Analysis of Rosewater Brands

In order to pick the best tasting rosewater for different purposes I thought it best to look at all the easily available rosewaters in Australia at supermarkets and over the internet. I have analysed them based on flavour and fragrance.
To make it fair, I considered their taste and odour before cooking them into Rosewater Syrup (Cordial). I also smelled their fragrance during cooking. Each taste test had at least a half hour break between so I could cleanse my palate.
This is my subjective analysis and opinion.
Cortas (Ingredients: Rosewater)

• Flavour: Complex, subtle and earthy with a pleasant aftertaste.
• Fragrance: earthy rose, not floral or perfumed.

Chef’s choice (Ingredients: Distilled Water, Natural Rosewater, Rose Flavour)

• Flavour: Virtually no flavour.
• Fragrance: Potpourri, slightly dried rose odour.

Greenleaf (Ingredients: Rosewater essence and water)

• Flavour: Weak, overly floral taste.
• Fragrance: floral, simple strongly perfumed. Fragrance cooks off quickly.

Maharaja’s Choice (Ingredients: Rose extract and water)

• Flavour: sour front of mouth without much rosewater flavour.
• Fragrance: Sharp odour. Doesn’t really smell of roses.

Al-Rabih Rosewater (Ingredients: distilled water over extract of rose)

• Flavour: Light, natural rose flavour.
• Fragrance: Pleasant and complex fragrance with damask, musky undertones.

I did not include Queens Rosewater extract because it is not really competing in the same space. Queens is very, very strong and suitable for sweets which need an intense hit of flavour such as Sugar Plate rather than the more subtle flavour needed for making Marchpane.
Overall winner was Cortas, but a good runner-up was Al-Rabih.