Rosebank 20-Year SWMS Cask 25.50
The “connoisseur” in me often thinks that whiskies from closed distilleries represent the holy grail. That tasting a whisky from one of these distilleries is almost like tasting a piece of history, snatching a fragment of the past from the jaws of time. No doubt, this is a distinctly romantic notion. But an exciting one nonetheless.
In part, the idea, and the excitement surrounding it, stems from scarcity: whiskies from closed distilleries become rarer by the day. Each year that passes is one year farther from when they shut their doors for the last time, and the number of barrels or bottles in existence steadily dwindles. Independent bottlers work hard to secure barrels of this increasingly unique whisky, and collectors race against one another to stow away bottles.
So, scarcity breeds romanticism, and in some cases the result is difficult to find and wildly priced whiskies. Just look at recent bottlings of Port Ellen or Brora, two long-since closed distilleries prized by whisky enthusiasts today. Bottles of these distilleries’ whisky, now reaching 30-years old, fetch $300-$400. Not only are they pricey, but there are only a handful of them to go around. The reputation of these whiskies precedes them, but in (sadly) too many cases their price tag puts them out of reach of most folks.
Herein lies one of the best elements of whiskies from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society. Not only do they consistently bottle stellar whiskies from a great range of distilleries – all of which are single-cask and non-chill-filtered -, but they regularly offer rare and hard to find gems at (all things considered) reasonable prices. Every couple of months when their list of available bottlings is sent out, it invariably includes at least a couple from closed distilleries. Alongside these are the whiskies offered from distilleries rarely, if ever, seen in independent bottlings. Take, for example, the Glen Elgin that I tried recently.That the Society makes a point of offering bottlings from closed distilleries is a wonderfully bittersweet pleasure. On the one hand is the joy of tasting such a unique and tasty whisky. On the other is the awareness that these opportunities are increasingly limited.
This bottle of whisky is an excellent example. Rosebank closed in May of 1993, 153 years after being founded by one James Rankine. Alongside St. Magdalene, Rosebank was one of the most highly regarded Lowland malts, and sadly both are closed today (St. Magdalene closed in 1983). This particular whisky was distilled in April 1989, and spent 20 years aging in a refill bourbon hogshead before being bottled at a cask-strength of 56.7%.
Tasting Notes
This Rosebank is darker than others I’ve had, certainly a result of its greater age. The color is of lustrous, polished gold. The nose has notes of heather, sugared citrus, custard, lemon curd, and a hint of vanilla bean. The palate is rich and velvety, with mouth-coatingly sweet layers of poached apples and pears, custard, creme anglaise, and a hint of light caramel, wispy smoke, riding atop a viscous, malty body. The whisky really shines on the finish, with increasingly deep flavors of caramelized sugars. Think tasting the flavors of turbinado sugar as it’s slowly melted atop a creme brulee, finishing with just a hint of dark, burnt sugar.
What I enjoyed most about this whisky was the way in which the flavors deepened and opened up from the nose, through the palate, and on to the finish. The other Rosebank that I’ve tried recently was not quite as old, and not nearly as rich. It had a much stronger citrus and heather element taking place. It was excellent, and this bottle represents another side of this (sadly closed) distillery’s excellent whisky.
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