Raising a dram to the arts

The co-founder of Raasay Distillery has been celebrating a collaboration between two of Scotland’s oldest arts – poetry and whisky – to mark International Women’s Day (March 8).

Following a tender process arranged by the Scotch Whisky Association, the distillery was selected to create and bottle The Makar’s Malt, a limited edition single cask single malt whisky marking the end of celebrated Scottish poet Jackie Kay’s tenure as The Scots Makar.

The Hebridean manufacturer worked closely with the Makar to choose a special single cask bottling which will feature a poem written by Jackie Kay, entitled Here’s Tae Ye!, on its label. For every bottle sold, 10 per cent will be donated to Glasgow’s Women’s Library, a charity chosen by The Makar, which, as well as being a lending library, is an archive about women’s lives dating back to the 1930s.

Alasdair Day, co-founder of Isle of Raasay Distillery, said: ‘It is particularly poignant we are celebrating Jackie Kay’s outstanding tenure as Scots Makar on International Women’s Day with a single cask bottling from the Isle of Raasay, birthplace of the late Gaelic poet Sorley MacLean.

‘Isle of Raasay Distillery is proud to be the first distillery chosen to work with The Scots Makar on this historic single cask release – a fruity, lightly peated dram that has been matured in one of our signature first fill Bordeaux red wine casks.’

The Makar’s Malt has been released in what is hoped will be the start of a new tradition for future Scots Makars. Jackie Kay is the third Makar to have been appointed by the Scottish Government in 2016, her tenure ending in March 2021.