Located on the banks of the Forth & Clyde Canal, Rosebank, which has been dubbed as ‘The King of the Lowlands’ was mothballed in 1993, by its then owners United Distillers.
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| Ian Macleod Distillers Managing Director: Leonard Russell |
Rosebank’s history on its present site began in 1840, when James Rankine acquired the maltings of the Camelon Distillery, which were on the opposite side of the canal to the main distillery.
By 1886 Rosebank was operating on both sides of the canal with the Camelon building producing malt which was then transferred over a swing bridge to the distillery building. In the 20th century it was considered one of, if not the, premier Lowland malts.
Ian Macleod Distillers, has entered into a binding agreement with Scottish Canals to purchase the site and has separately acquired the Rosebank trademark from Diageo.
Commenting on the news, Leonard Russell, Managing Director at Ian Macleod Distillers, said: “Rosebank is one of the most respected and sought after single malts in the world. As such, this is an extraordinarily exciting project for us. To bring back to life an iconic distillery and quintessential Lowland single malt is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
He went onto say: “The distillery has a very special place in Scotland’s whisky heritage and we are committed to ensuring this is the case. We will produce Rosebank Lowland single malt in exactly the same way as it is known, using the famous triple distillation and worm tub condensers. This way we ensure the revival of its classic style and taste.”
He concluded by saying: “Over the coming months we will carefully review Rosebank’s rare stocks, with a view to releasing some truly scarce and extraordinary whiskies. We have no doubt that demand for these releases will be exceptionally high so we already have plans in place to make sure collectors and Rosebank lovers can keep up to date.”
The news follows yesterday's announcement by Diageo, of its plans to reopen two of its most iconic distilleries; Port Ellen and Brora.
All the latest developments on the resurrected Rosebank Distillery, and details on new releases of its rare and collectable bottlings, will be available via www.rosebankwhisky.co.uk
Posted by Steve Rush