This Isle of Raasay single cask is a Hebridean single malt matured in a single ex-Bordeaux red wine cask, number 19/527, and bottled by hand at natural cask strength of 61.9% ABV (123.8 proof). It comes from the distillery's Na Sia Single Cask Series and was selected for Cask Share members.
Isle of Raasay is the first legal distillery on the island of Raasay, off the east coast of Skye. Its single malt is built on a recipe of six cask types, which gives the Na Sia series its name: Na Sia means The Six in Gaelic. The single cask releases let drinkers taste each component on its own, in both peated and unpeated versions.
This bottling is the unpeated spirit. Its 220-litre cask of European oak came fresh from a château in South West France, where it had held three vintages of Bordeaux red wine, and the wine-soaked oak adds tannin, colour and dark fruit to the new make spirit.
Every bottle carries its cask number on the label, and each cask yields only a few hundred bottles, which makes these releases sought after by collectors of island whisky.
Tasting Notes
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Fruit: Dried fruits, sultana, grape, Christmas cake and bread pudding.
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Wine: Blackberries, plums and cherries from the Bordeaux cask.
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Oak: Savoury spice.
Specifications
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Distillery: Isle of Raasay Distillery, Isle of Raasay, Scotland
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Style: Single Malt Scotch Whisky, unpeated, single cask
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Cask: First-fill ex-Bordeaux red wine cask, 220 litres, European oak, cask 19/527
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Proof / ABV: 123.8 proof (61.9% ABV), natural cask strength
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Series: Na Sia Single Cask Series, Cask Share limited release
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Region: Hebrides, Scotland
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Size: 700ml
How to Enjoy It
At cask strength, pour a small measure and add water a few drops at a time: the fruit and spice open up as the strength comes down. Enjoy it neat after dinner with dark chocolate, a cheese board or a slice of fruit cake.
Frequently Asked Questions
What cask was this whisky aged in?
A single first-fill ex-Bordeaux red wine cask, number 19/527.
Is it peated?
No, this is the unpeated Isle of Raasay spirit.
What strength is it bottled at?
Natural cask strength, 61.9% ABV (123.8 proof).
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