Berry Bros. & Rudd is delighted to announce the first single cask independent bottling from Raasay distillery.
Drawing on its heritage Since 1698, spirits expertise and innovative approach, Berry Bros. & Rudd seeked to collaborate with a distillery of similar ethos producing distinctive spirit with unique character.
Raasay distillery, located on the Hebridean Isle just off Skye, first started distilling in September 2017 making this single cask bottling the oldest release to date.
Jonny McMillan, Assistant Reserve Spirits Manager at Berry Bros. & Rudd commented:
“The last few years has seen a small but meaningful movement by a few Scottish start up distilleries to create interesting and characterful distillate; not jumping on the bandwagon of Scotch Whisky’s current global success but pursuing true innovation with local barley varieties or unusual yeast strains – Isle of Raasay is one of these distilleries which is going above and beyond to create a whisky with its own unique identity. On top of Raasay’s quality focused production ethos I also think the company’s commitment to the Isle of Raasay and its inhabitants is really commendable. I’m exceptionally proud to release a cask from the distillery under the Berry Bros. & Rudd label”.
This 2017 Raasay single cask #23 chosen for this bottling was purely from the distillery’s peated distillate. After 3 years in a first fill ex-Bourbon barrel, it was split into two quarter casks, ex-Oloroso and PX, for 6 months then vatted back together. The result, a mature sweet flavour with notes of apricot and Sauternes with the distillate shining through bringing coastal peat smoke and waves of spice, orange syrup and dried fruit. Complex, yet delicate with a long lingering finish.
Alasdair Day, Co-founder & Master Distiller at Isle of Raasay commented: “We are delighted with this first ever independent bottling of our Isle of Raasay single malt. A single cask bottling from the 23rd cask filled at the Isle of Raasay resulting in the oldest whisky bottled to date from the distillery. This is a bold, balanced, complex single malt combining ex Tennessee whiskey barrel maturation with oloroso and PX sherry finishing”.
The 2017 Raasay single cask #23 will be available from: Berry Bros. &Rudd, Master of Malt and the Whisky Exchange from April 7th 2022.
