Rosebank Distillery has had its ups and downs over the course of its long history. After the most recent closure and having their stills stolen, it really felt like the Lowland distillery was becoming a thing of the past. Against all odds, however, in 2017, it was pure joy for the whisky industry when Ian Macleod Distillers, the owners of Glengoyne Distillery, announced they were bringing back the ‘King of the Lowlands’.
History of Rosebank
Rosebank Distillery was founded by James Rankine, a local Falkirk wine merchant and tea-blender, in 1840. Although there are some records of a distillery with the same name, the details and location remain unclear. James Rankine bought the maltings of another distillery, Camelon, and converted it into a distillery of his own, which he named Rosebank.
Tip: If you visit the new distillery, make sure to look across the canal when you are near the spirit safe and you will see the old distillery building, now a Premier Inn hotel.
Fast-forward 21 years, and Camelon Distillery went bankrupt, allowing James’s brother to purchase it. The old buildings were demolished, and a new Rosebank Distillery was built in its place, allowing the brothers to use both sites, one for malting and one for distilling.
It was conveniently located right next to the Forth & Clyde canal, which connected the east to the west, making passage of goods easy between Glasgow and Edinburgh. Within forty years they were shipping Rosebank single malt as far as Australia. At the beginning of the First World War, the family had to let go of the distillery, and it became part of a larger group.
Losing its identity
In 1914, Rosebank and a few other distilleries founded Scottish Malt Distillers (SMD), which was also part of Distillers Company Limited (DCL), a type of trade cartel originally aimed at the grain whisky market. But with wartime and limited investment into the site, it all contributed to the end of the distillery. Not to mention the market being filled with blends at the time so pretty much all that Rosebank was producing went into DCL’s (later Diageo’s) blends. This meant that Rosebank’s reputation was diminished as the name and their single malts were unknown to many whisky drinkers in the 20th century.
There was chance for Rosebank’s revival when DCL was looking for a Lowland whisky for their Classic Malts Selection. Unfortunately for Rosebank, they chose Glenkinchie instead. As to why, there are much speculation. Perhaps it was due to the then-dormant canal, while Glenkinchie’s close proximity to Edinburgh would make it a better tourist destination.
In 1991, Rosebank was part of DCL’s Flora & Fauna series as they released a 12-year-old Rosebank single malt whisky. Diageo obviously had some stock left as the most recent Flora & Fauna Rosebank was released in 2006. Today, the bottles are few and far between and retail at high prices.
Eventually, Rosebank closed its doors in 1993, and it wasn’t until 2002 that it was sold to British Waterways, who did nothing with the premises. To make things worse, thieves broke in and stole their huge copper stills in 2008! To this day, no one has any clue what happened to those stills.
Fast forward to 2017 and The King of the Lowlands was rescued by an independent, family-owned company, Ian Macleod Distillers.
New era of Rosebank Distillery
Ian Macleod Distillers have built a new distillery at the same location as the original Rosebank. The large distillery is a blend of new and old. They have tried to preserve as much of the old distillery as possible, including the tall chimney stack, which is a landmark loved by the locals. Production has been modernised but the focus still lies on old Rosebank recipes.
Today, the distillery is making triple-distilled spirit using traditional pot stills and worm tubs, the same way it has always done. Their single malt is unpeated. It obviously won’t be exactly the same as the original Rosebank, but they have certainly tried to keep as much of the tradition alive as possible. By tradition, Lowland whisky style is light, zesty, grassy and floral. By using worm tubs, Rosebank is able to create a heavier spirit character, giving their whisky the quality that earned it the title of King of the Lowlands.
Visit Rosebank Distillery
It will be a long time before Rosebank Distillery releases its ‘new era’ single malt, but meanwhile, you can experience some of its whisky history by sampling the 30+year-old single malts at the distillery.
The Rosebank Rekindled tour will take you through the history of the distillery, and it includes a tasting of Rosebank 31yo, Glengoyne 15yo and Tamdhu 15yo (a distillery also owned by Ian Macleod). If one sample of the old Rosebank single malt is not enough, you can splash the cash and book the Rosebank Revered tour, which includes a guided tour with a visit to the warehouse and a tasting of three rare, well-aged Rosebank whiskies.
If you just want to visit the distillery, the Rosebank Reawakening tour is only £25pp. You will be guided through the distillery and treated to a sample of Glengoyne 12yo and Tamdhu 12yo at the end.
Due to its central location, the distillery doesn’t have a café or a bar. It was a conscious decision not to include one as Falkirk town centre has a lot to offer and is a short walk from the distillery. If you need recommendations on where to go for lunch or a drink in town, be sure to ask the distillery staff as most are local and they know all about Falkirk.
Fun fact: The chimney stack at Rosebank is taller than The Kelpies.
Have you been to the distillery yet? Would you like to try Rosebank single malt?
Disclaimer: My tour and tasting (Rosebank Rekindled) was free of charge. Some of the links used are affiliate links. If you buy through the links, I may receive a commission for the sale. This has no effect on the price for you.
