A STORM BREWING

Blair Bowman braves the bluster to enjoy a preview of new release whisky, discovering his ideal port in a storm on the remote western island of Raasay

Blair Bowman finds Raasay Distillery an ideal port in a storm

It was a Friday – a beautiful sunny morning in February when I left Edinburgh to drive north, first to Skye, then catching the ferry to Raasay. The snow-topped hills around Perthshire shimmered in the sun and there was not a cloud in sight.

Just north of the Pass of Drumochter I received a call from Raasay Distillery, asking if I still wanted to make the journey across. After all, Storm Ciara was closing in the next day.

The probability of getting stuck on the island for several days was notably high, but who was I to turn down the offer of visiting such a wonderful distillery? Besides, I was well over halfway there and everything seemed calm – for now.

Leaving the island, they had booked me on the last ferry on Saturday, which may or may not sail, as the Sunday ferries had already been cancelled. Worst case scenario? I could cadge a lift with someone they knew who owned a RIB speedboat to whisk me off the island. Otherwise, I’d hunker down and await the next ferry.

Anyway, I can think of worse places to be stuck during a gale force storm. A remote island distillery with luxury accommodation and a well-stocked bar would have posed little hardship.

I met with Alasdair Day, the co-founder of Raasay Distillery, in the car park at Sconser on Skye, waiting for the ferry to take us over to Raasay. Alasdair had a trip booked to Boston and Seattle, leaving from Edinburgh on the Tuesday. We decided to leave our cars and travel as foot passengers in the event we needed to resort to that speedboat.

This may sound trite, but I don’t think I had ever really seen Skye until I was on Raasay. Every few minutes, the vista of the Cuillins changed – the deep teal colour of the sea combined with the light on the hills, resembling a fluid watercolour. Photos are impressive but don’t capture the majesty of the area.

Raasay Distillery is the brainchild of Alasdair, whose great-grandfather was a whisky blender. In 2008, Alasdair launched the Tweeddale blended whisky, based on recipes for eight single malts and one single grain whisky that he found in his ancestor’s notebook, but he had always wanted to launch his own distillery. After a few years, he secured the investment and began setting up shop on the island.

The distillery is no ordinary production site – six luxury en-suite bedrooms, which previously made up the estate manager’s house, are now available to stay in, and are adjoined to the working distillery. The distillery itself is housed in a new modern wing.

Of course, Raasay has always been a massive draw for tourists, wildlife enthusiasts and geologists alike, but much of the population is now reliant on the distillery for work. With around 180 residents, the distillery employs over 10% of the island’s population, with many workers in their late 20s.

The passion for Raasay Distillery is infectious and they are brilliant ambassadors for the island.

Like many new distilleries,

Raasay have been selling casks to individuals who wish to buy their own. They vary from small 30-litre casks to full-size 250-litre casks, with a variety of options including peated or unpeated spirits. Not to mention the ex-wine and ex-rye casks up for grabs.

They have announced their inaugural release – the first legal whisky to come from the island in over 160 years – will be available in November this year and can be pre-ordered now. I was lucky enough to try the constituent parts of this release.

It is made from unpeated and peated spirit matured in virgin chinkapin oak, ex-rye casks and ex-Bordeaux wine casks. The casks I sampled were all around 22 months old and had delicious dark fruit notes and sweet soft warm spice.

They could easily have been bottled now, if it wasn’t for the minimum three-year maturation laws that are in place for Scotch whisky.

The distillery set-up is compact but incredibly clever, allowing for combinations of spirit to be made in unison. They also make their own gin. Even more impressive is that the distillers don’t get distracted by the beautiful views beyond their windows.

With the eye of Storm Ciara heading directly for Raasay I’m happy to report that Yours Truly managed to catch the last ferry off the island before the storm hit. If the

Calmac skipper hadn’t set sail, I might have wound up there for another three days.

Secretly, I wish I had – the cosy wood burning stove, wonderful local venison, a brimming bar and delicious cask samples?

Better luck next time.

“I can think of worse places to be stuck than a remote island distillery during a gale force storm