The Whisky Shop team were invited to experience Raasay island hospitality, with a stay in Borodale House

Snapshot of the Story So Far...

Officially opened in 2017 by co-founders Bill Dobbie and Alasdair Day, the ethos of Isle of Raasay Distillery is focused on provenance, quality and local production. This ethos is backed by their insistance on using 100% Scottish grown barley, use of Raasay peat and botanical harvests, their employment of around 10% of the island's residents, as well as numerous awards.

"We are not just making alcohol, we are making spirit."

Dave Broom, Whisky Writer, at The Isle of Raasay Distillery opening

Dobbie and Day met in 2013 and together created a vision of becoming Scotland’s leading artisanal distiller. They set their sights on Raasay in 2015, and by 2016 work was well underway to update the beloved 19th century Borodale House into a state-of-the-art distillery and accommodation.

The Tour

Shortly after arriving, The Whisky Shop team were introduced to our wonderful Isle of Raasay Distillery tour guide, Ellen Mackay. Having previously worked with Glengoyne before moving to Raasay, Ellen had a wealth of knowledge to share about the world of whisky, and how this relatively new distillery is already making waves in the centuries old tradition.

"I came here because I want to learn about what Raasay is doing, and what they're doing differently, that's what's really exciting to me."

From washbacks to stills, through warehouses and cask types, Ellen took us on a fascinating journey through the home of Raasay whisky and gin, explaining how every element of the distillation and maturation process is carefully thought out to create an exceptional liquid like no other.

"Essentially the shorter and the deeper your stills are, the longer your distillation is going to be. If it's quite short and shallow, it will happen a lot quicker. One thing you'll notice here, is that our still doesn't have a boil pot - the bulge that comes out when you do contractions - so instead, you've got a cooling jacket on the linearm here, meaning you're actually condensing it, and letting it trickle back in to get more copper contact."

More than just its processes, Ellen explained how Raasay was being taken in new directions by the vision and expertise of Co-founder and Master Distiller, Alasdair Day,

"Alasdair can talk forever about whisky because he's so passionate about it, and he's just so willing to share about what's going on, which is great. I find it really refreshing. Obviously, I'm new here, and sometimes places don't want to share everything with everyone, but here they do. I love that about it. For example, my understanding of oak of maturation - I thought that there was American white oak, and European darker oak, but when I spoke to Alistair he told that there's actually 600 species of oak in the world, and that the whisky industry is only using a handful of them. It's something he's very passionate about and wants to explore, particularly here at Rassay. I personally think it's really exciting. To me, it's like the next chapter of whisky."

"Ex-rye is one of the main cask types we use, but we also use a range of others. The main ones for our standard includes rye, wine, maple, bourbon, and even champagne casks [...] But the rye is one of the main characteristics of Raasay."

The Tasting

"They char the cask quite intensely here - it's a level four char out of five, which brings out a lot of natural sweetness in the woods. Creates vanillin, giving you that vanilla flavour."

1st Dram: Isle of Raasay Signature Single Malt

Created using a harmonious blend of both peated and unpeated liquids, which were matured in separate casks of American Rye, Chinkapin oak, and first fill Bordeaux red wine casks.

"It's a highland peat that we use. Which is nice because before I started here I didn't know too much about peat and there's a big difference between a highland peat versus like an Island peat - Island peat is a lot more saline ... more of that TCP medicinal side, whereas this [highland peat] is softer and more floral."

2nd Dram: Dùn Cana Sherry Quarter Cask Release - Second Edition

Bringing additional depth and complexity to the Raasay whisky collection, this edition of the Dùn Cana release was matured in Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez Sherry quarter casks to create an unforgettably unique flavour.

"Dùn Cana is the hill here on the island; it's a volcanic plug. 'Dùn' means stronghold and 'Cana' is the name of the Norse prince who held the land in the Viking era, which is pretty cool."

"So this is the one that was in a rye cask for three years and then split into two smaller casks, one Oloroso and one PXO, that were pre-seasoned for seven months. This one's 52% abv, so it's a teeny tiny bit stronger than the last one."

3rd Dram: Oak Species Maturation Series - Quercus Humboldtii Virgin Colombian Oak

An experimental series that explores the impacts of oak species on the flavour of Isle of Raasay single malt, the Oak Species Maturation Series is complex, exciting and full of flavour. The Colombian Oak expression brings light flavours of floral smoke and crème brulee.

"The Columbian oak is a really fun one. As I was saying, Alistair is going to explore different oak species so each year we're planning to bring out a release of a different one. We're only the second distillery to do a full maturation in Columbian Oak [...] It's a wee bit more malty than the other two. It's spicy."

Aside from the insightful tour, the divine tasting session, and the general warmth and hospitality of the entire experience, we also tried some phenomenal food at The Borodale House Restaurant, fabulous cocktails at the Isle of Raasay Distillery Bar, and a stay with bedroom views to die for.

Follow the links below to find out about the Isle of Raasay Distillery's releases and more:

Introducing: Dùn Cana Sherry Quarter Cask Release: Second Edition

Isle of Raasay Distillery: The Island Way of Life