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A Guide to Tasting Raasay Whisky and Chocolates

Chocolate and Whisky Tastings

Chocolate and Whisky Tastings with Chocolates of GlenshielWe’re always exploring new ways for visitors to get the most out of their experience at Raasay Distillery and to better demonstrate our process, our whiskies and what the local area has to offer. That’s why we have paired up with local chocolatier Finlay MacDonald of Chocolates of Glenshiel to blend together two of our favourite products and launch our new Whisky & Chocolate tours.

On the west coast of Loch Duich, across the water from the picturesque Eilean Donan castle lies Glenshiel where Finlay works to create an incredible array of hand-crafted local chocolates. A young, passionate entrepreneur and chocolatier, he has been creating award-winning chocolates from Glenshiel since 2016. After meeting with him and sampling his fantastic creations, we thought his talent for infusing flavours and crafting high-quality chocolates would pair perfectly with our range of whiskies here on Raasay.

Chocolate and Whisky Tasting

Chocolate and Whisky Pairing TourChocolate and whisky are a perfect pairing. The higher alcoholic strength of the spirit works perfectly to cut through the fat of the chocolate and bring out the best flavours on the palate. When sampled correctly they can be a great way to experience whiskies and even change your impression of a whisky entirely.

To get the most out of a chocolate and whisky tasting, we recommend starting by taking just the smallest sip of whisky, just enough to coat the mouth and cover the palate. Now that you’ve had a taste, take a small bite of your chocolate of choice and let it melt on your tongue and interact with the whisky. Repeating the steps of small sips of whisky followed by the chocolate will start to bring out more flavour as the chocolate and whisky interact. We’ve worked to create the best pairing with our Raasay While We Wait and Tweeddale drams for our visitors, resulting in the following three very different chocolates.

Isle of Skye Sea Salted Caramel Milk Chocolate

Chocolate and Whisky Tasting Tour

Pairing with Raasay While We Wait, this milk chocolate and salted caramel treat is the perfect companion to Raasay While We Wait, using local ingredients to bring out the best of what we have to offer in the area. Whisky and chocolate pairings traditionally tend to favour dark chocolate, but the sweetness of the milk chocolate coupled with the rich red wine notes of our single malt blend together perfectly. On the palate, the smoke tends to reveal itself and the Isle of Skye sea salt infused caramel contrasts with the sweetness of the whisky and is the perfect savoury compliment to the light peat of Raasay While We Wait.

Dark Chocolate and Ginger

Pairing with Tweeddale Grain of Truth, dark chocolate and ginger works to bring out the best in our new grain whisky. On the first bite, the dark chocolate interacts with the sweet, sugary notes of the whisky, coating the mouth and greatly enhancing the flavour of the sherry finish. On the second bite, the caramelised ginger pulls through tastes from the back of the palate to the front.

Chocolate and Whisky Tasting

Raasay While We Wait Infused Dark Chocolate

Our final chocolate is a specially commissioned stand alone Raasay While We Wait infused chocolate. Whisky chocolates and chocolate liqueurs are a very difficult balance to get right, and often times can veer too much in one direction or the other. We believe that Finlay from Chocolates of Glenshiel has managed to create a wonderful balance, with a soft centre and a beautiful geodesic shape sprinkled in a gold dust that’s reminiscent of our striking reception building.

Book Your Chocolate and Whisky Tasting

We look forward to showing off these chocolates as part of the Isle of Raasay Distillery tour experiences. Whisky & Chocolate Tasting tours can be booked online for £15 per person. If you’ve already booked a distillery tour, then don’t worry, you can always upgrade if you are tempted! Just speak to a member of the team when you arrive at the distillery for more information.

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Choose & Book Your Distillery Tours

We highly recommend booking your whisky distillery tour in Scotland online before visiting to ensure we can accommodate you at a time that suits you.

Isle of Raasay Distillery Production Tour

Enjoy a guided tour of our production areas followed by a tasting for an insight into the people, passion, and processes that make our Isle of Raasay Single Malt and Isle of Raasay Gin unique.

The tour finishes with a dram, including our single cask release or a gin.

Price: Adults: £15 | Children: (8-17 years old): £10
Duration: 1 hour

Whisky, Gin & Chocolate Tour & Tasting at Raasay Distillery

Enjoy a guided production areas, followed by a mouth-watering whisky, gin and chocolate tasting. Our Isle of Raasay Single Malt, single cask release and Gin are paired with handmade chocolates from the Glenshiel Chocolate Company, including a specially commissioned Isle of Raasay Single Malt infused chocolate.

Price: Adults: £20 | Children: (8-17 years old): £15
Duration: 1 hour

Virtual Whisky Tasty with Raasay Distillery

Let Raasay come to you as part of our virtual tastings. From the comfort of your home, we take through our unique six-part maturation, a deconstruction of our signature Isle of Raasay Single Malt with 6 x 5cl cask strength samples.

Two Isle of Raasay spirits – peated and unpeated – are matured separately in ex-Rye whiskey, fresh Chinkapin oak, and ex-Bordeaux red wine casks – creating real depth and complexity.

Price: Adults: £40 | Duration: 2 hours

Distillery Tours

Available Wednesday – Saturday during our winter opening hours.

Closed: Sunday – Tuesday.

Advanced booking recommended.

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Shop & Bar

November 5th – December 14th; Open: Wednesday – Saturday 10:00 – 22:00

Closed: Sunday – Tuesday

December 14th – February 5th: Closed

February 5th – March 31st; Open: Wednesday – Saturday 10:00 – 22:00

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Restaurant

Open Wednesday – Saturday during our winter opening hours.

Lunch: 13:00 – 15:00

Evening meals: 17:00 – 20:00

Reservations for evening meals recommended.

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The Isle of Raasay, an island rooted in centuries of illicit distilling, provides the ingredients for the perfect dram. Our lightly peated Isle of Raasay Single Malt is an expression of this magical place.

Our zesty, smooth and refreshing Isle of Raasay Gin combines an exciting selection of ten Raasay and traditional botanicals, including Raasay juniper, sweet orange peel, rhubarb root and our double distilled spirit.

Enjoy a warm island welcome at our award-winning visitor centre and whisky hotel, Borodale House. Discover our tour options and book today, or better still, wake up in the Isle of Raasay Distillery for an unforgettable experience!