Isle of Raasay 2018/2026 - 7 y.o. - Single Malt Whisky - Peated Bordeaux Red Wine Single Cask #18/792

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 59.3% | Chill filtration: No | Colouring: No

Special Features:

This single-cask bottling presents one of the peated Bordeaux components of Isle of Raasay Single Malt in its unblended form. Distilled in 2018, the whisky spent its full seven-year maturation in Bordeaux red wine cask #18/792. In 2026, it yielded 298 bottles of 0.7 litres at a natural cask strength of 59.3%. The whisky is neither chill-filtered nor coloured.

Na Sia means “the Six” in Gaelic and refers to the six cask and spirit components of the regular Isle of Raasay Single Malt. Peated and unpeated spirits mature separately in American rye whiskey casks, Bordeaux red wine casks and Chinkapin oak casks. The Single Cask Series makes each of these building blocks available individually. Following the five-year-old bottlings released in 2024, the Seven Years Evolved range arrives in 2026; the components are released every two years as age-stated single casks.

For its Bordeaux component, the distillery uses European oak casks holding around 220 litres that previously held three Bordeaux vintages. These seasoned casks contribute savoury spice, tannins, dark fruits and cherries. In cask #18/792, these influences combine with the bold smoke of Raasay’s peated spirit and a maritime nuance.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: On the nose, ripe strawberries, cherries, plums and blackberries mingle with pronounced wood smoke and a pinch of pepper. A subtle tomato note and a lively sea breeze add further layers to the aroma.
• Palate: The palate brings sweet sultanas and dried figs against a backdrop of dense peat smoke. Bold oak spice and cinnamon accompany the full-bodied, oily texture.
• Finish: The finish is long, combining spicy accents with delicate vanilla sweetness. A hint of dry tannins gives the finale clear definition.

Distillery/Bottler:

The Isle of Raasay Distillery occupies the converted Borodale House on the Hebridean island of the same name. Bill Dobbie and Alasdair Day founded R&B Distillers after meeting in 2013, and selected Raasay for their distillery project in 2015. The site opened on 14 September 2017, when legal distillation took place on the island for the first time. The aim is for production, maturation, bottling and marketing to take place entirely on Raasay, keeping the operation as closely connected to the island as possible.

Older Hebridean styles provide the distillery’s flavour inspiration, from which it developed a profile combining light peat smoke with dark fruit. To achieve this, it produces peated and unpeated spirits and matures them separately in three distinctive cask types. The Na Sia Series separates the regularly married six-part recipe into its individual components; cask #18/792 presents the combination of peated spirit and a Bordeaux red wine cask.

Facts: