Raasay Isle of Raasay Single Malt

This official Isle of Raasay single malt from the Release R-02 distilled in 2017 and bottled at 46.4%. The Isle of Raasay Distillery, opened in 2017, is the first legal distillery on its tiny Hebridean island. Long fermentations of up to five days build a sweet blackberry note before the spirit meets the cask.

It was worked through a lantern wash still with a cooling jacket and a swan neck spirit still, following a fermentation as long as 118 hours, drawing out a dark berry sweetness. Maturation in a Bordeaux cask brought dark berry fruit and a soft tannin. Carrying no age, it leans on vivid fruit and active cask character. Quarter casks and first fill wood drive a fast, generous extraction at this young age. A population of around 160 makes Raasay one of Scotland's smallest distilling islands. First fill and virgin casks let this young spirit gain depth quickly. The distillery opened in 2017 and poured its first single malt in 2020.

At 46.4% it is smooth and fruity. The wine cask adds blackberry, plum and a red berry lift with a clean coastal lift behind. It is fresh and vivid, the young spirit shining through. The close is warm, fruit over soft oak. This is a modern Hebridean single malt.