Rosebank 12 Year Old (Flora and Fauna)

Nose: Strong malt, sweet bread like Hawaiian bread, vanilla, sweet lemons, flowers, sea salt, freshly cut grass, hay, coriander, rosemary.

Taste: Soft sweetness that turns dry, lemon zest, cream puffs, oak. Very fresh.

Finish: Dry, floral, a touch of bitter citrus.

I think of this as being a fall whisky, but not for reasons that Islay whiskies are good for this time of year. There's is obviously no smoke or peat, but there is a great sense of hay and dead grass. It's like when you rake up leaves and you stir up all those smells of dying plants. It doesn't sound great, but I think it smells just like autumn. Very enjoyable, but I would probably like it more if it were a little older.

Nose: An immediately nimble nose, with wet straw and lavender like two ballerinas leaping across the stage. The rest of the company is not far behind, lime and cucumber pirouetting around some light yoghurt and hummus, with cauliflower, apple and melon wafting in on a bed of light butter and honey. The stage is elegantly decorated with flowers and fresh herbs. Sumptuously subtle.

Taste: The next act of the ballet comes in with a very light and delicate dance, with seemingly weightless movement from the fresh apple and citrus, once again swooning on a honey-coated stage, with violet and toffee accompanying the compellingly minimal choreography.

Finish: Act 3 is once again played out on the ever-present honey-coated surface, from which springs sweet mint and herbs, a brief leap of liquorice, before the flapjacks and malted straw close the show.

Balance: The beauty of this dram is in its elegant simplicity. Its name is in fact rather apt, as it is more like a bunch of roses rather than a bouquet of assorted flowers. Its flavour profile is very precise and almost minimalist, but effortlessly luxurious, just like the rose itself. The triple distillation has certainly refined the character of this spirit, and created a beautifully light and sophisticated dram.

This is the well known - and much praised - official Rosebank from the Flora & Fauna series (a term, by the way, that was coined by whisky guru Michael Jackson).

The first thing that hits you on this utterly soft, but oh so sweet, nose is the typical floral a fruity characteristics: camomile, pears, sap of unmatured graps and a touch of cream.

This elegant lady ('cause I always think of this beautiful dram as a 'she') rolls smoothly over the palate, slightly creamy and delicate. Some nuts, grass and flowers and wonderfully clean. Winter herbs, potpourri, tangerines and a touch of tannins. It reminds me a bit of Cointreau, the orange licqeuer, but with a lot more schwung, if you know what I mean. Marvellous.

The finish is not particularly long, but fruity and feisty, with a hint of mint at the death.

This is an excellent Lowland in general and a fantastic Rosebank in particular, that invites you to lounge in your favourite sofa for an hour. Heart rending if you realise that the distillery will never be revived. Despite the price tag of about 65 quid, you should not let this pass you by.

This whisky is very soft tasting lik all lowland whiskies. It has a nice citrus flavour. The distillery is no longer producing so huryy up for that bottle. Bladnoch is also very nice but for me this is the best lowland whisky.

The first sniff is all sweet honeycomb with subsequent samplings revealing a hint of fresh herbs. Almost tastes like a cask strength bottling - very robust. Sweet honey, freshly cut herbs, just a hint of spice. The finish is long, sweet and dry.

Very refreshing, with loads of character.

In my opinion, some malts keep you interested by being complex - each time they reveal some slightly different element. Other malts are simple one-trick ponies. This is the latter, but when you master the simple this well, who needs complexity.