In 1993, Rosebank, a distillery once known as the “King of the Lowlands,” ceased production after 153 years of continuous operation.
The early 1990s were a particularly difficult time for the whisky industry, and Rosebank was simply the latest in a long string of historic brands deemed expendable in a down market. The grounds of the distillery lay dormant until 2002, when the site was sold to British Waterways (later Scottish Canals). The death blow—or so it seemed—came in late 2008 and early 2009, when the original 19th-century stills and mash tun that contributed heavily to Rosebank’s unique flavor were stolen. The thieves and the equipment were never found.
By all accounts, this should have been the end of the Rosebank story, but rather than fade into the whisky history books, Rosebank was given a new lease on life. Ian Macleod Distillers (IMD) is set to restore Rosebank to its former glory, acquiring the physical site from Scottish Canals, then negotiating with Diageo for the Rosebank trademark and any remaining casks of Rosebank inventory distilled between 1989 and 1993.
Recreating Rosebank’s Unique Facility
IMD worked with Forsyth’s to create new stills, using archival still blueprints to build exact replicas of the original design. Like the original distillery, the new Rosebank utilizes triple distillation and worm tub condensers. On the surface, these two production aspects appear to be polar opposites of each other. Triple distillation often produces a lighter spirit, while worm tubs typically make a whisky “thick” or “heavy.” In the case of Rosebank, the combination resulted in a uniquely floral and delicate house style.
The first cask of new-make spirit produced by the revived Rosebank Distillery was filled in July 2023. On June 7, 2024, Rosebank formally opened its doors to the public, with a visitor center, tasting room, and tours of the distillery and its historic warehouses. With a year of public exposure under its belt, Rosebank is working hard behind the scenes to recreate its classic style for a brand new generation of whisky drinkers.
I recently spoke with Gordon Dundas, Brand Development & Advocacy Director for IMD, about the first year of the visitor center, the progress of Rosebank’s new operations and what the distillery has planned for the future.
Although the distillery hadn’t formally hosted visitors in 30 years, the visitor center had an exciting first year. “It’s a build,” says Dundas. “You don’t get to your visitor numbers immediately. You get to them over time, and that comes through great reviews and a lot of work in the background getting people there. In the first twelve months, we’ve had a good number of people through and we’re very delighted by it.”
Ownership Matters…A Lot
The scotch whisky world has seen a significant number of distilleries and brands change owners in the 21st century. Sometimes, these sales have no noticeable downstream impact on consumers, but that’s not always the case.
Parent companies have a significant say in the way their distilleries make whisky, and consequently, the specs of the final product. These corporate decisions simultaneously impact the company’s bottom line and the way the whisky is presented to end consumers.
Whether a company gains new control over an established brand, turns its focus toward an underutilized distillery, or revives an old, defunct brand like Rosebank, that distillery’s portfolio is often revamped and reintroduced to the market with new branding and packaging. We’ve seen plenty of examples of this over the last 25 years.
Sometimes, the whisky is given an upgrade that’s technically more expensive to produce, but has greater appeal to whisky enthusiasts. In 2011, Bunnahabhain’s core range went from the legal minimum bottling strength of 40% to whisky bottled at 46.3%, non-chill filtered, and of natural color. Tasting notes aside, the bump in ABV and corresponding non-chill filtration make for an oily, thicker mouthfeel and much fuller flavor. The change was immediately noticed (present company included) and heralded by whisky drinkers, and Bunnahabhain used that momentum to eventually position itself as a universally acclaimed brand today.
Other times, the decision is made to lower the ABV of a product line, as was the case in January 2025, when Inver House Distillers re-released the anCnoc and Speyburn core ranges with most bottling strengths reduced to 40% ABV, effectively enforcing chill-filtration. Both brands were commonly regarded as underrated and underappreciated by whisky drinkers before the announcement, and those enthusiasts (present company included) were vocally disappointed by the news.
From a financial perspective, though, this production decision stretches out the inventory of both distilleries. A 750 ml bottle of whisky, bottled at 40% ABV, contains 450 ml of water. That same bottle at 46% ABV contains 405 ml of water. Put another way, for every 1,000 bottles of whisky bottled at 46% ABV, you could yield an extra 150 bottles if the strength was reduced to 40% ABV. For large distilleries, those numbers add up quickly.
Before IMD, Rosebank was owned by corporate beverage giant Diageo. Despite owning 30 single malt distilleries in Scotland, the single malt product line is merely a small piece of Diageo’s overall business. Their distilleries produce whisky at scale, often for blends. As we’ve seen, lower bottling strengths can stretch their whisky inventory substantially. It’s no wonder that Diageo bottles most of its core range products at 40 or 43% ABV.
By comparison, Rosebank under IMD (which also owns Tamdhu and Glengoyne) has a much better chance of being bottled above 40%—and hopefully high enough to be non-chill filtered. The first release of new Rosebank whisky is still many years away, so those decisions have yet to be finalized. No age statement has been determined either, but the whisky will tell the Rosebank team when it’s ready. “Probably 7 to 9 years,” Dundas continued. “We’ll see when we can stand behind the liquid and say that we are proud of it.”
Classic Inspiration, Modern Production
Because there are no surviving historical samples to act as a reference point, Rosebank can’t definitively say they have replicated the original distillery’s new-make spirit. With that said, their new distillate is seemingly true to form, aiming to recapture the style of whisky they originally made famous.
“When you have a light base spirit and you’re putting it in refills [second-use American oak casks], you’re going to need more time in the cask,” says Dundas. “Rosebank has always been light in color, light on cask interaction.”
This approach is a stark contrast to many of the production trends found not only in today’s whisky world, but the spirits world at large. Many distilleries have given in to a “it’s all about the casks” philosophy that relies heavily on oak to impact the final flavor profile. Whether it’s the use of heavily charred or toasted barrels, aging in ex-wine casks, or double maturation in multiple cask types, distilleries often leverage cask influence at the expense of the base spirit itself.
Rosebank is taking a more traditional approach to whisky maturation—one that requires a quality spirit directly off the still. With significantly less impact from previously-used casks, the nuances of the distillery’s house style are better preserved. Rosebank, with its inherently light and floral whisky, is a perfect use case for this type of maturation. Many of the subtleties of a spirit are lost when matured in first-fill oak or other styles like sherry casks, and you can put this theory to the test yourself. If you’re familiar with the typical flavor profile of Glenfarclas or Glendronach, seek out a refill ex-bourbon cask independent bottling of either distillery, and you might be surprised at the tasting notes you’ll find.
Rosebank can’t account for other natural changes that have occurred over time either.
“The barley’s different. Probably the pH of the water has changed. The way you heat stills has changed. The worm tubs are not identical sizes… all of that means that there’s a difference, but it’s still very much there in terms of style,” says Dundas. “We wanted to ensure that we produced a clear wort which pushes fruitiness. We then looked at fermentation—60 hours in Oregon Pine washbacks.”
The most critical piece of the production puzzle lay in Rosebank’s tall, middle still. Former Distillery Manager Malcolm Rennie helped dial in this crucial production component as the new still room was built. “Malcom was fiddling with flow rates and temperatures of the middle still that drives the flavor,” says Dundas. “Our new make spirit is about 6-7% higher than a double-distilled scotch.”
This surprisingly high 77-78% ABV distillate is then reduced to the industry standard fill strength of 63.5% ABV, contributing even further to a light flavor profile on the other side of the whisky’s maturation journey.
Making ‘On Purpose’ Single Malt
Rosebank’s light, delicate style makes it a perfect candidate for blending, and for much of the distillery’s history, that’s precisely what it was used for. Rosebank was historically used in popular blends like Johnnie Walker, Haig, White Horse, and VAT 69. It wasn’t until after the distillery was mothballed that any attention was paid to Rosebank as a standalone malt whisky. Rosbank’s recent Legacy Release bottles are aged 30+ years, but that wasn’t exactly the plan.
“31-year-old Rosebank, which is absolutely fabulous and sensational, was never meant to be a Rosebank 31. It was meant to be blending whisky,” says Dundas. “We know more about distillation now than we ever did in the ‘90s, and they weren’t making it to make 31-year-old single malt or even 12-year-old single malt. We are making it to produce a single malt.”
In addition to specifically producing single malt whisky, Rosebank is also planning on keeping its inventory tightly controlled in the market. Many start-up distilleries offer public and private cask sales to bring critical early-stage funding to the business while they wait for their stocks to age. Rosebank has no such intentions.
“We’re not selling any Rosebank spirit. We’re not selling any casks to private people at all. You can see that the commitment to the Rosebank brand is really significant,” says Dundas. “Rosebank can do 1,000,000 liters [per year]. At the moment, we’re probably doing 650-700 [thousand liters]. We’re focused on driving spirit quality and putting it into decent casks. We’re on the right path.”
Rosebank’s Next Steps
Despite its long history and legacy, Rosebank needs to reestablish its brand and market itself to a completely new generation of whisky drinkers. From the time that Rosebank closed in 1993 until its reopening 30 years later, the prevalence of the internet and social media has produced a savvy, well-informed consumer base with high expectations for single malt scotch. Rosebank’s brand awareness gives them a leg up on upstart brands and they plan on using that to their advantage.
“The opportunity for us is that the whisky is going to have a taste profile that will appeal to a wide audience. It’s that light, lowland style. We’re going to ensure that when we do launch it, we get lots of people tasting it and talking about it,” says Dundas.
“I think the short-term challenge is the marketplace. Hopefully that’s going to improve. I think the longer-term outlook for scotch is positive, and I think Rosebank will be a part of that because of its taste profile.”
For now, all we can do is wait for Rosebank’s new whisky to come of age. Rest assured, though, that when we finally see a new-era Rosebank enter the market, it will be whisky done right.
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