Isle of Raasay - 5 yo - Single Malt Whiskey - Single Cask #18/721 Peated Red Wine Cask

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 59.9% | Chill filtration: No | Colouring: No

Special Features:

Single Cask #18/721 presents the peated Bordeaux component of the Na Sia recipe on its own. The five-year-old single malt matured in a Bordeaux red wine cask and was bottled in 2024 at a cask strength of 59.9%. It is non-chill-filtered and contains no added colouring.

For its Bordeaux component, the distillery uses 220-litre European oak casks that previously held three vintages of red wine. The oak contributes spice, while the previous wine maturation brings tannins and dark fruit notes such as blackberry, plum and cherry. In this single-cask release, cherry fruit and wood smoke combine with a salty, maritime character.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: The nose reveals maritime seaweed notes and ripe cherries. Wood smoke and the sweetness of cherry syrup complement these impressions. Subtle oak spice rounds out the aroma.
• Palate: Pronounced wood smoke and black cherries lead on the palate. A salty note recalls a sea breeze. Delicate oak spice complements the flavour, while the texture is robust and oily.
• Finish: Smoke and dark fruit remain intertwined on the finish.

Distillery/Bottler:

The Isle of Raasay Distillery operates in the restored Borodale House on the small Hebridean island. It opened on 14 September 2017 as Raasay's first legal distillery. The company behind it is R&B Distillers Limited, founded by Bill Dobbie and Alasdair Day. Together, they transformed the 19th-century building into a distillery with a visitor centre and guest accommodation.

Production, maturation and bottling all take place on the island. For the Na Sia recipe, peated and unpeated spirit mature separately in former American Rye casks, virgin Chinkapin oak and Bordeaux red wine casks. The six components are married for the regular single malt, whereas the Na Sia Single Cask Series presents them individually. The whisky from cask #18/721 was also bottled on Raasay as an official distillery bottling.

Facts: