Raasay 4 Years Old 2020 (SMWS 162.1)

Scotch Malt Whisky Society bottled this Isle of Raasay single malt, a Peat (Feat. Oak) Single Cask Mash-Up bottling, a 4 year old island malt, distilled in 2020, from cask 162.1 and bottled at 61.2%. Only 257 bottles were released. Raasay is a young Hebridean distillery, the first ever to legally distil on the Isle of Raasay. The house makes both peated and unpeated spirit, married across six signature casks.

Distilled in Italian built copper stills, a lantern wash still and a swan neck spirit still, the make carried a blackberry fruit from its long fermentation. Maturation came in American oak, with a generous vanilla and spice. Only a few years old, it is fresh and lively, the active wood already deep. Maturation on the island, beside the sea, lends a clean coastal freshness. A population of around 160 makes Raasay one of Scotland's smallest distilling islands.

Undiluted at 61.2%, it is powerful and fruity. The cask lends vanilla, baking spice and a honeyed sweetness over a gentle wisp of peat. The mouthfeel is round, the berry fruit carried on a sweet body. Dark fruit and spice see out a long finish. This is a lively single malt from the Inner Hebrides.