Rosebank 17 yo 1990/2007 Cask Strength (Sweets for my sweet, sugar for my honey)

Sadly, Rosebank, a wonderful Lowlands distillery, is no more. Nevertheless, Diageo has a large stash from which they release stocks from time to time, and there are a number of independent bottlers that also have good casks. The Whisky Exchange is one of them, and they have a number of Rosebank releases which are very good. This whisky though, is from one of their casks from which they bottle to order at their Vinopolis shop. I believe it's from the same stock as one of their bottlings, but because it was bottled later it has a little more aging in it.

I love this whisky. It's a quintessentially summery whisky, with the refreshing light Lowlands character, and it puts me in mind of summer fruits, sweets and English (and Scottish) market towns. Light and airy is the impression I'm trying to convey here - boiled sweets, some Earl Grey tea with no milk, daffodils and daisies. I thought I would try to pair this whisky with some really good quality, classic English sweets.

Rosebank 17 yo 1990/2007 Cask Strength (from the cask, The Whisky Exchange)
Single malt - Lowlands
Straw gold
55.2% ABV

Nose: Spring grass, lemons, fresh orange juice, not the peel. Rhubarb and custard sweets. Slightly medicinal from the high ABV.
Mouthfeel: Light body. Evaporates quickly. Like getting poked in the mouth.
Tasting: Salty sweet. Jam doughnuts, lemon curd on toast. Magic marker and pear drop lurking underneath.
Finish: Medium long and warm. Something sweet and spicy, like mulled wine (although that's not very summery). Fades to sweet.

I've tried to get sweets of reasonably quality, as I try with all these pairings. They are from Mrs Kibble's Sweet Shop. There's no point in wasting a good whisky by pairing it with something that wouldn't be worth eating on its own. Both food and whisky are supposed to complement each other, after all. Here we go.

1. Lemon sherberts

Start with the simple easy one first. Swishing the whisky around the sherbert creates something very spirity, barley-ey and mashy. The Rosebank reminds me of bourbon whiskey now, with underlying tones of magic marker. The rhubarb and custard edge is still there, with hints of cheap estery Wrigley's chewing gum, and soft peaches. A bitter finish, with some slight whiffs of compost. Rather interestingly, the high ABV seems to stop the sherbert filling from fizzing in the mouth. Don't know why.


2. Rhubarb and custard sweets

My favourite sweet of all, followed by a contender for my favourite whisky so far. In goes the sweet, sip of whisky - lemony tart, with barley sugar overtones, as the sweet makes the whisky sweeter (duh!). Followed closely by a big hit of banana, which is warm and hot. Slight savoury note, almost like a banana fritter. It fades quickly, finishing with bitter oaty notes at the end. Not bad - the only problem is that the rhubarb and custard sweet is kind of big, and I can't swish the whisky around my mouth like I'm used to.

3. Soor plooms

Scottish sweets for Scottish whisky! Soor plooms are from Galashiels, which is in the Lowlands too. The whisky make the sweet's flavours taste coconutty, and more creamy. There's a slightly milky flavour which is very attractive. Some bitterness towards the end, and tartness as the whisky's rhubarb and custard character reasserts itself. Quite interesting.

4. Pear drops

Pear drops have a queer chemical taste that reminds me of magic marker. I occasionally find this in some whiskies. It's not unpleasant, it just gives me the vague feeling that I'm doing something I shouldn't, like sniffing glue. Anyhow... oh wow. Barley and corn mash, followed by peanuts and bitter walnuts, wreathed with the magic marker flavour. The whisky isn't sweet at all, very maritime, but it's too light to resemble a big-hitting coastal Highlander. Is there more? Unfortunately not - that's all the depth there is. Shame.


I thought the pear drops would have won it from the impression given by the first sip. Unfortunately the magic marker taste overwhelmed whatever finish there was, which was a little disappointing. So the honours go to the soor plooms, which is poetically appropriate - Scottish Lowlands sweet with a Scottish Lowlands whisky!