Rosebank. The King looses Diamonds

by Ernie Scheiner

Severe Staff cuts at the Rosebank Distillery

Expectations were very high when it opened in May 2024. The resurrected and redesigned Rosebank Distillery was supposed to become a tourist hotspot. The Kelpies, the Falkirk Wheel, and Callander House were leading the way. But the expected influx of 50,000 visitors failed to materialize. The visitor center and shop have been making losses and operating in the red.

This result is by no means a surprise, given the admission prices for the promotional tours Rosebank Awakening is £26.95, Rosebank Discovered is £52.50, Rosebank Rekindled is £99.95, and Rosebank Revered is £315 (all prices per person). These are indeed very high prices, considering that such tours are essentially marketing tools for their own brands and products. And to be honest there is nothing special within the tours, they just follow the traditional pattern which you find in any other distillery.

It seems as if the management completely misjudged the general situation and overestimated demand.

About £54.00 entry fee for the basic tour is a very prodigious price demanded when a couple feels that the price-performance ratio is getting out of balance. The result is a vote of confidence; prospective customers simply stay away and spend their hard-earned money elsewhere. One has to bear in mind not everyone is a well-off person. For most locals and their guests it is not a place to go. They prefer Callander House instead.

Ian Mcintyre wrote in Facebook on September 4th, 2025 :

"Tours too expensive for average local visitor given that they don’t have a Rosebank dram available yet. Does look nice from the outside but I’ll be waiting until there’s something worth tasting."

Richard Grahame from Falkirk wrote in Facebook on September 4th, 2025:

"I live across the road and they have Not catered for the locals. I have a large Rosebank collection. Walked the dog throughout build in anticipation. Would go multiple times a week if there was even a basic cafe. Sadly I’ve only been in 4 times as nothing to go back to once you’ve seen it once as impressive as it is. 

Give the locals a reason keep coming back."

Tom van Engelen, a member of the Rosebank Distillery Community, wrote in Facebook on September 4th, 2025:

 "I think it is a missed opportunity that Rosebank did not incorporate a lunchroom inside the visitor centre that could also serve the local people.

Manifest management errors could likely be the cause. Excessively high entrance fees and inadequate tour performances were the result of overconfidence. The name Rosebank is unfamiliar to many young people and the average citizen. It only evokes certain emotional associations and needs in ambitious whisky nerds. Lesson: A brand name alone isn't enough to draw in visitors.

Elsewhere, Scottish distilleries remain top visitor attractions, not only during their regional festivals.

Rosebank: One man operated distillery in production.

The Shock

Shop staff, tour guides, and duty managers were given notice of termination without notice, effective at the end of September 2025. They felt betrayed by management, reports The Falkirk Herald.

"Workers were said to feel shell shocked, angry and – most of all – betrayed by the redundancy announcement...

Rosebank Distillery owner Ian Macleod Distillers said they had made the "difficult decision" to propose a review of staffing levels in response to "difficult trading conditions," as well as the "softening of the global whisky market" and other external factors.

The sudden, very short notice period of just four weeks is very concerning, as it demonstrates a lack of appreciation and a lack of respect for the employees who were recruited with great promises. There also appears to be no social plan to mitigate the harshness. Side effect: Macleod products have got a very negative shade... for many customers.

Incidentally, Rosebank Distillery's gleaming new building is a far cry from the Victorian atmosphere of earlier production times. The walls, paneled with oak planks from the warehouses, fail to achieve the emotional intensity reminiscent of the past heydays of working and hustling mashmen and stillmen.

Today computer control is omnipresent. It is a one man show only...Furthermore, no new whiskies of the company's own or at least one-year-aged Rosebank spirits are being presented, but only drams from the sister Macleod Distilleries Tamdhu and Glengoyne. A wee sip of new make is not enough.

One could suppose visitors are not interested in Tamdhu or Glengoyne, their interest focuses on the actual distillery.

Macleod has been known for a special pricing policy. Take the small souvenir 20cl bottle of Rosebank New Make Spirit, with only 63.5% ABV, which costs a hefty 30 pounds in the shop. A ten-year-old Distillery Handfill Single Cask from sister brand Tamdhu was once offered for around 200 pounds per 0.7l bottle.

Opening hours will be limited in future, taking into account actual demand. Some of the visitor tours could be led by operators and others if necessary. Those lucky enough to participate will thus gain expert insights into the respective production processes during the tours.

The very small Rosebank Production Team does not operate 24/7. It can therefore adapt production output to the current situation without having to lay off employees again.

There is no official information on the extent to which current whisky production at Rosebank has been restricted.

Impressions: Shop. Lounge. Old original Rosebank Single Malt.

Opinions in Facebook, September 3, 2025, a selection:

Michael Gradl, Local Dealer, Importer and Organizer of the Village in Nuremberg, said:

"We were in Edinburgh last week and didn't visit Rosebank because it was too expensive..."

Stefan Faulstich, hotelier at the Landhotel Rhönblick, Distiller's Lounge, Whisky Dinners, noted:

"I was there on August 17th and took the Rekindled Tour for 100 pounds. Now, I'm not a tourist, I'm a nerd - I thought long and hard about what was explicitly included in the tour and then wrote an email detailing what was included in the tour. Among other things, the 33-year-old Rosebank.

Plus the 18-year-old Tamdhu and 18-year-old Glengoyn. Along with the tour, which was more intended for tourists, in the sterile distillery. Conclusion: They should have included the glass, okay. You might do something like that once, but not as a tourist.

Especially since admission to the Kelpies or the boat lift next door is free.

Also, Falkirk is probably more of a stopover than an overnight destination (it's too close to both airports).

The shop at Rosebank was well-stocked with merchandise—but 30% more expensive than comparable other distillery shops.

I hope they get the hang of it - but I don't think they'll wait 12 years for the first single malt to come onto the market."

Andreas, Scotlands Glory, specialist retailer, notes:

"...Nice tour, friendly staff. They sold a Tamdhu SC as a Distillery Exclusive, which, as usual with Ian Macleods, was "overpriced" for us. We left it there, too..." [sic]

Monika Pummer, hotelier, Zum Dragoner, whisky specialist retailer, importer, and tutor, was delighted:

"I did the Rosebank Revered in February, and there was something to snack on there; the tour was amazing. Then in March, The Residency: Tamdhu Tasting, also super unique."

Josef Kraus, bakery and maker of delicious Franconian whisky pastries, especially gingerbread, is disappointed:

"We were there two months ago/A little surprised that they're trying to outdo Macallan/

It somehow left the impression of a distillery without a soul." [sic]

Jörg Gruler, journalist

"The distilleries should They urgently need to rethink their tour prices. It used to be almost free, but they'd do a nice shopping trip in the shop. Especially if there was something special. Now, people think twice about whether and which tour to do at all. And then they prefer to buy things cheaper in Germany."

On Tripadvisor, the visit to Rosebank Distillery is rated five out of 176 reviews.

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About the author

Ernie - Ernst J. Scheiner is the editor of The Gateway to Distilleries www.whisky-distilleries.net   He has photographically documented over 150 distilleries from the inside and described the whisky production in detail. Since studying at the University of Edinburgh, he has been involved with whisky and published in specialist magazines,

such as The Irland Journal, the Kleinbrennerei, Whisky Passion, and The Highland Herald . Features and stories have appeared in the blogs whiskyexperts, whiskyfanblog, and whiskyintelligence . As head of the Ingelheim Adult Education Center, and now as a Whisk(e)y Ambassador, he conducts distillation seminars, organized study trips, and whisky culture tours to the sources of whisky.