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Isle of Raasay Distillery
The Isle of Raasay Hebridean Scotch Malt Whisky
Welcome to Select Scotch Whisky, you're home for Isle of Raasay Whisky. The Isle of Raasay Distillery is a Scotch whisky distillery located on the Inner Hebridean Isle of Raasay in Northwest Scotland. The Isle of Raasay has a deep history rooted in centuries of illicit distilling. When the Isle of Raasay distillery opened in 2017, it was the first legal distillery ever on the island.
The distillery is based on the site of a former disused hotel called Borodale House on the southwest of the island. The visitor center opened in January 2018 and was awarded 5 stars by Visit Scotland as in June 2018. The distillery also features a six-bedroom hotel with views over the 1 Isle of Skye.
Every drop of spirit at Raasay distillery is distilled, matured and bottled on the island. The distillery uses the mineral-rich water sourced from the nearby well, Tobar na Ba Baine, "well of the pale cow". Long fermentation times of up to 118 hours ensure development of sweet dark fruits in the spirit even before any maturation. A mix of peated and unpeated malt is used and matured in various cask types creating a unique flavour.
The Isle of Raasay Whisky 'house style' is a Single Malt, lightly peated whisky with rich dark fruit flavors. The distillery also produces the Isle of Raasay Gin, a handcrafted gin made with ten botanicals, including Raasay juniper.
The Raasay Gin recipe combines ten carefully chosen botanicals, including Raasay juniper, sweet orange peel, lemon peel, and double distilled spirit. Bottled at 46% using water from their well, this is the first legal spirit from an island rooted in centuries of illicit distilling. Every drop of Raasay gin is lovingly distilled and bottled on the Isle of Raasay.
The range of Isle of Raasay Whisky has grown as the distillery has. 'The Draam' is the lightly peated flagship release. 'Dun Cana' is the annual quarter cask release. The 'Na Sia' single cask range offers a unique experience of the ingredients that create the Isle of Raasay Whisky. The Oak Maturation Series showcase the Raasay spirit maturing in various Quercus casks. Notably the 2024 release matured in ex-Columbian Oak, Quercus Humboldtii. Additionally distillery and Slainte club exclusives are bottled from time to time.
In 2023, the distillery ranked third in a Cask Connoisseur ranking of the most popular whisky distilleries. In 2024 the distillery was awarded the prestigious 'Distillery of the Year' from the London Spirits Competition. In 2022 the distillery was awarded Scottish Whisky Distillery of the Year at the Scottish Whisky Awards. Alongside these distillery awards their whiskies are fast accumulating a large number of medals.
In 2022 the distillery announced they were taking major steps towards their sustainability goals. It was announced, that in partnership with The Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, Raasay are seeking to appoint a KTP Associate in the area of hydrogen energy with a focus on the development of a direct electrolysis process that can turn waste distillation products into hydrogen. Raasay Distillery then plan on using this hydrogen to power the production of the Isle of Raasay Whisky.
The Isle of Raasay Whisky is a unique and exciting addition to the Scottish whisky scene, offering a unique whisky that perfectly reflects the history and culture of it's picturesque and wild island home.
FAQs
What distinguishes Isle of Raasay Scotch Whisky from other Island whiskies in terms of flavour profile?
The Isle of Raasay whisky is unique among other Island whiskies with it's creamy texture, light peat and dark fruit character. The Isle of Raasay distillery only produce from Scottish grown barley, including a percentage grown on the island itself. The peated character comes from the use of Scottish Highland Peat, adding a rich and fragrant smokiness to the whisky. The use of virgin-Chinkapin casks, ex-rye casks and ex-Bordeaux casks results in a delightful dark fruits character.
What types of casks are commonly used for maturing Isle of Raasay whisky, and how does it affect the final product?
Raasay whisky is matured in handpicked oak casks of the finest pedigree. The spirit for all Raasay whisky is matured on the island, maximising the influence of the maritime, Hebridean climate on the spirit. For the Raasay signature malt, 'The Draam' the spirit is matured in a mixture of ex-rye, ex-Bordeaux (red wine) and virgin chinkapin cask. The combination of maturation vessels creates a whisky of unparalleled creaminess and dark fruit character. The distillery also mature in various other cask types, notably other Quercus oak barrels for the 'Oak Maturation Series'.
Can you describe the peating process used in Raasay whisky and its impact on taste?
The peating process involves drying malted barley using peat smoke, which imparts a smoky flavour to the grain. For 'the Draam' (The Isle of Raasay Signature Malt') 50% of the malt is unpeated, and the other 50% is peated using Highland peat. The level of peating is between 48-52 ppm, which is considered high level, however due to a relative narrow cut for the heart the peat smoke comes through in a more subdued, gentle fashion. The peated and unpeated spirit is matured seperately, and blended together prior to bottling to create the house Raasay style.
