About a million years ago I threw in an extra mini Bottle-Share with the Malts of Scotland samples. This one was just the Rosebank 21 releases by Diageo last year. I’m ashamed I never got around to tasting it before now.

Rosebank, of course, has been closed since the early 90’s and new bottlings are become more rare with each passing year. They’re up to the 19 and 20 year old ones now and I think it will start to run out before long. You also see that reflected in the prices. The independent bottlings of Rosebank (a lot of them from Douglas Laing) are shooting up in price from about € 90 two years ago to € 150 recently. The only reason people are accepting it is that the whisky they produced in Falkirk is so bloody good.

Nose:
Spicy and a fizzy feel on the nose at first, then the typical grass and lemon kick in. Vanilla with a little burn to it with coconut, lemon juice and a very small hint of cleaning products. You only get that if you really take a long slow inhale with your nose in the glass.

Taste:
At first it feels a bit thin and volatile and quite sharp as well. It’s a bit sweeter than it is on the nose but it has loads of flavour. Wood, white oak, saw dust, straw, ginger, banana are all added to the list of grass, lemon and vanilla. A lot of things to explore here.

Finish:
The finish is lemony with biscuits. It last for quite a while and has a hint of aceton, white pepper and freshly shaved white oak curls.

Well, it’s a Rosebank! And one of the better ones I’ve tasted. A bit on the expensive side at € 180 to € 200, but very, very good. It’s a bit more gentle than some of the other older Rosebanks (ie. Rosebank 25 and the Rare Malts 1981) but that only helps in enjoying it. I like it when some flavours are quite prominent but you can discover lots more if you want to.

Rosebank 21, 1990 – 2011, Diageo Premium Release, 53.8%, € 201 at the Whiskykoning.