Isle of Raasay distillery
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| Region: Island | |
|---|---|
| Location | Isle of Raasay |
| Owner | R&B Distillers |
| Founded | 2014 |
| Founder | Bill Dobbie & Alasdair Day |
| Water source | Tobar na ba baine spring and borehole |
| No. of stills | 1 wash still 1 spirit still |
| Capacity | 940,000 L |
| Website | raasaydistillery |
Isle of Raasay distillery is a Scotch whisky distillery on the Inner Hebridean Isle of Raasay in Northwest Scotland.[1] The distillery is owned by R&B Distillers and was the first legal distillery on the Isle of Raasay when it opened in 2017.[2]
Production
[edit]R&B Distillers was founded in 2014 by Bill Dobbie and Alasdair Day.[3] The company started its operations at the Isle of Raasay in September 2017 after receiving its distiller's license.[4] The water used during the distilling process in the production of whisky comes from a Celtic Iron Age well.[5] The water has a high mineral content derived from the island's volcanic and sandstone rock.[6]
The whisky is distilled in copper pot stills and is matured at the distillery on Raasay in a variety of oak casks. The distillery will produce approximately 200,000 litres of pure alcohol per year.[7] The distillery's flagship brand is Isle of Raasay Single Malt Scotch Whisky released since 2020. Since then, the distillery has also released a number of limited special and single cask whiskies.[8]
Location and visitor centre
[edit]The distillery is based on the site of a former disused hotel called Borodale House on the southwest of the island.[9] The Isle of Raasay Distillery also has a visitors’ centre that opened in January 2018.[10] It was awarded 5 stars by VisitScotland as a tourist attraction in June 2018.[11][12] The distillery also features a six–bedroom hotel with views over the Isle of Skye.[13] In 2023, the distillery ranked third in a Cask Connoisseur ranking of the most popular whisky distilleries.[14]
Awards
[edit]- IWSC 2016 Silver, ISC 2016 Bronze,[15] HKIWSC 2016 Bronze[16]
- ISC 2017 Bronze
- IWSC Silver 2018
- IWSC Silver 2016 for Raasay While We Wait Second Release[17]
- World Whiskies Awards 2018 Best Scotch Grain[18]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Cumming, Ed (3 June 2018). "Whisky galore: in fine spirits on Raasay, Inner Hebrides". the Guardian. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
- ^ "First distillery opened on Raasay". BBC News. 18 September 2017. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
- ^ "Interview with Alasdair Day of Raasay Distillery". Malt. 18 September 2017. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
- ^ "Isle of Raasay Distillery now has an official opening date - Scotsman Food and Drink". Scotsman Food and Drink. 7 August 2017. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
- ^ "Isle of Raasay Distillery undertakes a second year of barley variety trials on Raasay". www.scotlandfoodanddrink.org. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
- ^ "An inside look at the Scottish island of Raasay's first legal distillery". Foodism. 15 August 2018. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
- ^ "Isle of Raasay Distillery - Premier Construction News". Premier Construction News. 1 November 2017. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
- ^ "Isle of Raasay "Na Sia" Single Casks: Erfolgsrezept der Brennerei entschlüsselt • CaptainScotch.de". CaptainScotch.de (in German). 6 September 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
- ^ "Isle of Raasay Distillery | Isle of Skye | Activities | CalMac Ferries Ltd". www.calmac.co.uk. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
- ^ "Isle of Raasay Distillery Tours & Whisky Tastings". www.raasay.com. Archived from the original on 11 October 2018. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
- ^ Dorsey, Kristy (14 June 2018). "Island distillery gets five-star rating". businessInsider. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
- ^ Roz. "Raasay Distillery Visitors Centre awarded 5-Stars by VisitScotland". theskyetimes.co.uk. Archived from the original on 11 October 2018. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
- ^ "Isle of Raasay Distillery in Isle of Raasay | Hotel Rates & Reviews on Orbitz". www.orbitz.com. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
- ^ "Erhebung: Das sind die 10 beliebtesten Whisky-Brennereien in Schottland, England, Wales und Irland • CaptainScotch.de". CaptainScotch.de (in German). 28 July 2023. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
- ^ "R&B Distillers win two bronze medals in HKIWSC – FAB News". www.fabnews.live. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
- ^ "World Whisky Day 2018 – Raasay cocktails at Bull in a China shop – Scotch Whisky News". www.whiskyintelligence.com. 12 May 2018. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
- ^ "R&B Distillers Announce that their Raasay While We Wait whisky has won Silver award in the IWSC 2016 – Scotch Whisky News". www.whiskyintelligence.com. 2 August 2016.
- ^ "World Whiskies Awards 2018 - Winners". www.worldwhiskiesawards.com. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
