Tasting notes for the second ever Roseisle release

Let me start by saying this was supposed to be a head-to-head tasting between the only two Roseisle releases available in the world. But it turns out that my bottle of Roseisle 12 years old that was released in 2023 went into the bin, without sampling at least some cl’s for my library. So, I can only forward you to my review for Maltfascination last year, and give you my impressions for the Roseisle 12 years old of this year!

Roseisle is, despite a beautiful name, a not so romantic malt whisky producing factory. Probably very efficient, turning out some 10 million litres per year easily. The distillery is supposed to be able to create different styles of malt, in effect being multiple distilleries into one. That is bad news for smaller plants of course, when the whisky-economy takes a turn for the worse. Why keep open multiple locations of generic whisky distilleries if you have three or four styles under one roof? Or am I being too cynical? Yes, I am, a drink will help cure that.

Roseisle 12 years old, bottled at 55,6 % abv

Makeup: Matured in first-fill bourbon and refill casks. Seems like the same recipe as last years expression, only the abv is slightly lower (56,5 versus 55,6 %). Sample bought from Whiskysite.nl.

General impressions: The nose has some difficulty opening up completely. It is mostly sawdust and vanilla I get here. When given some time, whiffs of banana and porridge come out. Nice combination actually. Then some hints of peaches. Maybe some mushy apples. It is so strongly woven together that nothing really jumps out. I will check back in after taking a sip.

Mouthfeel is (again) very soft, supple and rewarding. I got a strange thought here, but this whisky gives me a feeling like ‘Diageo showing they can make a better Glenlivet than The Glenlivet’. 

It really reminds me of older bottlings of The Glenlivet 12 years old, the ones we love so much with the strong signature of peaches in it. Where I found last-year’s Roseisle to be a tad bitter on the finish, now I am less bothered by it. Yes, this is an unbothered single malt, just plain and good.

So, with water then. The nose gains a lot of depth from it. Not necessarily a different whisky now, but it feels more “open” to nose now. Freshly cut grass, a nice meadow with some cows in it, delicious vanilla. Fresh flowers from the market that you put in your vase while the oven is heating up for baking some croissants. This is a Saturday morning malt. With water the drinking experience does not really change. More juicy perhaps.

Conclusion: Very much aligned with last year, but maybe a tad simple. One can only hope Diageo will let some casks slip to independent bottlers. Roseisle desperately needs an adventurous approach after these strong, but altogether too decent outings. Last year’s score of 87 points included the element of surprise, this year we do not have that edge to it.

Score: 85 points

Got a question about this whisky? Or do you just want to say something about it? There is a contactform on the bottom of this page!  

Share this on your social media! - and check mine while you're at it :)