Raasay Hebridean Single Malt Scotch Whisky Cask #19/70

This Isle of Raasay single malt, from cask 19/70 and bottled at 61.8%. The outturn was 272 bottles. Raasay is a modern island distillery, the first legal one on this small Hebridean isle off the coast of Skye. Water comes from Tobar na Ba Baine, the Well of the Pale Cow, a spring and borehole on the island.

Distilled on water from the island well in Italian built copper stills, the make carried a blackberry fruit from its long fermentation. An ex-Bourbon cask held it, soft oak giving vanilla and honey. With no age statement, it shows the bright, fruit driven style of a young island malt. Active wood and a vibrant new make mean the cask speaks early in the whisky's life. 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 natural 61.8% it is bold and full. The cask lends vanilla, baking spice and a honeyed sweetness, with a soft island smoke behind. Beneath it run blackberry, vanilla and a touch of spice. A bright, berry led finish lingers. This is a young, vibrant island malt from Raasay.