Today it’s a Rosebank under the limelight and the reason for it is an ABC whisky challenge at the regional whisky club and I was selected to toast a whisky starting with ‘R’.

Of course I could go the simple and safe (and boring) route with Royal Lochnagar or Royal Brackla but why not use this occasion to try something more interesting? After a short search in the boxes, I found this 20 Year Old Rosebank sample that was gathering dust for years since Johanne McInnes (@whiskylassie) sent it to me (Check her blog at the WhiskyLassie Blog!)

So Yay for an excuse to drink some Rosebank 🙂

SMWS 25.61 Lemon and Vanilla Delicacy (20 Year Old Rosebank) (51.3%)

Nose: Lemon salad (is there such a thing? lots of different kinds of lemon here!), vanilla pods, dough, floral, honeycomb, a bit of limestone dust.

Palate: Dusty at first, citrus bomb with lemon and grapefruit rinds and peels, vanilla, white pepper, grassy, rich, full bodied,

Finish Medium long length, semi dry, bitter lemon peels and rinds, honey, vanilla, a bit of white pepper

Thoughts: Classic Lowland whisky. There’s not much oak after 20 years in the cask (and few more years on my shelf) which is good. It’s a celebration of vanilla, lemon (and more citrus) along with the floral and grassy style of the distillery. As usual, the SMWS name was on the spot. Now to wait for a new Rosebank whisky from the newly revived distillery.