Raasay Distillery
www.raasaydistillery.com
Raasay is a new distillery on the beautiful Hebdridean Island of Raasay and will be a new exhibitor at the Harrow Whisky festival. The Isle of Raasay is a short ferry crossing (circa 20 minutes) from Sconser on the Isle of Skye. Skye itself is now reached by the Skye bridge; then regular ferries run throughout the day to the Isle of Raasay. Distilling began in 2017 and included founders with existing involvements in whisky. That meant the founders were able to create a distinctive ‘While We Wait’ whisky from existing malts, enabling them to sell whisky before the normal three years maturation.
The Isle of Raasay is known for its wildlife (otters, bats etc) and beautiful views towards the Cuillin mountains. Having only around 160 inhabitants the distillery is an important part of the community and incorporates a luxury hotel. Visitors to the distillery are quite likely to stay overnight, or make a full day of any visit including walking, cycling and wildlife spotting. Our Whisky Scouts first visited the distillery and island in July 2018. They commented on the very quiet running of the newer diesel/electric ferry, which makes for a particularly pleasant and environmentally friendly journey.
The name ‘Raasay’ translates from the Gaelic as island of the roe (or red deer). The geology includes ancient volcanic rocks and a distinctive flat topped mountain. The water source is the quaintly named ‘well of the pale cow’.
