Chieftain's Rosebank 14 Years Review

Country: Scotland

Brand: Chieftain’s Rosebank

Bottled by: Ian Macleod & Comp. Ltd., Edinburgh

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Region: Lowland

Age: 14 Years

Alcohol: 46%

Date: 02/09/2012

Colour: Pale Straw/White Wine

Nose: Not bad but slightly disappointing for a 14 Years Single Malt. Alcohol and Oak are very dominant at first. This dram really requires patience. After 15 minutes or so I find Apple (Vinegar), Malt, Lemon and Honey. Floral tones and Sweet Peach at the back of the glass. Once the dram opens up, the Nose is not unpleasant but rather plain and without significant depth. When you nose the empty glass you get a pleasant combination of Apple (Pie) and Malt.

Taste: Sugary Sweet White Grapes with some Spices. It’s not unlike a Grappa.

Finish: A bit hot with Apple, Spices and a touch of Honey.

With a few drops of water, Alcohol and Oak are toned down on the Nose. You get more Malt, Toast and a bit of Blossom and Fruit. The Palate is a little less sweet and more balanced. The Finish gets a bit extra Pepper. You can certainly experiment with a few drops in this case. But as always, don’t overdo it because with one drop too much it gets watered down.

Rating: 79.5 

Nose: 21 - Taste: 20 – Finish: 19– Overall: 19.5

General Remarks: Ian MacLeod is a so-called Independent Bottler. These companies play an important part in today’ s whisky industry. They buy casks of (young) spirit from Distilleries, mature them, finish them and bottle them, all at their own discretion and then sell the final product under their own label. This is all very attractive for whisky drinkers who look beyond the standard Distillery offerings. They are often bottled at cask strength and non-chill-filtered. Many times, but not always, Independent Bottlers offer products that are greatly appreciated.

The Rosebank Distillery was built on the banks of the Forth-Clyde Canal near Falkirk. Most of its production was used for Blends because of the light and floral character of the spirit. It is out of production since 1993 and practically dismantled. There are projects of a new Distillery at the same location but the Diageo Group, the owners of the Trademark Name Rosebank, deny that any whisky that might be produced there in the future will carry the name Rosebank.

Conclusion: Unfortunately I have no idea when this Single Malt was distilled and when it was bottled. I can only tell you that it aged for 14 years. The hot Spices indicate a high number of European Oak Casks but I can’t detect any Sherry influence so most likely Refill Casks were used. Honestly speaking I had expected more from a 14 Year Single Malt. It is a Lowland of course and we should consider the light character of those whiskies. But I feel this expression suffers from a lack of complexity and depth. It’s mainly Malt and Oak with a touch of Apple and Grappa. I bought a miniature of this whisky and that’s a great- and not very expensive way to sort out a dram. It will be hard to find a full bottle of this. I wouldn’t give it a lot of effort though if I were you!

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Jan van den Ende                                                               September 2012