Rosebank
Even though the Rosebank distillery has been closed since 1993, it is still considered one of the best distilleries in the world, where some of the most representative Lowlands whiskeys ever have been produced. Its exclusive character and exceptional quality make Rosebank Single Malt a much-loved whiskey, such as the Rosebank 1991 Gordon & MacPhail and the Rosebank 21 years old The Roses, some of the rarest and most exclusive whiskeys on the market.
The Rosebank Distillery was officially founded by James Smeaton in 1773 and is located along the coast of the Forth and Clyde Canal in Camelon. According to historical data, distillation first took place in this location in 1798, under the supervision of the Stark brothers. In the years that followed, James Rankine, a wine and fermentation trader, was a major contributor to the expansion of Rosebank. Rankine had new buildings constructed, and from then on had the necessary malt for Rosebank delivered from the nearby Camelon distillery, which significantly reduced production costs.
A few years after the opening of Rosebank, James Rankine also bought the nearby Camelon distillery and developed a high quality single malt whiskey, which was the beginning of the traditional triple distilled Lowlands whiskey. However, the Camelon distillery went bankrupt, after which the building was demolished. Even so, the malt house remained operational for Rosebank, supplying the distillery with a large proportion of the malt required.
In 1894, Rosebank continued under the umbrella firm of Rosebank Distillery Ltd., but like most Scottish distilleries, Rosebank was badly affected by the recession of the early 20th century. In 1914 the distillery merged with Scottish Malt Distillers, now known as Diageo. This formation ultimately enabled Rosebank to survive the recession. After that, Rosebank built a reputation as a representative Lowlands distillery, known for its fresh and fruity notes of triple distilled single malt whiskey, which true whiskey connoisseurs love so much. Yet, despite its stable production capacity, Rosebank closed down in 1993.
After having been closed for more than two decades, something happened that no one had expected. In 2017, Ian Macleod Distillers announced that he had bought Rosebank from Diageo, and announced that they would restore the distillery to its former glory!
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