Isle of Raasay Duo
Cask Strength vs Marsala Cask | Various ABV
It’s been a while…
I’ve been a card-carrying Dramface contributor for just over four months now, accumulating a tiny-but-mighty sixteen total submissions since Wally green-lit my intro piece back in early January and welcomed me into the warm bosom of this collective.
As time progresses and Archie stockpiles a larger body of work in service to the Dramface faithful, there will be plenty of time to wax philosophical about my style, preferences, patterns, scoring averages, off-base observations, best and worst movie references, and things-said-versus-things-unsaid, etc.
From an analytical perspective, a higher sample size is preferred for such scrutiny.
For now, at a modest sixteen, no trends that I see can be assumed. A solid mix of official versus indie bottlings with a slight tendency toward recent releases and a blend of “old” and “new” distilleries. My submission process isn’t premeditated except for what I’ve been dramming on lately and have photos and notes for; which grows by the week.
I have a hefty list of “in-progress” bottles I hope to discuss one day; which also grows by the week. Ambitious to say the least, but all in the name of whisky fun.
One item I must consider of course is this website’s coverage of said bottles. Having a large community of writers without an agenda means a rich array of opinions. Better for our readers of course, but with dozens of new releases hitting shelves each week, plus the occasional gems found on auction, even a writer’s group as large as ours would find that level of coverage Herculean.
We simply do our best while being faithful to ourselves and our life commitments.
So, in the process of reviewing my inventory of notes and photos I noticed scant coverage of a certain “newborn” distillery I’ve grown fond of in the past few months: Isle of Raasay.
Narrowly tucked between the famous Isle of Skye and the Western reaches of the Scottish Mainland, Raasay is the home to 187 people - according to Wikipedia - and a single distillery, opened in 2017.
Despite going into their ninth year of operation and six years out from their inaugural release, Dramface coverage of Isle of Raasay’s offerings have been slim, with only four bottles receiving proper treatment in that time and none since 2023. Reviews are mixed, which is typical for a newborn distillery toddling its way out of diapers and finding its footing and style amidst a sea of new releases.
And the last few years have been harsh as any for those brave enough to follow a dream and take the plunge into spirits production.
It’s no one’s fault for this lapse in coverage. As I mentioned above, it’s near impossible, even with a crew as stout and hearty as ours, to get to every new release from every new distillery, plus it’s not every writer’s inclination to “boldly go”, as a fella said, into the world of young whisky discovery.
Inexplicably, Raasay called to me.
A portion of my whisky journey is pursuing the “new and original.”
I can’t speak for others, but my discovery oscillates between seeking out the best of what’s unique, young, and funky (what even counts as “original” these days?) And the dependable gold standards of well-known independent bottlers and distilleries.
For Raasay, maybe it was their distinctive bottle designs and uncommon cask profiles, the extremely high vowel content for such a short name, or the romance of another far-flung, unexplored island distillery producing quality liquid.
Or, in the case of the first bottle - a 62% ABV belter begging to be explored. Either way, about eight months ago, a bottle moved from a shelf at a liquor store to a shelf on Archie’s bar.
I chuckled a bit at one of the last Raasay write-ups to grace these pages, a Dougie special from 2022. He commented that one of his reasons for purchasing the bottle was that he thought it would look good in photographs. Also being whisky-bottle-photo-minded (as I discussed in my last piece) this thought also crossed my mind at the point of purchase.
Aesthetically, the bottle is eye-catching, and I imagined it would capture the sun’s rays quite well and had just the spot in mind for photos…
Review 1/2
Isle of Raasay, Cask Strength 2024 release, NAS, matured in Rye, Chinkapin oak and Bordeaux red wine barriques; a blend of peated and unpeated, 61.3% ABV
US$80 paid (£65) and still some availability
Score: 7/10
Very Good Indeed.
TL;DR
Layered, unique, and packing a big punch
Nose
Initially very punchy and spirit-forward. With time the dram opens with gentle, earthy wood smoke. Baking oven. Burlap. Cranberry granola. Honey nut cheerios. Farmy, dry haygrass. Whole cashews. Rye spice and cinnamon. Wheat thins. Sea-salt. Oatmeal with brown sugar. Burnt biscuits. Sandalwood and wood shop sawdust. Tart cherries. Potato Bread. Water brings honeyed malt sweetness, less sting, and subtle soot & ash. More saltiness. Peach yogurt. Singed paper. Cereal & milk. Dried banana.
Needs water and time, but a lovely experience once the initial intensity fades. Develops well over time, nicely layered. The blending of the casks and spirit was well executed.
Palate
Powerful. A dram that hits. Mouth coating and hot. Initially I thought it was too much, youthful and fiery without engagement beyond its punchiness. Allowing time, extremely rewarding once past those pummeling first blows. Cinnamon and spice again. Sooty charcoal and charred wood at the front with strawberry oatmeal and berries and cream. Honey bunches of Oats. Time and water (added liberally) bring dried cranberries, dilute some of the heat and leave a pleasant mouthfeel with cherry pie filling, juicy red grapes, toasted brioche, satisfying smokiness, and hints of orange citrus.
Long finish. Butter on burnt toast. Quaker oats. More dried cranberries, grape jelly, and black pepper pull up the rear. Despite saying “lightly peated” the earthy smokiness is present throughout.
The Dregs
This was a lesson in patience and the value of air and time, as so many bottles are.
At first it felt too hot; all punch and no payoff. As I continued to revisit, the cohesiveness of this dram came together as well as the excellent blending of multiple casks and both unpeated and peated barley. Big dried fruit notes, cereal, rye and wood spice, all envelop well with the smoke.
In terms of bottle transparency, this release has plenty of information about the casks used, the blending, as well as an “Island population” marker of 161 residents.
Isle of Raasay uses a lot of “Chinkapin” (Chinquapin) Oak in its maturation process, another native North American Oak found in the Central U.S, specifically Missouri and the Ozarks. I’m beginning to see it more often in special releases, but my only other personal experience with this type of oak was the Glenallachie PX/Chinquapin release from last year that’s part of their “Sinteis” Series, which I liked. To me it delivered enjoyable wood spice that levels-up the complexity of the dram.
Perhaps it was the bottle settling with air, perhaps it was my senses adjusting, either way, I connected with this release as the liquid levels fell. I found the whisky to be unique and a good offering at cask strength, the price point might’ve been a little high, but this bottle being such a positive experience led me to purchase the next one with confidence.
Score: 7/10
Review 2/2
Isle of Raasay, Marsala Cask Release 2025 release, 4yo, full maturation in Marsala wine barrique, 50.7% ABV
US$85 paid (£69) and still some availability
Score: 6/10
Good stuff.
TL;DR
A little smoke. A little fruit. A fun dram
Nose
Lots of red berries right off the bat but dry instead of fresh or juicy. Trail snacks. Dried cranberry. Kind Fruit and Nut Cereal bar. Light but present earthy tinder smoke. Sweet red wine. Special K with strawberries. A wine-ey alcohol note wafts over the dram. Dried apricots. Chopped nuts. With time it gets earthier and jammier. Dark soil mustiness. Dry haygrass. Strawberry jam. Plain granola. Water brings less smokiness and fresher fruits like cherries and cranberries and an earthier smokiness. Distinct cereal notes. Grape Nuts without milk.
Palate
Richer than the nose and sweeter. Increased smokiness than the nose, especially at first. A drying woody, ashy, charcoal smoke, but overall softer than I was expecting and a pleasant tartness layered in. Dried apples. Raspberry yogurt. Over time feels sweet and sour with hints of white vinegar. Water adds fruit syrup and baking spices. Cooked vegetables. Strawberry syrup on pancakes. At times it feels cohesive and well-layered, other times disjointed and more its parts than its sum, possibly due to its youth.
A short, dry finish. Cereal without milk again. Some sharpness. Hints of ashy smoke on the end.
The Dregs
Well, it’s a ride that’s for sure a “fun” one. I like the combination of wine cask fruits over the cereal-ey distillate and smokiness, it’s good. I’m not one to usually knock a dram for its youth but this did feel like it wasn’t quite “whole.” I honestly liked it better the first few pours and less as I made my way through the bottle, an opposite of the Cask Strength Release, which I savored more as the liquid levels dropped. So it goes in the whisky world sometimes.
The price was a little iffy at $85, which I understand for a special release and fully matured in Marsala wine barriques, but having tried the cask strength I thought it might be equal value, unfortunately this does feel a little overpriced and I’m seeing it closer to $90 and $95 now, which would turn off most.
Like the Chinquapin Oak, Marsala wine, native to Southern Italy, is not extremely common as a barrel for whisky maturation. This was my first foray into the cask profile and there was definitely a wine-ey note that was present throughout, but unlike the Bordeaux wine cask of the Cask Strength Release, this one felt slightly less integrated. Aside from that it didn’t detract from the engagement and, overall, the flavors and aromas were inviting and sweet.
The label on this shows a distilled date of July 2021 and a bottled date of July 2025, putting this at four years matured; some excellent transparency.
The Final Dregs
Another “newborn” distillery to watch as they find their footing and their stocks mature. I’m beginning to see a few releases trickle out to independent bottlers, which means a good opportunity to explore as single casks or at cask strength and get a better sense of that lightly peated distillate, which I really enjoyed, as well as those dried cereal notes apparent in both releases. That was a lovely base note to have as a comparison between the two.
The labels provide great transparency and in addition to the one-of-a-kind bottle design, the releases are aesthetically pleasant and educational.
Like Ardnamurchan, who also do peated and unpeated blends in their releases, hopefully independent bottlers, or the distillery itself will allow us to see what their fully unpeated and peated distillate tastes like comparatively.
Unfortunately, the prices of their new releases are stubbornly high, close to $90.
Those looking for a bargain or value-for-quality will have to shop at other distilleries. Most enthusiasts would seek better value for higher age statements. It’s a persistent issue with some of these newer producers.
However, those looking for “new” and “original” profiles and willing to fork over a few extra bucks for a unique Island whisky, look no further, the 187 residents of the Isle of Raasay will thank you.
Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. AD
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What’s your own personal top distilleries?
At the point of this article’s publication, Isle of Raasay currently sits in position #30 in the Dramface Top 40.
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