans the world over. Production at Rosebank is scheduled to recommence in summer 2022.