Rosebank 20 Years 1980s

DESCRIPTION

A 20 year old distillery bottling of Rosebank produced for Italian importers Zenith. Rosebank is now closed and bottlings are becoming increasingly hard to obtain. This particular one received an impressive average of 91 points from 8 of the Malt Maniacs.

TASTING NOTES 

Colour: pale gold. Nose: just like the 1967, it’s a bit shy at first nosing, but then it gets even more on coal smoke and shoe polish, like many of the old dumpies by Cadenhead. Also more kumquats and lemon marmalade, but I’m sure water will be needed again. So, with water: plain shoe polish! Reminds me of my days in the army – don’t ask me why I like shoe polish then. Faint whiffs of wet dogs (not army dogs).

Mouth (neat): fantabulous attack, but not one that would please everyone. Thick and oily, starting extremely tarry and almost metallic (nah, this bottle had a cork stopper), with the lemony notes starting to act on your tongue like myriads of mini-explosions (err, or something like that). Then it’s kumquats, bitter oranges, mastic, peanut butter, lemon-flavoured toffee, crystallised fruits (all kinds)... Wowie! With water: even better, even more complex. Gorgeous whisky.

Finish: we haven’t gotten all day, have we? Comments: a legendary bottle, an ode to the Lowlands of Scotland.

SGP:662 – 93 points.

PRODUCT SUMMARY