Woot woot you’ve got one. Tasted my bottle with you, open for 4 months. Delicious lemon 🍋 drizzle cake 🍰 is the next stage in your bottle. I like it and I look forward to future releases. Cheers 🍻
I have that same bottle on my shelf, and it's a special one, alright. I mostly agree with your opinion, it's still too young but definitely has a lot of potential. Now, I'm not usually one to buy based on packaging, and in fact gaudy, over the top bottles like the Viking stuff on HP has the tendency to put me off of buying a bottle if anything. But here's a bottle I fell in love with. On the box, they show a detailed geological cross-section of the island, so you can see where the water comes from. The texture of the bottle is modelled (quite well, did they maybe even use a mold?) after the sedimentary rocks around the distillery. There's even some fossils in there, and they're even the correct fossils for those rock formations. This packaging really spoke to my geoscientists heart, and when I got the chance to buy one at the lucerne whisky ship festival a few weeks back, I couldn't resist. Looking forward to good things coming out of Raasay in a couple of years.
Wow. You've looked much more closely at the bottle than I have! There's definitely a good amount of information as well as a cool design, but I didn't know any of the details. Fun little tidbits of info, there. Thanks!
Thanks for the review. I am planning to visit Rassay next month and I expect I'll still end up with a bottle although I do generally agree with you on young whisky.
This is one whisky I do have, Geoff. Opened it when my son came to visit last month. For a young whisky, we loved it. I think these guys are going to be a force to be reckoned with in the coming years. Slainte!
I tried it at the whisky festival and I liked the R-01.2 expression so much I bought a bottle. I like the gentle peat and wine-ish taste. Also I have met a cool dude from the distillery. I wish them all the very best
I've heard it's a distillery worth visiting. I think it won't be too long until they have something interesting with a bit more maturity to it. Cheers.
I opened the R-01 bottle a few weeks ago and really enjoyed it. I’m not usually that fussed about shape/style of bottle but I must admit that I really like this one. Might use it as an infinity bottle once I finish the Raasay.
It's got a really wide neck just for that. I'm using a 50cl at the moment just because I'm new to the infinity bottle but when it's up there.. I'm using mine deffo
Jeff, I see that you are new on RUclips and let me tell you your review was excellent. The "Value" part in the end made perfect sense. Please don't change your honest way of doing a review!! Also, don't change this format. and please, Don't follow any of those "established" whisky guys!!
While they were getting up and running, they sold a sourced whisky called "While We Wait" as a guide to what they intended to produce themselves and I was lucky enough to get a bottle of their "Last Orders" release, which I really liked. However, I was able to try a sample of their Batch 1 before committing to a full bottle purchase... and I think I had a lucky escape! It didn't really resemble "While We Wait" very much - not sure what went wrong. I have encountered similar 'changes of direction' between pre-release and official whisky with Cotswolds (who have since got 'back on track', thank goodness) and Abhainn Dearg (still waiting for a 'course correction' from them). Let's hope for a brighter future...
You make a fair point about ‘selling before it is ready’ just because the business needs to raise working capital. Customers need to be respected and not used as a money tree. If they need money why not ask customers to forward purchase, or simply invest for a meaningful return. I think that might be better in some ways. Of course there is interest in what some new distilleries are doing, but pumping the market with a product that is not quite up to the mark seems slightly cynical especially when the price seems a bit rich. I think this is more or less a summary of your viewpoint and I think it is honest to express those concerns. Well done.
To be fair, this bottle does have its fans. I might have come down especially hard on it because I'm pretty sensitive to youth in whisky. That being said, yes, I do feel it's not "there" yet. Thanks for watching and for the kind words, Michael. Cheers!
I'd agree with everything on the review Geoff. I bought mine about 4 months ago and opened near enough straight away. It had a very weird aftertaste that too me a while to get over. I like rye alot but I wasn't expecting so much spice from the rye in there. I more prefer Talisker's peppery notes. I like young whiskies in general but not that young? 6-8 is my sweet spot but learning it's so young has me slightly disappointed now but also hopeful that in the next few years that they are gonna be putting out some cracking releases. Thanks as always!
Some very good points here Geoff. Normally three things that really put me off a whisky are obvious youth, wine casks and raw wood spice / ginger. Ooh err! This one should be an absolute disaster for me. But I really like it. Yes it's young but the distillate is really good (very punchy and will probably mature incredibly well) and they've done an amazing job with their cask choices to make the most of this three year old spirit. Like you, I really look forward to seeing what they release in a couple of years. Cheers!
Wow. I didn't think this one would be up your alley. Glad you like it. I've been told my bottle will open up substantially, so I may have been a bit premature with the review. Totally agree about the quality distillate. Cheers!
@@Gwhisky I'd probably second that. Mine was a bit fierce at first too but improved a lot. I currently have half a dozen open bottles from new Scotch distilleries for an upcoming series and (spoiler) I rank it in the upper half. I think their style of peat combined with that 'chipmunk' oak was very smart of them 👍
Tried this one recently as well. Enjoyed the peat note and cask play, but it is young and they are trying to let the cask take the lead over the distillate(an unfortunate trend in Scotch for sure). Still, it was a worthy attempt that speaks well of the skill of the staff at the distillery. I look forward to their future bottlings.
Nice insights - I have a R-01 open, now half full and 4 months in, and while I did find it spirity and cardboardy initially, the whisky really settled quite well. I can't speak to differences between these two batches, but yours might improve over time too. That being said, having to air a bottle for months and months before it gets proper is not palatable for most people, but we are in nerd territory with these new distilleries in my opinion so certain gymnastics are to be expected. I bought an Ardnamurchan and a Nc'Nean too and I found the Raasay to be the superior of the 3. All 3-4 years I believe. Curiously I find that differences in taste is even more pronounced with these young expressions as tolerances for the harsher notes in spirit appear to vary alot. Cheers
Yeah I might have been a bit quick to review this one. I've heard from a couple people that it improves as the bottle opens up. That being said, I've got three Ardnamurchan expressions on the go at the moment and this one is nowhere close to the quality of those imo. My Ardnamurchans are all 6-ish years old, I didn't realize they had put anything out that was so much younger. I've yet to try an Nc'Nean. Sounds interesting!
@@Gwhisky Sooo, you had my curiosity piqued as why we were as far on these as was apparently the case, so I did a mini tasting again last night. My Ardna is the AD/07.21:05 - which according to the QR code intel is vatted from barrels distilled in 2015 and 2016 and then bottled in 2021, which makes it somewhere between 4 and 5 years old. So slightly older than the Raasay. And lo and behold - a good while in the open bottle has done something for the Ardna too. I initially found it rather sour and astringent, so even if it was more complex than the Raasay, it just struck me as less harmonic. Yesterday though I was more inclined to score them evenly. It might go to show that very young whisky often benefit alot from whatever degassing and oxidation happens in an open bottle. I'm curious - which Ardnamurchans do you have open?
"cheenk-ah-pin" oak - at least, that's always how I've heard it pronounced. This whisky sounds really promising. You have to wonder if they are utilizing exposure to heat while they age the casks - that's one way American whiskey tends to mature faster than Scotch. If you like this sort of bottle, try to find one of the Jon, Mark and Robbo's malt blends that were on the market in the mid 2000's - really tasty whisky put in a craft bottle full of ripples and bubbles; very cool looking.
I'm spared a great deal of the fuss around all the new distilleries, inaugural releases, etc. In Bulgaria the only whisky from a new distillery comes from Waterford (I don't count Kilchoman as young distillery any more :)). Their expressions are priced at 50-60 euros which is about the maximum I'd pay for such a young whisky. As long as the price is not outrageously pumped up, I'd buy a bottle of it just to be able to taste the product at its current stage of development and to support the distillery. Still I don't expect the whisky at this young age to be anything particularly great. The problem for me is that in order to mask the immaturity of the spirit producers opt for heavy cask influences which turn the end product into very oaky affair. Virgin oak, Chinquapin oak, Port, Wine, Sherry, you name it. Whisky is not something to be rushed out. Either in production or in consumption. I don't see a problem to skip most of those 3-4 years old releases and wait for something a little more mature. In the end there are plenty of other options on the market to keep me busy for the years to come. I just checked the price of Isle of Raasay Batch 2 in Germany - ~50 euros. I wonder when the whisky reaches 10-12 yo what would be the price if the FOMO driven apes are buying the 3 yo for 50 euros??? Supporting a new distillery is one thing, fueling price tag abuse is another. Cheers!
I like new distilleries, but that's just because I get excited. If I see something is new and making waves, I'm interested. Doesn't hurt that new brands are almost always craft presented and offer insight into what might be coming down the pipeline. If we look at it against all other available whisky on the market, it's often a poor value proposition. That being said, younger whisky from new brands would be a tiny fraction of my total whisky budget, so I'm ok with splurging on them from time to time. I don't know that I'm fueling future price-gaugers. It's entirely possible, but I guess I'll give them the benefit of the doubt. Cheers!
@@Gwhisky Don't get me wrong Geoff. Buying occasional bottle of young whisky from a new distillery is far from fueling price gauging BS. Plus your review is honest and not critique free. Those new distilleries need the money to keep afloat. But I think you would agree that welcoming each new release with FOMO driven consumerism is at the very least tempting for the producers to push the prices up based on the "as much as the market can stand" principle. Mark Reynier has already said that Waterford prices would stay the same as the juice in the bottles gets older. Kilchoman and Arran have both come of age and still keep their prices in check. But will every other new distillery go this way? I don't know what costs Isle of Raasay to put their 3 yo spirit on the market but for 50 euros I can buy at least 12 yo whisky, also craft presented, from many other producers. I mean even Springbank are able to sell their 10 yo for roughly the same money and I bet a limb that Springbank 10 blows each and every 3-4 yo whisky from a new distillery out of the water.
Hmmm....Well, your comparison to Ardnamurchan falls flat because my experience with Ardnamurchan AD/ has been negative, while I was impressed with the Raasay. I got ahold of a bottle of Raasay (Hebridean) from the second batch, as well, and I like it. Granted, it is brash, but that peating is wondrous and I can see where they are headed with the distillate. I think it has a much brighter future than Ardnamurchan, which I found to be 'cheesy' (aka 'lactic funk'). As ever, YMMV.
Here what you say Mr G Not bottle ready yet , too spirit driven ..it’s just a bit too crude for my liking , not tried batch 2 and won’t be doing 🤣 All in favour of new distilleries and of course from a cash flow / profit stand point they want the liquid bottled ( nice bottles ) and out there asap ..But this gear ain’t cheap and not comparable with lots of proven brands at the same price point As always Great review 👍
Good review. Thanks. Surprised you found a bottle in Canada. Haven't seen it in BC yet. I was interested to see how you reacted compared with Ralfy. Ralfy thought they used high quality casks thus justifying the price. He did not mention rye casks though. I have never heard of that in scotch whisky but it would be an interesting choice. As for bottles , I prefer a traditional round whisky bottle. One of my favourite whiskys is Bladnock which has a non-traditional square bottle. It is a pain to pour but is a work of art.
Actually I live in Taiwan, where I bought the stuff. Yeah this is a different whisky, but not one that I connected with as much as Ralfy. It's good quality, though. Love Bladnoch bottles! 🥃
Where does the 'pre-Raasay' "While we wait" from 2018 fit into the picture? I picked up a bottle numbered 1769 and expected it to taste very young but was pleasantly surprised. Your thoughts would be appreciated.
Solid review, been looking at this whisky for a while and enjoyed the individual cask tastings as well as it looks stunning. Maybe I should still hold off on it though. Cheers
I visited the distillery back pre-pandemic right around the time they were opening. It's a pretty fantastic location with great views (and when we were there, great weather). If you ever tour Scotland it's definitely worth spending a day trip there from Skye.
Sounds like a blast! Despite not being thrilled with this bottle, it's a brand that I still have high hopes for, and I'd 100% be up for a distillery visit. Cheers!
Loads of potential, but for me the youth is a bit too apparent. For now I'd recommend Ardnamurchan. Beautiful high quality whisky with a bit more age. 🥃
My guess is the question I'm about to ask might cozy up with stupidity, but...how much would it hurt a new distillery to allocate a small percentage of its first distillate for maturation in quarter casks? Could that approach give a three-year-old expression a little bit of an "old soul"?
Really excellent notes Geoff. These distilleries are doing everything right but it's still very young stuff. You can't hide that even in a hot climate unless you have dynamite distillate like some rum and mezcal distilleries do. One of my great reviewers, Chris Goodrum (The Good Dram Show), often reviews stuff which is bottled too young and calls it out. It is possible to like very young stuff but it really is a balancing act. Penderyn have been doing this for years. Bimber are doing it spectacularly and just about getting away with it. Nevertheless, Scotch needs some age to really hit its stride. Excellent review. WT
Agree. I've had a few really cool younger whiskies (Bimber and Ardnamurchan being standouts), but a lot do still come off undercooked. Cool to try them,but the price tag should be more appropriate in the case of thos Raasay. Cheers WT! 🥃
@@Gwhisky Yes, it's the price that's the issue. Even allowing for start up costs most of these new, young, whiskies are far too expensive. (I do like Bimber though.)
I was thinking how it would be neat and original if you filmed yourself reacting to your older videos like this and seeing how things have shaped up and if your opinion has changed
I haven't seen this yet, but I've got to say that I do not love that bottle. I like a Scotch to look like a Scotch, that looks like a celebrity rum or tequila, plus when I see a fancy bottle, being cheap, I wonder how much it adds to the price.
@@Gwhisky I'll take your word for it 😉 The only bottle I ever bought for the bottle, and it's not even a style I love, but I became fixated on it, was Glenmorangie Signet. Which is a bit ironic because if you ask me today, the plain old Glenmorangie Lasanta/Quinta Ruban/Nectar d'Or bottles are close to what I would describe as ideal bottles. Classic, immediately identifiable, with a heavy base.
@@Gwhisky Actually, my favorite bottle, and I'm not sure it's made anymore, is the Tullibardine "The Murray". The 12 CS was a fantastic bottle & value.
Woot woot you’ve got one. Tasted my bottle with you, open for 4 months. Delicious lemon 🍋 drizzle cake 🍰 is the next stage in your bottle. I like it and I look forward to future releases. Cheers 🍻
Looking forward to it, mine's been open about two!
Have you tried Ardnahoe yet? Very excited by their inaugural release!
I haven't. Sadly it hasn't made it to my market yet. I'll grab it as soon as I can! 🥃
I have that same bottle on my shelf, and it's a special one, alright. I mostly agree with your opinion, it's still too young but definitely has a lot of potential. Now, I'm not usually one to buy based on packaging, and in fact gaudy, over the top bottles like the Viking stuff on HP has the tendency to put me off of buying a bottle if anything. But here's a bottle I fell in love with. On the box, they show a detailed geological cross-section of the island, so you can see where the water comes from. The texture of the bottle is modelled (quite well, did they maybe even use a mold?) after the sedimentary rocks around the distillery. There's even some fossils in there, and they're even the correct fossils for those rock formations. This packaging really spoke to my geoscientists heart, and when I got the chance to buy one at the lucerne whisky ship festival a few weeks back, I couldn't resist.
Looking forward to good things coming out of Raasay in a couple of years.
Wow. You've looked much more closely at the bottle than I have! There's definitely a good amount of information as well as a cool design, but I didn't know any of the details. Fun little tidbits of info, there. Thanks!
Thanks for the review. I am planning to visit Rassay next month and I expect I'll still end up with a bottle although I do generally agree with you on young whisky.
Grabbing a bottle goes with the experience, I think. Enjoy your trip and your bottle!
This is one whisky I do have, Geoff. Opened it when my son came to visit last month. For a young whisky, we loved it. I think these guys are going to be a force to be reckoned with in the coming years. Slainte!
Oddly, as much as this one didn't suit me, I also see a very bright future for this brand. They're going places! 🥃
I tried it at the whisky festival and I liked the R-01.2 expression so much I bought a bottle. I like the gentle peat and wine-ish taste. Also I have met a cool dude from the distillery. I wish them all the very best
Stunning looking bottle
Yeah it's a showstopper.
Sipping this now. My fourth different one from Raasay. Really enjoying this one.
Honest review. Like you, I have high hopes for this distillery and hope to visit later this year.
I've heard it's a distillery worth visiting. I think it won't be too long until they have something interesting with a bit more maturity to it. Cheers.
I opened the R-01 bottle a few weeks ago and really enjoyed it. I’m not usually that fussed about shape/style of bottle but I must admit that I really like this one. Might use it as an infinity bottle once I finish the Raasay.
It's got a really wide neck just for that. I'm using a 50cl at the moment just because I'm new to the infinity bottle but when it's up there.. I'm using mine deffo
That is a really good idea - as a geologist this ammonite embossment is just a dream!
Jeff, I see that you are new on RUclips and let me tell you your review was excellent. The "Value" part in the end made perfect sense. Please don't change your honest way of doing a review!! Also, don't change this format. and please, Don't follow any of those "established" whisky guys!!
Very kind words, Dylan. I'm doing my own thing over here, and I'm quite happy with it. Glad you enjoyed! 🥃
I absolutely love this bottle and would be happy if this is all they ever made.
While they were getting up and running, they sold a sourced whisky called "While We Wait" as a guide to what they intended to produce themselves and I was lucky enough to get a bottle of their "Last Orders" release, which I really liked. However, I was able to try a sample of their Batch 1 before committing to a full bottle purchase... and I think I had a lucky escape! It didn't really resemble "While We Wait" very much - not sure what went wrong.
I have encountered similar 'changes of direction' between pre-release and official whisky with Cotswolds (who have since got 'back on track', thank goodness) and Abhainn Dearg (still waiting for a 'course correction' from them). Let's hope for a brighter future...
You make a fair point about ‘selling before it is ready’ just because the business needs to raise working capital. Customers need to be respected and not used as a money tree. If they need money why not ask customers to forward purchase, or simply invest for a meaningful return. I think that might be better in some ways. Of course there is interest in what some new distilleries are doing, but pumping the market with a product that is not quite up to the mark seems slightly cynical especially when the price seems a bit rich. I think this is more or less a summary of your viewpoint and I think it is honest to express those concerns. Well done.
To be fair, this bottle does have its fans. I might have come down especially hard on it because I'm pretty sensitive to youth in whisky. That being said, yes, I do feel it's not "there" yet. Thanks for watching and for the kind words, Michael. Cheers!
I'd agree with everything on the review Geoff. I bought mine about 4 months ago and opened near enough straight away. It had a very weird aftertaste that too me a while to get over. I like rye alot but I wasn't expecting so much spice from the rye in there. I more prefer Talisker's peppery notes. I like young whiskies in general but not that young? 6-8 is my sweet spot but learning it's so young has me slightly disappointed now but also hopeful that in the next few years that they are gonna be putting out some cracking releases.
Thanks as always!
Great minds think alike. Cheers!
First time. I'm hearing about such a wishkey.. Thanks for the introduction
My pleasure Vimal!
Agree with review. Tried batch 1. Same experience. Expensive. Will try again in a few years.
At least we recognize the potential there, even if it's too young. Cheers!
Some very good points here Geoff. Normally three things that really put me off a whisky are obvious youth, wine casks and raw wood spice / ginger. Ooh err! This one should be an absolute disaster for me. But I really like it. Yes it's young but the distillate is really good (very punchy and will probably mature incredibly well) and they've done an amazing job with their cask choices to make the most of this three year old spirit. Like you, I really look forward to seeing what they release in a couple of years. Cheers!
Wow. I didn't think this one would be up your alley. Glad you like it. I've been told my bottle will open up substantially, so I may have been a bit premature with the review. Totally agree about the quality distillate. Cheers!
@@Gwhisky I'd probably second that. Mine was a bit fierce at first too but improved a lot. I currently have half a dozen open bottles from new Scotch distilleries for an upcoming series and (spoiler) I rank it in the upper half. I think their style of peat combined with that 'chipmunk' oak was very smart of them 👍
Tried this one recently as well. Enjoyed the peat note and cask play, but it is young and they are trying to let the cask take the lead over the distillate(an unfortunate trend in Scotch for sure). Still, it was a worthy attempt that speaks well of the skill of the staff at the distillery. I look forward to their future bottlings.
Well said. I think they'll have some pretty good stuff available in just a few short years. Cheers Wade!
Nice one! Would be a cool distillery to visit. Ardnamurchan too!
Yeah I'd love to go. Apparently it's a great one to visit!
I agree with you. It's too expensive for what you get.
Nice insights - I have a R-01 open, now half full and 4 months in, and while I did find it spirity and cardboardy initially, the whisky really settled quite well. I can't speak to differences between these two batches, but yours might improve over time too. That being said, having to air a bottle for months and months before it gets proper is not palatable for most people, but we are in nerd territory with these new distilleries in my opinion so certain gymnastics are to be expected. I bought an Ardnamurchan and a Nc'Nean too and I found the Raasay to be the superior of the 3. All 3-4 years I believe. Curiously I find that differences in taste is even more pronounced with these young expressions as tolerances for the harsher notes in spirit appear to vary alot. Cheers
Yeah I might have been a bit quick to review this one. I've heard from a couple people that it improves as the bottle opens up. That being said, I've got three Ardnamurchan expressions on the go at the moment and this one is nowhere close to the quality of those imo. My Ardnamurchans are all 6-ish years old, I didn't realize they had put anything out that was so much younger. I've yet to try an Nc'Nean. Sounds interesting!
@@Gwhisky Sooo, you had my curiosity piqued as why we were as far on these as was apparently the case, so I did a mini tasting again last night. My Ardna is the AD/07.21:05 - which according to the QR code intel is vatted from barrels distilled in 2015 and 2016 and then bottled in 2021, which makes it somewhere between 4 and 5 years old. So slightly older than the Raasay. And lo and behold - a good while in the open bottle has done something for the Ardna too. I initially found it rather sour and astringent, so even if it was more complex than the Raasay, it just struck me as less harmonic. Yesterday though I was more inclined to score them evenly. It might go to show that very young whisky often benefit alot from whatever degassing and oxidation happens in an open bottle. I'm curious - which Ardnamurchans do you have open?
"cheenk-ah-pin" oak - at least, that's always how I've heard it pronounced. This whisky sounds really promising. You have to wonder if they are utilizing exposure to heat while they age the casks - that's one way American whiskey tends to mature faster than Scotch. If you like this sort of bottle, try to find one of the Jon, Mark and Robbo's malt blends that were on the market in the mid 2000's - really tasty whisky put in a craft bottle full of ripples and bubbles; very cool looking.
I'm spared a great deal of the fuss around all the new distilleries, inaugural releases, etc. In Bulgaria the only whisky from a new distillery comes from Waterford (I don't count Kilchoman as young distillery any more :)). Their expressions are priced at 50-60 euros which is about the maximum I'd pay for such a young whisky. As long as the price is not outrageously pumped up, I'd buy a bottle of it just to be able to taste the product at its current stage of development and to support the distillery. Still I don't expect the whisky at this young age to be anything particularly great. The problem for me is that in order to mask the immaturity of the spirit producers opt for heavy cask influences which turn the end product into very oaky affair. Virgin oak, Chinquapin oak, Port, Wine, Sherry, you name it.
Whisky is not something to be rushed out. Either in production or in consumption. I don't see a problem to skip most of those 3-4 years old releases and wait for something a little more mature. In the end there are plenty of other options on the market to keep me busy for the years to come.
I just checked the price of Isle of Raasay Batch 2 in Germany - ~50 euros. I wonder when the whisky reaches 10-12 yo what would be the price if the FOMO driven apes are buying the 3 yo for 50 euros??? Supporting a new distillery is one thing, fueling price tag abuse is another.
Cheers!
I like new distilleries, but that's just because I get excited. If I see something is new and making waves, I'm interested. Doesn't hurt that new brands are almost always craft presented and offer insight into what might be coming down the pipeline. If we look at it against all other available whisky on the market, it's often a poor value proposition. That being said, younger whisky from new brands would be a tiny fraction of my total whisky budget, so I'm ok with splurging on them from time to time. I don't know that I'm fueling future price-gaugers. It's entirely possible, but I guess I'll give them the benefit of the doubt. Cheers!
@@Gwhisky Don't get me wrong Geoff. Buying occasional bottle of young whisky from a new distillery is far from fueling price gauging BS. Plus your review is honest and not critique free. Those new distilleries need the money to keep afloat. But I think you would agree that welcoming each new release with FOMO driven consumerism is at the very least tempting for the producers to push the prices up based on the "as much as the market can stand" principle.
Mark Reynier has already said that Waterford prices would stay the same as the juice in the bottles gets older. Kilchoman and Arran have both come of age and still keep their prices in check. But will every other new distillery go this way? I don't know what costs Isle of Raasay to put their 3 yo spirit on the market but for 50 euros I can buy at least 12 yo whisky, also craft presented, from many other producers. I mean even Springbank are able to sell their 10 yo for roughly the same money and I bet a limb that Springbank 10 blows each and every 3-4 yo whisky from a new distillery out of the water.
I have to admit I'm almost ready to splash the cash on this one just for the bottle!
Yeah it's a stunning bottle.
Hmmm....Well, your comparison to Ardnamurchan falls flat because my experience with Ardnamurchan AD/ has been negative, while I was impressed with the Raasay. I got ahold of a bottle of Raasay (Hebridean) from the second batch, as well, and I like it. Granted, it is brash, but that peating is wondrous and I can see where they are headed with the distillate. I think it has a much brighter future than Ardnamurchan, which I found to be 'cheesy' (aka 'lactic funk'). As ever, YMMV.
Here what you say Mr G
Not bottle ready yet , too spirit driven ..it’s just a bit too crude for my liking , not tried batch 2 and won’t be doing 🤣
All in favour of new distilleries and of course from a cash flow / profit stand point they want the liquid bottled ( nice bottles ) and out there asap ..But this gear ain’t cheap and not comparable with lots of proven brands at the same price point
As always
Great review 👍
Hah great summarization, Allan. Definitely would be more on board if the price fit the quality. Glad I'm not alone in thinking so. Cheers!
Good review. Thanks.
Surprised you found a bottle in Canada. Haven't seen it in BC yet.
I was interested to see how you reacted compared with Ralfy. Ralfy thought they used high quality casks thus justifying the price. He did not mention rye casks though. I have never heard of that in scotch whisky but it would be an interesting choice.
As for bottles , I prefer a traditional round whisky bottle. One of my favourite whiskys is Bladnock which has a non-traditional square bottle. It is a pain to pour but is a work of art.
Actually I live in Taiwan, where I bought the stuff. Yeah this is a different whisky, but not one that I connected with as much as Ralfy. It's good quality, though. Love Bladnoch bottles! 🥃
@@Gwhisky Wonder why I thought you were Canadian?
@antipodesman I am Canadian. I just haven't lived there in a long time. 🥃
Where does the 'pre-Raasay' "While we wait" from 2018 fit into the picture? I picked up a bottle numbered 1769 and expected it to taste very young but was pleasantly surprised. Your thoughts would be appreciated.
Unfortunately I never even saw that one. I don't think it made an appearance in my market. 🥃
Solid review, been looking at this whisky for a while and enjoyed the individual cask tastings as well as it looks stunning. Maybe I should still hold off on it though. Cheers
Worth trying as a sample. Maybe a bottle split? Otherwise it's just too much money for not enough age. Cheers!
I visited the distillery back pre-pandemic right around the time they were opening. It's a pretty fantastic location with great views (and when we were there, great weather). If you ever tour Scotland it's definitely worth spending a day trip there from Skye.
Sounds like a blast! Despite not being thrilled with this bottle, it's a brand that I still have high hopes for, and I'd 100% be up for a distillery visit. Cheers!
I really like the raassay even though it is really young. I like a good rye whisky so that is probably not a surprise. Is ardnamurchan a better buy.
Loads of potential, but for me the youth is a bit too apparent. For now I'd recommend Ardnamurchan. Beautiful high quality whisky with a bit more age. 🥃
@@Gwhisky thanks again Andrew
My guess is the question I'm about to ask might cozy up with stupidity, but...how much would it hurt a new distillery to allocate a small percentage of its first distillate for maturation in quarter casks? Could that approach give a three-year-old expression a little bit of an "old soul"?
Not a stupid question at all! It makes a lot of sense. I don't know which brands are, but for sure it's being done at some new distillery somewhere.
Really excellent notes Geoff. These distilleries are doing everything right but it's still very young stuff. You can't hide that even in a hot climate unless you have dynamite distillate like some rum and mezcal distilleries do. One of my great reviewers, Chris Goodrum (The Good Dram Show), often reviews stuff which is bottled too young and calls it out. It is possible to like very young stuff but it really is a balancing act. Penderyn have been doing this for years. Bimber are doing it spectacularly and just about getting away with it. Nevertheless, Scotch needs some age to really hit its stride. Excellent review. WT
Agree. I've had a few really cool younger whiskies (Bimber and Ardnamurchan being standouts), but a lot do still come off undercooked. Cool to try them,but the price tag should be more appropriate in the case of thos Raasay. Cheers WT! 🥃
@@Gwhisky Yes, it's the price that's the issue. Even allowing for start up costs most of these new, young, whiskies are far too expensive. (I do like Bimber though.)
I was thinking how it would be neat and original if you filmed yourself reacting to your older videos like this and seeing how things have shaped up and if your opinion has changed
Thx boss ! ---------------------- 3y Kilchoman in early 2000's = 35$CA. 3y Raasey = 110$CA. SILLY ! ------ nosing : sounds likea 30$ Irish malts .
Hah it's not that bad, definitely better than an entry-level Irish. BUT... definitely not worth CAD $110! 🥃
@@Gwhisky (( gotta tell ya, come home, only for pension or if u need expensive medical help))
I haven't seen this yet, but I've got to say that I do not love that bottle. I like a Scotch to look like a Scotch, that looks like a celebrity rum or tequila, plus when I see a fancy bottle, being cheap, I wonder how much it adds to the price.
Yeah I like to think I'm above cool-looking bottles. I'm not. I mean I would have bought it anyway, but damn that bottle looks cool on the shelf! 😂
@@Gwhisky I'll take your word for it 😉 The only bottle I ever bought for the bottle, and it's not even a style I love, but I became fixated on it, was Glenmorangie Signet. Which is a bit ironic because if you ask me today, the plain old Glenmorangie Lasanta/Quinta Ruban/Nectar d'Or bottles are close to what I would describe as ideal bottles. Classic, immediately identifiable, with a heavy base.
@@Gwhisky Actually, my favorite bottle, and I'm not sure it's made anymore, is the Tullibardine "The Murray". The 12 CS was a fantastic bottle & value.
What are you reading throughout every video?
The Kamasutra.
@@Gwhisky seems like a script so you don’t actually have to think for yourself. 🤷🏻♂️
Yeah I prepare notes in advance. Imagine someone preparing before shooting a video... CRAZY, right? 🤪