Whisky tasting: Isle of Raasay Rye and Sherry Double Cask

Notes from a small island…

I saw this special release from Isle of Raasay Distillery in an independent drinks shop in Cornwall and couldn’t leave it behind. It was first matured in a cask that formerly held peated rye whiskey before being finished in two types of sherry quarter cask, oloroso and Pedro Ximénez. It could be seen as a precursor to the distillery’s Dùn Cana single malt, an annual release showcasing sherry quarter casks.

Being much smaller than barrels or hogsheads, quarter casks are capable of delivering a greater intensity of flavour over relatively short finishing periods. Here, they perform just as you would hope.

The aroma is a lovely mix of sweet and savoury with boozy cherries and prunes, gingerbread, caramel, bacon fat, black truffle, and crusty baguette with smoked ham and tinned olives alongside fresh citrus peels and black peppercorns. The umami and peat notes are subdued on the palate, giving way to marzipan-covered fruit cake, dark chocolate, orange syrup, baked pears, pepper and ginger spice, and leafy herbs like coriander and basil. The finish brings smores (graham cracker, marshmallow, chocolate), dried mint and ashy smoke.

If you’re not paying attention to new distilleries in the Hebridean islands yet, you should be. Isle of Harris Distillers leapt out the blocks in 2023 with its widely lauded single malt The Hearach. Torabhaig Distillery has produced several excellent limited editions since 2021, paving the way for a 10-year-old release. The Isle of Tiree Distillery is laying down both single malt and single grain spirits. Benbecula Distillery celebrated its first the first spirit run in June 2024, and after kicking off with gin in 2019 North Uist Distillery has begun single malt production too.

These distilleries are not just about making good whisky — they’re socially driven enterprises aiming to provide skilled employment and economic prosperity for their communities. That’s something worth investing in.