Isle of Raasay - The Na Sia Casks - 61%
Na Sia, meaning ‘The Six’ in Gaelic, refers to the six casks used to produce the signature Isle of Raasay single malt.
Peated and unpeated Isle of Raasay spirits are matured separately in first fill Rye whiskey, fresh Chinkapin oak and first fill Bordeaux red wine casks. Each of these casks brings it’s own style and character when married together to produce the signature malt.
Each of the Na Sia casks are now also available via Caskshare, a company who buy single casks with the aim of “bringing whisky lovers the uncompromised experience of your own maturing cask whisky, by the bottle. One bottle, one Caskshare and the world's finest distilleries at your fingertips”.
Thanks to Caskshare, and the sterling work of Whiskyrover - Mike and Brian’s Malt Musings a small group of us got the opportunity to try each of the six single casks.
Ex-Rye casks
According to the distillery website these casks “are from Woodford Reserve Distillery, Kentucky, where they use 53% rye in their mash bill.
The flavours emulate history’s original rye whiskeys, with strong peppery, spicy flavours in a sea of fruit and butterscotch.
These casks develop interesting pepper, spice and butter flavours in our single malt scotch whisky”.
Unpeated Ex-Rye Cask
Cask #19/235: 3 years old, 61% abv. Due for bottling April 2029.
Appearance: Pale straw colour, forms a thin line which beads before slowly falling as medium legs.
Nose: Orchard fruit, vanilla, a slightly grassy note together with a little peppery spice.
Palate: Oily mouthfeel, sherbet, tobacco leaf, typical rye peppery spice. Addition of a few drops of water allows the whisky to open up but adds more spice and astringency.
Finish: More tobacco leaf, slightly sweet, cinnamon and pepper spice bring lingering heat. Becomes more spicy, tannic and oaky with a few drops of water.
Peated Ex-Rye Cask
Cask #18/918: 3 years old, 61% abv. Due for bottling November 2028.
Appearance: Pale straw colour, forms a thin line which beads before slowly falling as medium legs.
Nose: Quite closed at first, opens up with a few drops of water to allow soft brown sugar and citrus notes to come through. Although peated, it’s not immediately apparent on the nose.
Palate: Oily mouthfeel, stewed orchard fruit with lightly caramelised brown sugar, light smoke, citrus notes. A few drops of water brings creaminess to the mouthfeel and tropical fruit notes.
Finish: Short, drying oak with a little sweetness and typical rye spice.
Ex-Bordeaux casks
According to the distillery website these casks are “Stained red on the outside, these high quality ex-Bordeaux red wine casks are delivered fresh to the island from the châteaux of South West France. In the first few months of maturation, our spirit develops a pink hue in these casks, which turns into a deeper, darker red.
Bold flavours and fruity notes develop in the spirit – including dried fruits, sultana, grape, Christmas cake & bread pudding”.
Unpeated Ex-Bordeaux Red Wine Cask
Cask #19/415 3 years old, 61% abv. Due for bottling May 2027.
Appearance: Old gold, forms a thin line which beads before slowly falling as medium legs.
Nose: Scrumpy cider, sweet farmyard silage, a little dried fruit.
Palate: Oily mouthfeel, orchard fruit, flat Cola, berried fruit, cinnamon and a hint of tobacco leaf. A few drops of water opens up the whisky releasing more fruitiness but also adds a more peppery spice note and oaky astringency.
Finish: Tobacco leaf, berries and peppery spice.
Peated Ex-Bordeaux Red Wine Cask
Cask #18/651 3 years old, 61% abv. Due for bottling October 2026.
Appearance: Old gold, forms a thin line which beads before slowly falling as medium legs.
Nose: Peat smoke, barbecued meats, heather honey and a little oak.
Palate: Another with an oily mouthfeel, peat smoke, dried fruit, barbecued sweet glazed meats, dried goji berries and a little oak.
Finish: Long, smoke and fruit linger.
Chinkapin oak casks
A species of white oak native to Eastern and Central North America, Chinkapin or Quercus muehlenbergii, is relatively uncommon as a source of wood for whisky casks. However, a number of distilleries have begun to explore its usage as a result of the distinctive notes it can bring to a spirit.
According to the distillery website “The fresh charring of the cask brings a rich colour and flavour early on in the maturation process, and the high toast caramelises the natural sugars in the wood. Expect sweet toffee and butterscotch on the nose, with vibrant dark fruit flavours and deep, rich colours at a young age”.
Unpeated Chinkapin Oak Cask
Cask #19/232 3 years old, 61% abv. Due for bottling April 2024.
Appearance: Old gold with a pinkish hue, forms a thin line which beads before slowly falling as medium legs.
Nose: A little toffee sweetness, otherwise quite closed.
Palate: Soft and oily, slightly meaty mouthfeel, stewed apple, cinder toffee, vanilla and raisins. A little water allows it to open up releasing more fruitiness but with added astringency.
Finish: Fruity and slightly leathery.
Peated Chinkapin Oak Cask
Cask #18/26 3 years old, 61% abv. Due for bottling January 2023.
Appearance: Old gold with a pinkish hue, forms a thin line which beads before slowly falling as medium legs.
Nose: Gentle peat smoke, barbecued meats, dark berries
Palate: Oily, slightly meaty mouthfeel, honey glazed barbecued meats, dark berries, caramel toffee.
Finish: Barbecue smoke and berry sweetness linger on the palate.
Summary: The first thing to say is that all the whiskies sampled are young and have an abv of 61% so a certain amount of roughness around the edges is to be expected.
The stated aim when developing the signature Isle of Raasay Single malt was to produce a whisky reminiscent of the Hebridean single malts of yesteryear where gentle smoke and dark fruits were major characteristics. Tasted as individual components every aspect of the cask selection, from the peppery spice, vanilla and butterscotch of the ex-rye casks, to the dark fruit notes of the ex-red wine casks, and the colour, caramel and smoke of the charred Chinkapin oak casks, become evident.
On an individual level, the Chinkapin Oak casks really stood out for me, in particular the peated expression. So much character and depth at such a young age is very impressive and both are great examples of the active nature of these casks. These whiskies will be bottled at 5 years old, and on the evidence of this tasting they will be more than ready.
The ex-Bordeaux casks were also both very solid, although again for me the peated cask was the better of the two samples. These will be left in the cask to mature a little longer than the Chinkapin cask whiskies, and they will almost certainly benefit from that extra time.
The ex-rye casks were my least favourite, and the ones which displayed the most youthfulness. Little surprise that they will be given a longer maturation, but there is enough in each to suggest they will be impressive in their own right given time.
Overall a great evening and a fascinating glimpse into the thought process and planning behind the development of the Isle of Raasay Single Malt.
If you're looking to buy a bottle from any of these casks, they are available from Caskshare. If you're looking for the peated Chinkapin cask expression, please feel free to form an orderly queue behind me.
