Raasay Double Cask – Peated Cask #18/62, 19/1440

An Isle of Raasay distillery bottling, from cask 18/62, 19/1440 and bottled at 59.3%. A release of 573 bottles. Built by R&B Distillers, Raasay was the first legal distillery on the Isle of Raasay when it opened in 2017. The Italian built stills nod to the distillery's continental leanings in cask choice.

The spirit was made in the distillery's pot stills, fed by the Celtic well, after a long fermentation of up to five days that builds a sweet blackberry fruit. A sherry cask laid raisin and walnut over the bright distillate. No age is given, but the lively fruit marks it as a young Raasay. Virgin oak and first fill casks layer vanilla and spice over the bright distillate. Long five day fermentations coax a sweet blackberry note from the wash. The Italian built stills give the new make its clean, fruity backbone. R&B Distillers set out to build a leading artisan distillery from a blank sheet.

At a hearty 59.3% it carries real punch. The Oloroso brings dried fruit, fig and a nutty depth. A dark berry fruit and a baking spice give it real lift. The finish is deep, spiced and rounded. This is a bold young malt from Scotland's newest island distillery.