Reopened Rosebank Distillery fills first cask

Thirty years ago, the Rosebank Distillery wad closed down, but now production is back in Falkirk on the Forth & Clyde Canal. Owner Ian McLeod Distillers proudly announced the filling of the first cask.

The stills are working again, but they are not the same stills as they once were, because the old equipment had not survived the sleep of the Lowland distillery. This was due not only to the ravages of time, but also to copper thieves.

Since 2019, the new owner Ian McLeod Distillers has invested high sums in the restoration of the distillery and had Forsyths of Rothes make replicas of the old distilling equipment, including stills, using blue prints of the original plans. So now Rosebank uses triple distillation and worm tubs like before the closure.

Distillery Manager Malcolm Rennie says: "Rosebank has historically been one of the most revered global whisky brands, and our distillery team have applied a wealth of experience to ensure Cask No. 001 and subsequent releases follow in those footsteps. We hope to reinstate Rosebank as the beating heart of the community in Falkirk, driving tourism and generating jobs as we rekindle the flames of the distinctive Lowland whisky brand."

The first cask that was filled by Rosebank Distillery is a refill bourbon barrel. It is intended to shape the fruity, floral character of Lowland whisky.

We will have to wait a few more years for the first whisky from the distillery, in the meantime Ian McLeod Distillers sell exclusive bottlings from the production before the closure in 1993. And already next year they want to open the doors for visitors, a visitor centre including a huge car park is currently being built in Falkirk.

Picture: Ian McLeod Distillers