Review #190 - Isle of Raasay Na Sia Single Cask - Peated Ex-Bordeaux Cask
Another Na Sia single cask single malt from Raasay, celebrating the six cask types that are blended together in their flagship Scotch single malt. This version is peated and employs a Bordeaux red wine cask for maturation - this is reflected by a pink-ish hue in the color of the whisky in the bottle.
Like our last review, the Na Sia Ex-Rye Cask, there's no age statement on the bottle, but this is probably 3 to 4 year old whisky, based on a 2018 vintage and likely bottling in 2022. This whisky came from cask 18/664, and it has a bottling strength of 61.7% ABV.
Isle of Raasay Na Sia Single Cask - Peated Ex-Bordeaux Cask
Scotland/Highlands - Single Malt
Current Locally Available Price: USD 114 (2023)
Age Statement: NAS
Strength: 61.7% ABV
Cask Makeup: Ex-Bordeaux red wine cask
Details: Cask 18/664; not chill filtered, no color added; 2018 vintage
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times over 5 months; bottles at 90%, 80%, and 70% (blind tasting) fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes
Nose: Wine influence is pretty strong - red wine tannins, oranges, and cranberries were all strong scents, along with slightly meaty and funky undertones. Fruity, like sparkling rose and grapefruit, and there's a peppery side as well, with some spirity youth lingering. There's a medium level of peat.
Palate: Warm, juicy, fruity, and syrupy - the mouthfeel is medium-thick, and full of fruits. We found orange, cranberry, raspberry, strawberry, cherry, and figs across our tastings; there are both sweet and sour components, and later, just a hint of a meaty note like the nose. With more time, there's some earthy flavors, hot peppers, and some definite youthful spirit notes.
Finish: Medium-long, and still lots of fruits, but more on the dried fruit side at first - dehydrated orange, tart cranberry, unripe or dried strawberries. The peat is mild and presents mostly as an earthy influence, and there are lighter flavors of lemon, vanilla, and white pepper lingering.
Final Note: Very good whisky - this is already very enjoyable at 3 or so years old, and we can't wait to try something from this distillery at 12 to 15 years old in the future, though that's still a while off. The Bordeaux cask here created a total fruit bomb with nice balance and plenty of strength - you can definitely feel the 61%+ ABV, but it's never unpleasantly hot.
Our Average Rating: 7.5 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 6.19
Check out our other Isle of Raasay reviews:
Review #189 - Isle of Raasay Na Sia Single Cask - Peated Ex-Rye Cask
