Isle of Raasay Single Malt Whisky - The Chinkapin

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 50.2% | Chill filtration: No | Colouring: No

Special Features:

The Chinkapin is the third core release in the Isle of Raasay Distillery range and matured entirely in new and refill Chinkapin oak casks. The distillery considers it the first single malt Scotch whisky to have been matured entirely in this species of oak. Its maturation therefore involved no subsequent finish.

Peated and unpeated spirits made from 100% Scottish barley matured separately before the distillery married them. The heavily toasted and charred casks are made from Quercus muehlenbergii, a North American white oak species, and give the whisky its bold barbecue and roasted notes. The wider aromatic spectrum ranges from pancakes and maple syrup to lime, cinnamon and woodsmoke.

The spirits used were distilled between 26 April 2021 and 10 November 2022. After they were married on 20 January 2026, the whisky was bottled on Raasay in February 2026 at 50.2%. The release comprises approximately 10,000 bottles; the whisky retains its natural colour and was not chill-filtered.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: On the nose, warm woodsmoke meets juicy dark fruit and sweet, spicy nuances, complemented by a hint of toasted wood.
• Palate: On the palate, bold barbecue notes and smoked ham meet maple syrup, honeyed sweetness, fresh lime and cinnamon, while the smoke remains well balanced.
• Finish: The finish is long and aromatic, leaving lingering notes of sandalwood, sweet spice and fragrant smoke.

Distillery/Bottler:

The Isle of Raasay Distillery produces the spirit on the island of Raasay. The whisky also matures there before the distillery marries and bottles it. Keeping production, maturation and bottling at the island site reflects the distillery’s stated aim of conducting the entire process on Raasay.

Bill Dobbie and Alasdair Day met in 2013 and founded R&B Distillers. Two years later, they selected Raasay as their location, subsequently adding a modern distillery to the historic Borodale House. The first legally distilled spirit flowed there on 14 September 2017. The house style draws inspiration from older Hebridean single malts that combined gentle peat smoke with dark fruit notes.

Facts: