Leading new-wave distillery Isle of Raasay is proud to announce the launch of its first-ever Marsala Cask Single Malt Whisky, matured exclusively in rare Marsala Vergine casks sourced from the historic Frazzitta winery in Sicily.
Bottled at 50.7% ABV and limited to only 12,300 bottles worldwide, this special release also unveils refreshed packaging, bringing distinctiveness and a clear identity to the distillery’s expanding portfolio.
This whisky represents a remarkable meeting of two coastal terroirs: Sicily and Raasay. What makes this release unique is not only the cask type, but also the provenance and pedigree of the wood itself.
The casks are Marsala Vergine DOC barrels from Frazzitta, one of Sicily’s oldest Marsala producers, renowned for ageing their wines for decades in traditional oxidative environments. Marsala Vergine wines are celebrated for their nutty, dry, and deeply oxidative character, not unlike a dry sherry.
Master Distiller Alasdair Day explains: “Marsala Vergine casks, particularly from a historic producer like Frazzitta, are rare in the whisky industry, and the cask characteristics have brought an exceptional depth of flavour to our Raasay spirit.
“The casks we’ve used to mature our whisky have been seasoned with the bone dry Marsala wine for up to 30 years. This adds beautiful layers of dried fruit, toasted nuts, and an oxidative depth.
“The result is a whisky that is rich and complex, with baked apples and maple syrup on the palate, balanced with dried pear, apricots, and a balsamic sweetness that all lingers into a long smoky finish with echoes of roasted coffee. It’s one of the most distinctive cask maturations we’ve ever released, elegant and assertive all at once.”
The Marsala Cask Limited Release also debuts new packaging within the distillery’s range. The colour palette is inspired by the island’s geology, with slate-grey tones evoking Raasay’s rugged volcanic landscape, while fossil-like indentations are incorporated into the bottle itself.
“This new look is about giving our range a clearer identity,” says William Dobbie, Managing Director of the distillery.
“We’ve rapidly grown in the last few years and have released many truly exceptional whiskies, this new packaging will help differentiate our limited releases from our core range whilst still telling the story of where we come from and what makes our whisky so unique.”
As with all Raasay releases, this whisky has been distilled and matured entirely on the island. The distillery achieves its distinctive, lightly peated character through a combination of peated and unpeated barley, which are distilled and matured separately before being married together.
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The Marsala Cask Limited Release offers whisky enthusiasts a fusion of Sicilian and Scottish heritage in a single dram. It will be available from independent retailers across the UK, as well as through the distillery’s website, from Thursday, 7 August.
Shipments will also be heading to key international markets including (but not limited to) the UK, the USA, Germany, France, Australia, Japan, the Netherlands, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, and beyond.
