Back for another year, the Isle of Raasay Distillery’s festival day takes place from 10am-6pm (or later for overnight guests!) on Saturday 6th September. Bringing you more fun, tours, experiences, snippets of islaand life, and whisky of course. Sit back, relax and soak in the atmosphere, or find something in the list below to get involved in.
As part of the day’s running celebrations is The Raasay Piping Competition, please note this takes place in the Raasay Community Hall and tickets are now on sale for this via our website here.
Daily distillery tours are running and include complimentary chocolates, these can be booked here.
A day of festivities needs nourishment and we’ve got just the thing for you. Lunch will be served at our distillery on the day – please note that this is not included in the piping competition ticket price, speak to our Visitor Centre Team on arrival for more information on our lunch offering and pricing. Also, our neighbours at Raasay House will also be open for lunch from 12:00 – 15:30, as well as local vendor Thyme & Tide Bakes for more tasty treats. We’ve even got the Isle of Skye Ice Cream Company serving up some cool Raasay creations on the day!
It’s easy to get to Raasay from Skye, we’re just a 25 minute ferry ride from Sconser and you can book tickets directly on the Caledonian Macbrayne website. We have a small car park onsite in case you are driving, but we encourage guests to leave their cars at Sconser as we’re just a 10 minute walk from the ferry terminal. If you have any queries or need assistance please reach out to [email protected].
The Hebridean Whisky Trail is an exciting and unique opportunity to experience the rich culture, provenance and landscape of five Hebridean islands whilst visiting seven remarkable and very different single malt scotch whisky distilleries.
From the smell of the malt to the tasting of each dram, all the distilleries on the trail sit in spectacular waterfront locations so why not check out a few of our neighbours whilst you’re planning your trip to Raasay! You can find out more via the HWT website link below.
Nothing says whisky festival like a bespoke bottling. This year we are delighted to bring you The Hebridean Whisky Cask, selected especially for the event by our Master Distiller, Alasdair Day. This single cask whisky is a distillery exclusive, and can only be purchased from our distillery shop from 6th September. We expect it to sell out early, so recommend an early ferry to guarantee your bottle.
We can reveal this special release is a peated ex Oloroso Portuguese Oak Barrique, with a yield of just 400 bottles. There will be plenty to sample on the day, but here’ s what to expect from this delicious dram:
TASTING NOTES
NOSE: Savoury spice, cinnamon sticks, Lemon, citrus, candied orange peel, a hint of wood smoke.
PALATE: Citrus, orange peel, five spice, amaretti biscuits, light smoke.
FINISH: Lemon, ginger, orange, lingering wood smoke at the end.
Join our fun one-hour workshop, limited to just 10 participants, where you’ll dive into the art of blending. Explore the unique six-cask recipe that defines The Draam single malt, and craft your own personalised version. This hands-on experience offers a rare chance to understand the nuances of each cask and unleash your creativity in making a whisky that’s truly your own.
Step inside the heart of Raasay’s whisky-making tradition. Come and live The Draam!
Tickets are priced at £60 and if you’d like to take part, you can purchase tickets via the button on the left. Only 10 tickets are available for this event so get them whilst their hot!
A trail-exclusive whisky tasting session, ‘Whisky & Bites’, where you can sample a range of our most special whiskies, including some that you will only find at our distillery. You’ll be expertly guided through each whisky by our friendly team, and each dram also comes with a complementary food pairing, making this session a taste sensation not to be missed. Tickets are priced at £40 and limited to just 20 people.
If you’d like to take part, you can purchase tickets via the button on the left. Please let our team know about any dietary requirements and allergies upon booking at [email protected].
We are very proud to be hosting and sponsoring the competition, devised by Hamish Moore and supported by The Gordon Duncan Memorial Trust, for a second year. This isn’t your traditional piping event, so expect an energetic battle for the prizes up for grabs.
Piping has, over time, consistently been losing connections with its Gaelic roots. This connection was once central to, and at the heart of, how our music was interpreted and played. It is hoped that this competition will significantly contribute to reconnecting piping with its Gaelic roots and grow in popularity and significance year by year. A slow air seann nós style or a piobaireachd song followed by a selection of Dance Music (Strathspeys and Reels) to be played with a tempo and rhythm suitable to be danced to by a hard shoe percussive Scottish step dancer.
First Prize for The Piobaireachd Competition – A set of Highland Pipes in A, made from African Blackwood with Boxwood ferrules and mounts, a copy of The 1785 Black Set of Kintail and donated by Hamish Moore.
First prize for the dance competition will be a small cask of Isle of Raasay whisky!
The event is being held in the Raasay Community Hall, but expect a flow of pipers in and out the distillery throughout the day. To book your ticket and watch the competition from 10am-4pm, hit the button below.
Piping Competition Competitors:
This year we invite you to bring your best Raasay bakes for the chance to win 1 night stay in our Na Bothain, our brand new accommodation offering opening October 2025.
The rules are simple:
The bakes will be judged on the following:
We can’t wait to see your creations. All bakes need to be submitted no later than 2pm.
Visit the Isle of Raasay Distillery, with arguably the best view of any distillery in Scotland, for a guided whisky tour. Discover our tour options and book today.
For the most unforgettable whisky experience, stay overnight at Isle of Raasay Distillery in one of our six exclusive en-suite bedrooms or Na Bothain.
Getting to the Isle of Raasay is easier than you might think. With regular ferry sailings from the Isle of Skye seven days a week, the Isle of Raasay is one of Scotland’s most accessible islands.
You might want to spend all your time on the Isle of Raasay relaxing with a dram or a G&T admiring the magical views, but if you can tear your eyes away, this small but mighty island has a lot to offer.
