The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Isle of Raasay set to launch its first gin
Spirits: Island famed for illicit stills now on straight and narrow
The first legal spirit to be produced from the Isle of Raasay will be launched today.
The distillery on the small Hebridean island began distilling in September 2017.
And now it is finally ready to launch its first gin.
The Isle of Raasay Distillery, owned by R&B Distillers, is expected to produce 150,000 bottles of whisky a year once ready.
But drinkers will have to wait until 2020 before its first Raasay dram will be ready to drink.
However, the firm has been able to time the launch of its new gin to coincide with International Scottish Gin Day next week.
The Isle of Raasay gin is the first legal spirit from Raasay, which is an island rooted in centuries of illicit distilling.
In the past, whisky was made illegally using illicit stills.
Handcrafted in the Hebrides, the Isle of Raasay gin is distilled in a Frilli copper pot still using a blend of 10 botanicals and water from the well.
The recipe incorporates each of the following Raasay and traditional botanicals: juniper berries, rhubarb root, lemon peel, orange peel, coriander seeds, angelica root, liquorice root, orris root, cubeb pepper and tripledistilled Raasay spirit.
This was established with support from local botanist Dr Stephen Bungard and Fiona Williamson, a scholar at Herriot Watt who knows Raasay well, having worked a summer season at the distillery in 2018.
Isle of Raasay Distillery co-founder Alasdair Day said: “Our new Isle of Raasay gin puts island quality first – combining carefully chosen botanicals with water from our well and triple-distilled Raasay spirit.
“Raasay’s remarkable geology and our modern island distillery inspired both the creation and presentation of our exciting new Scottish gin that we look forward to sharing with the growing number of visitors to Raasay and gin lovers alike.”
R&B Distillers turned Borodale House, a derelict Victorian hotel, into a distillery and visitor centre that now offers tastings and tours for locals and tourists.