Rosebank Whisky is a step closer to a full revival of its distillery, as three new, hand-made stills have recently gone in. They are exact replicas of the historic stills to be replaced.
Rosebank’s signature Lowland single malt whisky was born from a combination of triple distillation (a lighter style of whisky) with worm-tub condensing (a thicker liquid).
Malcolm Rennie, Rosebank’s distillery manager, said in a prepared statement triple distillation is an integral piece in the “somewhat nonsensical jigsaw puzzle that is the Rosebank spirit. It generally enhances the lighter, smoother and fruitier components of a spirit, and so is a vital first step in the ‘new’ Rosebank journey.”
In order to replicate the original Rosebank style, parent company Ian Macleod Distillers used the original still blueprints from Abercrombie Coppersmiths when they bought the distillery, which helped to replicate the distillation process used more than 30 years ago.
The blueprints were then handed to still-makers, Forsyths, who crafted the new stills to the exact dimensions of those used on-site long ago.
Richard Forsyth, managing director of Forsyths, said that to this day, his company still uses their forefathers’ hand-hammering techniques to shape copper into pot stills. “Of course, we’ve tried to mechanize it as much as possible, but the finishes we produce are still very much hands-on, and it’s a very physical job,” he added.
In the revival, the exterior of Rosebank’s distillery is nearing completion, set for late summer of 2022. The distinctive, 108-foot-tall chimney is now complemented by a contemporary sloping, stepped roof, showing a mix of original and modern architecture.
Of the new look at Rosebank, Malcolm Rennie said that unlike traditional distilleries, Rosebank will have a new glass façade, and “passers-by will be able to drink in the beauty of these stills from the street-level.”
Trending Stories
Latest News