Ex-Woodford Reserve Rye cask, Ex-Bordeaux red wine cask and Virgin Chinkapin Oak cask.
Isle of Raasay Distillery
The first legal distillery on the Isle of Raasay in northwest Scotland, with a vision to create the finest Hebridean single malt Scotch whisky and a unique whisky destination with arguably the best view from any distillery in Scotland.
Isle of Raasay Distillery
Pioneering Island Distillery
Experience at first hand our exciting journey from revitalising an island landmark building, to harvesting the first Raasay barley for a generation, and handcrafting the first Isle of Raasay single malt in Scotch whisky history with water sourced from a Celtic well deep beneath the distillery.
Isle of Raasay Distillery
Peated Ex-Woodford Reserve Rye cask (36 Months).
Appearance
This sample is quite light, light gold in colour, it beads up on the swirl line and drops fast medium legs. After you’ve raised it a few times the legs become much slower and thicker.
Nose
Ooosh that’s some fizz from ABV, it’s much more fruity than I expected, with lots of cherries. I’m getting wood varnish, dustiness, it’s making my eyes water to be honest. Definitely some bbq meats and sauce, but quite restrained. I’m also getting tobacco leaves, ginger, glazing putty and linseed oil.
Palate
Again very fruity for me, with wood smoke, cherry throat sweets, liquorice, espresso, tropical fruits, vanilla, white pepper, and hot cinnamon kids sweets. It’s a bruiser, but also easily drinkable. Going back to a drop I left in the glass it’s definitely smoke and tropical fruits, easily separated too, but very nice.
It is a powerful drop isn’t it, I really like this as it is too, a great mixture of flavours for me.#thewhiskeychaps
— Dram it Mick! (@StillSurreal) April 10, 2021
Finish
Its a whoosh all the way through to the finish, very long, lingering and warming. Medium spice and plenty of tropical/stoned fruits, and an icing sugar note joins too, a very nice drop indeed.
My thoughts
At 36 months old this sample must be a whisky, we don’t know the abv of these samples, but they must be at or close to cask strength. I really enjoyed this sample, and even though it’s peated new make spirit, there is lots of fruit with it. For me the BBQ and wood smoke notes tell me it’s peated, it’s not medicinal like some Islay whiskies, it’s rather more of a fruit/spice/peat combo, quite well balanced actually.
I’ll go with blood Orange too, very nice indeed mate 👍, and now for a few mouthfuls of water before the Ex Bordeaux 😆#thewhiskeychaps
— Dram it Mick! (@StillSurreal) April 10, 2021
Peated Ex- Bordeaux red wine cask (35 months).
Appearance
This whisky is a dark gold colour with an slight orange/ pink hue, again it beads up on the swirl line and drops thin legs and teardrops.
Nose
Again wow with ABV, I’d love to know the ABV to be honest, it’s high I’m sure. There are darker notes here, definitely a carpenters workshop, wood varnish, a touch of menthol, more medicinal I’d say, sticking plasters, mild germoline. I suspect a drop of water would open this up more, there’s dunnage, and darker fruits, more like cloves and black grapes, prunes even. Black coffee, aniseed, star anise, prunes, cloves, darker fruits than I’d expect, other Ex Bordeaux whiskies I’ve tried have been more strawberries and raspberries.
Palate
A mix of sweet and bitter red berries are here, cranberries with a little drying but not too much, some BBQ sauce. Going back to a drop I left in the glass I’m getting a faint cap gun cap flavour, it’s very light and I didn’t get it first time, I’m going to say it’s become a dirty drop, some love this type dram. Black coffee, aniseed, star anise, prunes, cloves, darker fruits than I’d expect, other Ex Bordeaux whiskies I’ve tried have been more strawberries and raspberries. I suspect like Whiskey chap that this is full term maturation and not merely a finish.
It might be, there’s a lot of fruit depth in this one isn’t there.#thewhiskeychaps
— Dram it Mick! (@StillSurreal) April 10, 2021
Finish
Quite long, peppery, spicy, hot ginger and cinnamon, liquorice, chilli’s, the spice lasts too.
My thoughts
Again i rather enjoyed this sample, there is more flavour depth here compared to the Ex-Woodford reserve Rye cask sample. Notes of darker fruits are prevalent here, with a light bitterness, and i suspect that many seasoned and experienced whisky drinkers would enjoy it.
Peated Virgin Chinkapin Oak cask (33 months).
Appearance
This whisky is dark gold with an orange/copper hue in colour, it too beads up on the swirl line, and has thick slow legs.
Nose
Powerful again, but this one doesn’t slap you, it feels more married, which is odd S it’s the youngest of the three. Slow cooked meat on a bbq, wood polish/varnish, slight dunnage, there’s also a sweet note, icing sugar and lemonade. Definitely, dusty too again, cranberries? Not very medicinal for peated to be honest. There are cherries too, with fishermans friends.
Steak and BBQ sauce all day #thewhiskeychaps
— Whisk(e)y Chap 🏴🥃 (@whiskeychap) April 10, 2021
Palate
Spicier than the nose suggested, perhaps the spiciest of the three. High cocoa content dark chocolate, dark chocolate Orange, cranberries, your blood oranges @whiskeychap, char and chilli like heat. There is a little drying here too, and a faint strawberry jam, but it’s well hidden. It’s slowly becoming fruitier now.
Finish
Quite long, warming and a lovely fruity/spicy combo for me, married better too for me, I’d like to taste this as a bottling as well.
My thoughts
This is my favourite of these 3 peated samples. It has the flavours i prefer, and considering it’s the youngest of the 3 sample it comes across as the more mature of them, very nice indeed.
Overall tasting thoughts
This has been a very enjoyable tasting, and the fruity peated new make spirit has interacted well with the chosen casks. To pick an order of preference isn’t an easy. But i would pick the Virgin Chinkapin Oak 1st, the Ex-Bordeaux red wine cast 2nd, and the Ex-Woodford reserve Rye cask last, but for me 2nd and 3rd place are very close, my last place choice isn’t there by much.
