Raasay Na Sia Single Cask Series 5 Years Old 2019

This official Isle of Raasay single malt from the Na Sia Single Cask Series matured to 5 year old, distilled in 2019, from cask 19/540 and bottled at 61.4%. The Isle of Raasay Distillery, opened in 2017, is the first legal distillery on its tiny Hebridean island. R&B Distillers, founded by Bill Dobbie and Alasdair Day, built the distillery from a blank sheet in 2017.

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. A first fill ex-Bourbon cask shaped it, rich in vanilla and toffee. By this age the wood and the berry fruit knit into a deeper malt. First fill and virgin casks work quickly on young spirit, so even a few years bring real depth. 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 61.4%, undiluted, it is rich and vivid. The cask lends vanilla, baking spice and a honeyed sweetness with a clean coastal lift behind. It is fresh and vivid, the young spirit shining through. It closes long, fruity and warm. This is a modern Hebridean single malt.