Sold out before bottling: The inaugural release of the Raasay Distillery in December 2020 caused anticipation for the first signature single malt. Now it's finally here! The recipe combines peated and unpeated Isle of Raasay raw spirits. Both mature separately on the coast of the tiny Scottish island in three selected cask types: First Fill Rye Whiskey Casks, Virgin Chinkapin Oak Casks, First Fill Bordeaux Red Wine Casks. The result of this pioneering barrel combination in the history of Scotch whiskey? Elegance, complexity and depth of character. Here cherry meets apricots, wood smoke meets salted caramel – delight for expectant connoisseurs. The new make from the Raasay Distillery already brings dark fruit notes. Mineral-rich Raasay water and a very long fermentation of up to 118 hours (5 days) ensure the characteristic taste of sweet blackberry fruits before each barrel comes into contact. This is what Raasay tastes like – the young distillery also emphasizes this with its own bottle shape. The uneven surface captures the wild beauty of the island's landscape and its geological heritage. The basis for the Signature Single Malt is malt from Scottish barley, kilned over Highland peat. Still! The team's declared goal is to only use ingredients from the stormy Hebridean island. To achieve this, Bill Dobbie and Alasdair Day brought barley farming back to Raasay in May 2017 after more than 40 years. Since then, the old Icelandic barley varieties Bere and Iskria have been thriving here.