Tasting Notes: Rosebank 19, Old Malt Cask
After reading my review of the Rosebank 17, Matt at Whisky For Everyone was kind enough to offer me a 5 mL sample of his Rosebank 19 from Old Malt Cask so I could compare the two drams. You can read his review of Rosebank 19 here. Big thanks to Matt for the generous offer. Credit also goes to Matt for the photo below – I had trouble finding a good one online so I yoinked this one off his excellent website.
As I noted in my tasting notes of the Rosebank 17, Rosebank is considered a great, “lost” distillery, one of a few exemplars of specific regions that are no longer in production. Rosebank is a lowland scotch and, unlike most scotches, is triple distilled. This specific expression is an Old Malt Cask independent bottling from Douglas Laing. It was distilled in 1990, one of the final years of production at Rosebank, and comes from cask no. 5082. It is one of only 444 bottles.
Rosebank 19, Old Malt Cask (Credit Whiskyforeveryone.com)
Rosebank 1990 19 Year, Old Malt Cask
ABV – 50%
Color – Pale yellowy gold
Nose -Floral, perfumed, with a hint of orange on the front.
Taste – Starts out a little sweet and herbal, followed by a hotness from the cask strength that does not compliment the flavors, but rather fights them. The herbal qualities become intensely floral (as with the 17, maybe this is the “chamomile” Michael Jackson talks about?), a flavor that increases until it becomes a cloying perfume. Shortly after that perfume quality peaks, the dram fades to a pleasant citrus at the very end.
Overall – I think I’m learning that I just don’t like Rosebank, which is odd because I’m a fan of Glenkinchie, another Lowland malt. Whereas Whisky For Everyone describes the herbal and floral (and even perfume) notes of Rosebank in a positive light, for me these flavors are cloying and they clash with the heat from the alcohol. The citrus on the finish is quite nice, but it’s not worth having to battle past the intense unpleasantness of the floral/perfume notes in the middle. I know Rosebank is thought of very highly by many whisky drinkers – particularly connoisseurs – but to me this dram is a mess. Quite honestly the perfume qualities really ruin my enjoyment. Heresy, I know, but Rosebank just doesn’t sit well on my palate.
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