The Oak Species Maturation Series from the small Scottish island distillery of Raasay comes as a pack with a taster of four whiskies. This series showcases how individual species of oak interact with the lightly peated Isle of Raasay single malt spirit during maturation. The four oak types are Quercus Humboldtii, Quercus Petraea, Quercus Robur and Quercus Muehlenbergii.
I am fascinated by the influence of oak species on our whisky’s character, and the diversity of flavour that this can give to our Raasay spirit.
Alisdair Day – Master Distiller at Isle of Raasay Hebridean Distillers
The Isle of Raasay distillery was founded in 2017 by Alasdair Day and his company R&B Distillers. It is located on the Hebridean island of Raasay, which sits just off the eastern coast of Skye. It has a population of just 161 people. The distillery is situated in an old Victorian manor house, which is also home to a six bedroom hotel and visitor centre with tasting room and bar. The distillery combines traditional practices with contemporary and eco-friendly thinking.
Production at the distillery is split – half is a peated spirit at around 50ppm (Phenol Parts per Million) and half is unpeated. They uses barley grown on the island, plus barley from Campbeltown and the Orkneys. All their single malt is distilled, matured and bottled on Raasay. The distillery has produced a number of limited edition small batch whiskies to date. There is also a small batch core release called Signature, which was first released in 2021 (Batch R01).
The Isle of Raasay Oak Species Maturation Series are bottled at 50.7% ABV and all are bottled as non-chill filtered and of natural colour. The pack is available via www.raasaydistillery.com and selected specialist whisky retailers. A pack should cost around £35.
Our Tasting Notes
Quercus Humboldtii
On the nose this whisky is spicy and peppery with some orange zest zing. There are sweet cream soda, freshly sawn wood and sweet soft smoke aromas.
On the palate this whisky is quite light. There are flavours of runny honey, creamy vanilla and cinnamon, plus green apples. There is also some fresh gingerbread, some dough yeasty and spicy. The smoke is bursting with ashy notes with a peppery kick.
Quercus Petraea
On the nose this whisky is buttery with plenty of caramel. There is a green pear and candied lime-like freshness. Plus an intriguing meaty edge to the smoke.
On the palate this whisky is quite weighty and viscous. It balances its sweetness and smokiness quite well. There are flavours of creamy nuttiness (especially macadamia), runny honey, candied lime and clove. The smokiness is again meaty and reminiscent of barbeque.
Quercus Robur
On the nose this whisky is sweet and candied. There are aromas of sweet strawberry cordial and bergamot florals. The smoke takes on a menthol nature.
On the palate this whisky carries a mid-weight. It comes across as the most ‘woody’ of the set with plenty of pencil shaving woodiness. There is a candied sweetness, with an element of heather honey and perhaps a hint of golden syrup. There are honeysuckle florals and vanilla sugar also. The smoke is sweet but becomes drying and ashy on the finish.
Quercus Muehlenbergii
On the nose this whisky is earthy and eucalypt. There are aromas of green apples and green grass, alongside candy floss and marshmallow sweetness. The smoke feels earthy and ashy.
On the palate this whisky is thicker than expected. It has a confected marshmallow flavour with vanilla cream soda. There is a orange zest note and fresh apple juice to bring balance. The smoke is earthy with hints of mushroom and eucalypt.
What’s The Verdict?
This pack is definitely for the serious whisky geek. None of these whiskies could be classed as ‘session’ whiskies and they are each bold and extremely expressive. It is interesting to see what different oak types can do to the same spirit. How elements of the spirit can be projected ahead of others – smokiness, sweetness, spiciness, and most unexpectedly the weight of the whisky on the palate. A very intriguing experiment by Isle of Raasay.
