Isle of Raasay Distillery has bottled its Inaugural Release 2020. The single malt Whisky is the first legally produced on the distillery’s namesake Hebridean island, which sits between the Isle of Skye and the Scottish mainland.
7,500 bottles of the Isle of Raasay Single Malt – Inaugural Release 2020 have been created. They first matured in first-fill Tennessee Whiskey casks, before being finished in first-fill Bordeaux red wine casks.
“This is a really historic moment as the first legal Isle of Raasay Single Malt leaves the island for the first time,” said Alasdair Day, Isle of Raasay Distillery co-founder. “We are very proud of our lightly peated island single malt, and our beautiful bottle that is made with clay moulds of Raasay’s rocks and fossils. It’s like a piece of the island in your hands.”
The Whisky offers almond, hazelnut, and sweet spice flavors from the American oak, and caramel, toffee and creamy chocolate notes from the previous Tennessee Whiskey contents. The French oak Bordeaux red wine finishing brings savory spice and blackberry jam to the front, enhancing the dark fruit flavours and adding another layer of complexity to the Whisky.
Bttled at 52% ABV, the single malt is packaged in a bespoke bottle that features fossils and rocks from the island moulded into the glass.
The Isle of Raasay Single Malt – Inaugural Release 2020 is priced at £99 ($131 USD) per 700ml bottle and will be available in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Sweden, Italy, Denmark, Switzerland, the Philippines, South Africa, Canada, South Korea, Japan, and China.
In other inaugural Scotch release news, Ardnamurchan launched its first single malt Scotch Whisky in September. Matured for six years in a mixture of ex-Bourbon and ex-Sherry oak casks, the Ardnamurchan single malt is composed of an even split of peated and unpeated Whiskies. Bottled at 46.8% ABV, the resulting liquid has notes of honeycomb, waxy peel, oyster shells, brine, strawberries, black pepper, and bonfire embers.
Earlier in September, Nc’nean launched its first expression, Organic Single Malt Whisky. Packaged in a 100% recycled clear glass bottle, the Scotch Whisky is certified organic and made using 100% renewable energy.