Rosebank 12 Year Old 1989 Silver Seal

Rosebank closed already in 1993, but the whisky still appears on the market regularly (although less and less for obvious reasons). This bottling already dates back to 2001, from the Max Righi stables. I scored the sample at the festival for independent bottlers in Belgium.

The nose is very light and offers mostly citrus, but not much else. A touch of tinned pineapple and something that reminds me of camphor. If I add water, I get a hint of potato skins. Not bad, but very closed.

The first sip is very soft, although it offers a small bite from white pepper. Quite a bit of oak, despite the young age. Turkish delight? Citrus at any case, almost citric acid. A strange hint of salt. Adding water makes it fall flat on its back though. It becomes sweeter, but loses what little power it had to begin with.

The finish is the best part. Long, warm, spicy and sweet with a surprising trace of smoke.

Not a bad Rosebank, but far from a winner. It drowns with just a splash of water. Lastly seen at 185 EUR, which is way too much.

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