FACTS
The Isle of Raasay distillery is the first legal distillery and currently the only one on the Isle of Raasay (Raasay), situated in the Inner Hebrides, off the west coast of Scotland. It is owned by R&B Distillers and was founded in 2014 by Alasdair Day and Bill Dobbie and started operations in 2017 after receiving it's distiller's licence. Barley has been successfully grown on Raasay and in 2018, the distillery produced spirit from the 2017 batch of their barley crop, which will mature into the first ever single malt produced from Raasay-grown barley, in 2021. In addition, the distillery plans on using local peat to dry their barley, allowing them to produce a 100% Raasay-produced single malt.
In 2020, the distillery will release the first ever Isle of Raasay single malt but in the meantime, they have released 'While We Wait', a single malt that demonstrates what is to come from the distillery. It has been achieved by blending two different expressions from a single Highland distillery, one peated and one unpeated, and then finishing it in French Oak Tuscan Wine Casks from three vineyards that produce Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc and this is what I'm tasting today.
Whisky/ Year: Raasay: While We Wait (2018)
Whisky Type: Single Malt
Distillery/Owner: Isle of Raasay Distillery (R&B Distillers)
Country/Region: Scotland (Isle of Raasay)
Cask Type: Bourbon Barrel (Tuscan Wine Cask Finish)
Age: NAS
ABV: 46%
Chill Filtration: No
Natural Colour: Yes
Price: R1000 / $70 / £53
TASTING NOTES
Colour:
Pale Gold / Light Peach
Nose:
Begins with sweet wine and red grape juice. The fruitiness continues with tropical fruit salad, fig, and a hint of citrus. Alongside the fruit, are notes of spearmint and light peat followed by gasoline, motor oil and lightly smoked ham. There are also touches of pencil shavings, library books and milk chocolate
Palate:
The palate is not as intense as the nose but still very fragrant. It has a medium viscosity and is a little tannic. There's a light, dry peat as well as very musty, earthy and umami flavours like mushroom and a fresh vegetal note. The engine oil is present from the nose and the sweet, vinous notes do come through as well but the fruitiness has changed to more dark red fruits
Finish:
The finish is of medium length and is a little bitter at first, followed by red wine notes and a little mint
P.S.
I first tasted this at Whisky Live 2018 and was blown away at how different it tasted to anything else around. Those engine oil notes, mixed with the earthiness and the red wine won't be to everyone's taste but they're right up my alley and I'm excited to see something so different being produced. Overall, this is very exciting stuff and I can't wait for their inaugural bottling to be released. Certainly a distillery I'll be keeping a close eye on.
SCORE: 7.5/10
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