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Raasay Distillery Casks

Na Sia | The Six Cask Programme

Na Sia, meaning ‘The Six’ in Gaelic, is our cask programme that offers you the opportunity to invest in one of our six signature Isle of Raasay Single Malt recipe whisky casks.

Become part of our six cask story and enjoy a night’s stay at our award-winning whisky hotel Borodale House, and enjoy a guided tour of our production areas & tasting for an insight into the people, passion, and processes that make our spirit.

We release a limited 60 casks per year as part of the Na Sia programme. Join our waiting list to register your interest in the Na Sia programme. 

Our Six Cask Story

The Isle of Raasay Single Malt is matured in six signature whisky casks as part of our unique six-part maturation.

Two Isle of Raasay spirits – peated and unpeated – mature separately in Chinkapin oak, Bordeaux red wine, and Rye Whiskey casks. A first in Scotch whisky history.

Our carefully crafted recipe brings together six casks, each with their own distinctive style and character, to create the perfect lightly peated single malt with rich dark fruit flavours.

Our Six Cask Story

Your Choice of Spirit

Your cask will be filled with your choice of peated and unpeated Isle of Raasay spirit at 63.5% ABV.

Uniquely, we split our production and run peated and unpeated spirit at different times of the year.

Mineral-rich water and long fermentations of up to five days develop rich, dark, fruity flavours in your spirit before it even touches the oak of the cask. Isle of Raasay Distillery peated new-make spirit is 48-52 PPM (Peat or Phenol Parts per Million) and, as is to be expected, has a higher viscosity than our unpeated spirit.

View Available Casks
Scottish Barley

We mash only 100% Scottish barley, and donate all our draff (spent malted barley), to local farmers and crofters as cattle feed. We have also grown and malted Raasay barley using local peat for the first ever 100% Isle of Raasay barley.

Highland Peat

Our peated barley is malted using Highland peat, giving a gentle, fragrant smokiness to our spirit. The PPM (Peat or Phenol Parts Per Million) of our peated malt is 48-52. Uniquely, we split our production between peated and unpeated spirit, filling our casks with either peated or unpeated 63.5% ABV Isle of Raasay spirit at different times of the year.

The Water of Life

Falling as rain on Dùn Cana, the island’s highest peak, our water flows across volcanic rock and filters through Jurassic sandstone into our own well, Tobar na Ba Bàine (the Well of the Pale Cow), lying deep beneath the distillery.

This mineral-rich water adds character to our spirit at every stage of production, from mashing, fermentation and distillation, to cask reduction and bottling.

Isle of Raasay Map
Maturation

All of our whisky casks are matured in our island warehouses next to the distillery, maximising the influence of the Hebridean climate on your single malt Scotch whisky.

New Make Spirit

Mineral-rich water, long fermentations and our unique distilling process help develop sweet dark fruit characteristics in our spirit before it even touches the oak of the cask.

How It Works

Your very own Isle of Raasay Single Malt is distilled, matured, and bottled in the Hebrides.

1. CHOOSE YOUR CASK

Choose from our six signature casks – unpeated ex-rye whiskey, unpeated chinkapin oak, unpeated ex-Bordeaux red wine, peated ex-rye whiskey, peated chinkapin oak or peated ex-Bordeaux red wine.

2. THE PAPERWORK

We will send you our full terms and conditions for you to sign along with your cask owner’s certificate.

3. TIME TO MATURE

Your cask will mature in Raasay’s heady island air for up to 10 years in our full size casks.

4. VISIT YOUR CASK

Cask owners will be invited to exclusive Cask Owners Events and will be able to sample their maturing spirit at set times agreed with the distillery.

5. BOTTLING

We will bottle your spirit at standard industry bottling rates. Your bottles can be delivered to you or collected from the distillery.

Chinkapin Oak Cask

Freshly charred and toasted, these custom made Chinkapin, or Quercus Muehlenbergii American white oak casks are a type of oak native to central and eastern North America.

The fresh charring of the cask brings a rich colour and flavour early on in the maturation process, and the high toast caramelises the natural sugars in the wood. Expect sweet toffee and butterscotch on the nose, with vibrant dark fruit flavours and deep, rich colours at a young age.

Toffee, Scottish Tablet85%
Sweet ginger, heather honey30%
Dark fruits, redcurrants60%
Malted granary bread60%
Smoky (Highland peated spirit)85%
Capacity: 190 Litres
Oak Variety: Quercus muehlenbergii, American Oak
Request More Information

Our sales team are on hand to guide your through the ordering process and to answer any queries you may have.

Call: +44 (0) 1478 470178
Email: [email protected]

Bordeaux Red Wine Cask

Stained red on the outside, these high quality ex-Bordeaux red wine casks are delivered fresh to the island from the châteaux of South West France. In the first few months of maturation, our spirit develops a pink hue in these casks, which turns into a deeper, darker red.

Bold flavours and fruity notes develop in the spirit – including dried fruits, sultana, grape, Christmas cake & bread pudding.

Savoury Spice, Cinnamon75%
Cherries, black grapes, blackcurrants 90%
Sandlewood60%
A hint of saltiness35%
Smoky (peated Highland spirit)75%
Capacity: 220 Litres
Oak Variety: Quercus Robor, Quercus Petraea, European Oak
Stay in Borodale House
Spend a night on Raasay at the Isle of Raasay Distillery’s whisky hotel including breakfast.
Guided Tour & Tasting
Enjoy a guided tour of our production areas & tasting for an insight into the people, passion, and processes that make our spirit.
View all Cask Owner Perks
Explore the perks you'll receive as one of our Na Sia cask owners: Cask Owner Perks

Rye Whiskey Cask

These American ex-Rye Whiskey casks are from Woodford Reserve Distillery, Kentucky, where they use 53% rye in their mash bill. The flavours emulate history’s original rye whiskeys, with strong peppery, spicy flavours in a sea of fruit and butterscotch.

These casks develop interesting pepper, spice and butter flavours in our whisky.

Black Pepper35%
Butterscotch90%
Sweet Spice75%
Vanilla55%
Smoky (Highland peated spirit)85%
Capacity: 190 Litres
Oak Variety: Quercus Alba American Oak

Join Our Na Sia Waiting List

We release a limited 60 casks per year as part of the Na Sia programme. Join our Slàinte Club waiting list to register your interest in the Na Sia programme.

Slàinte Club members also enjoy £5 off their first online order over £50, and are always the first to find out about new releases and stories from the island.

Exclusive Na Sia | The Six Perks

Become part of our six cask story and enjoy a night’s stay at our award-winning whisky hotel with breakfast and a distillery tour.

All Na Sia cask owners will receive the following benefits:

  • Spend a night on Raasay at the Isle of Raasay Distillery’s whisky hotel. Your stay include 1 nights accommodation, breakfast and a standard tour.
  • An Isle of Raasay Distillery tour for two at our five-star Visitor Centre
  • Isle of Raasay Distillery Cask Owner Pack
  • Exclusive invitations to immersive Cask Owner Experiences at the Isle of Raasay Distillery and Manor Place tasting room in Edinburgh
Join Waiting List
Request More Information

Our sales team are on hand to guide your through the ordering process and to answer any queries you may have.

Call: +44 (0) 1478 470178
Email: [email protected]

Caskshare

Caskshare

Single Cask Whisky for All.

The Isle of Raasay Distillery is collaborating on the industry’s first ‘Casksharing’ platform. Democratising single cask whisky – you can now buy shares in exclusive single cask bottlings.

Ex-Rye Whiskey
Chinkapin Oak
Ex-Australian 
Cab Sauv
Ex-Bordeaux Raasay Distillery Cask
Ex-Bordeaux
Ex-Manzanilla
Ex-Four Roses Bourbon
View All Caskshares
Learn More

Raasay Distillery Casks FAQs

Cask Filling Strength (ABV)

All of our casks are filled with Raasay Distillery spirit at an alcoholic strength of 63.5% ABV.

Peated or Unpeated Spirit

When building your cask, you can choose either our peated or unpeated spirit. Not all cask types will be available in both peated and unpeated spirit due to stock availability.

Type of Casks Available

Full Size Scotch Whisky Casks
First-fill Ex-Bourbon Whiskey Barrel (Four Roses)
Ex-High Rye Whiskey Barrel (Woodford Reserve)
Ex-French Bordeaux Red Wine Barrique

Small Scotch Whisky Casks
Our smaller 30 litre casks are ex-Speyside Scotch whisky oak casks. It is our opinion that using first fill sherry, bourbon or virgin oak for our 30 litre cask would over-power our Isle of Raasay spirit in three years’ time.

Maturation & Finishing

Once filled, all of our casks are matured on Raasay in our island warehouses. To be called Scotch Whisky, spirit must be aged in Scotland for a minimum of 3 years in an oak cask.

Full Size Scotch Whisky Casks
Our full size Scotch whisky casks include up to 10 years of warehouse storage. After 3 years of maturation, the cask owner can decide at what point they would like to bottle their whisky.

Small Scotch Whisky Casks
Our small 30 litre casks include 3 years of warehouse storage. We will then bottle your cask on your behalf, charged to you at then current industry rates. We strongly recommend that you bottle your 30 litre cask after three years. Due to the increase surface to volume ratio in a 30 litre cask there is considerably more evaporation (Angel’s share) and much greater influence on the flavour of the spirit from the oak cask.

Finishing
We do not currently offer any additional finishing options for cask purchases.

Can 30 Litre Casks Be Matured More Than 3 Years?

We strongly recommend that you bottle your 30 litre cask after three years. Due to the increased surface to volume ratio in a 30 litre cask there is considerably more evaporation (angel’s share) and much greater influence on the flavour of the spirit from the oak cask.

To discuss further with our team please complete the form below.

Labelling

During the bottling process, whisky from your cask will be labelled under the Isle of Raasay Distillery brand by default. Any other specific label text requests or requirements may be considered but would need to be arranged by prior written agreement and may incur additional costs.

Bottling

The cost of bottling is not included in the cost of your cask. We will arrange bottling with the casks owner at an agreed cost prior to bottling based on industry standard rates at the time of bottling.

All of our bottling will take place on site at the distillery. The water used to reduce your spirit down to bottling strength is the same water used throughout our process, sourced from our Celtic well on-site.

Cask Samples & Visiting Casks

Cask Samples
Drawing cask samples in our dunnage warehouse requires breaking up the stows to access each cask. We will therefore draw cask samples every 3 years on pre-arranged dates. Cask sample tastings will also be available at our cask owner events. Please join our Slàinte Whisky Club to receive information on upcoming events.- wordpress-581402-1968994.cloudwaysapps.com/slainte

Visiting Casks
We will be arranging special events for casks owners in the future, allowing them to visit their casks in our island warehouses. Please join our Slàinte Club where we will keep members up to date with information on upcoming events.

View Upcoming Events

What Happens After I’ve Ordered My Cask?

Once you have purchased your cask we will provide a full terms and condition document by email for you to sign and return to us. This will document will also act as your proof of ownership.

Number of Bottles per Cask

The number of bottles in your cask will vary depending on the angels’ share – the natural evaporation and loss of spirit that occurs during maturation – as well as the maturation period, bottle size and bottling strength. For example, we estimate a 190 litre cask will produce 250 70cl bottles at 46% ABV. This number is approximate and will vary based on the above factors.

Are There Other Additional Costs?

Additional costs over and above the price paid for your whisky include:

• Bottling, Dry Goods & Delivery.
• UK Duty & Value Added Tax (VAT). All taxes are subject to change by the UK government.
• International Taxes.

If your bottled whisky is exported from the UK, international duty and other taxes may be payable. Different tax rates apply throughout the EU and the rest of the world. If your bottled whisky is being exported from the UK, UK duty and VAT may not payable.

Duty & Tax

Duty
HMRC charge Duty on liquid based on the percentage of pure alcohol. This is measured in alcohol per volume (ABV).

VAT
UK value added tax (VAT) is currently 20%. Both Duty and VAT are due after your cask has been bottled and the finished goods are removed from our bonded warehouse.

Other Taxes
Different rates of Duty apply throughout the EU and the rest of the world.

Tax Variations
All taxes are subject to change by the UK government.

Duty & Tax Examples

The below examples are based on what we believe to be the worst case future scenario. The figures used in our examples are all subject to change.

30 Litre Casks
Based on current UK duty rates of £31.64 (valid at August 2023) per litre of pure alcohol, a 30 litre cask when filled at 63.5% will hold 19.05 litres of pure alcohol, equating to a total of £602.74 alcohol duty. However, these rates are subject to change and the figure does not account for variables such as the angels’ share, which is the natural evaporation and subsequent loss of spirit that occurs during maturation in the cask.

For approximately 40 bottles – not including any potential evaporation in order to offset potential UK duty increases – we estimate that including bottling costs charged at standard industry rates, UK duty and VAT at 20%, the total payable will be around £2,064.45 in three years’ time, including the original cask price of £999, which equates to £51.61 per bottle.

190 Litre Casks
Based on current UK duty rates of £31.64 (valid at August 2023) per litre of pure alcohol, a 190 litre cask when filled at 63.5% will hold 120.65 litres of pure alcohol, equating to a total of £3,817.37 alcohol duty. However, these rates are subject to change and the figure does not account for variables such as the angels’ share, which is the natural evaporation and subsequent loss of spirit that occurs during maturation in the cask.

For approximately 250 bottles – not including any potential evaporation in order to offset potential UK duty increases – we estimate that including bottling costs at standard industry rates, UK duty and VAT at 20%, the total payable will be around £11,715 in ten years’ time, which equates to £46.86 per bottle including the original cask price of the cask.

Delivery & Collection

Delivery costs are not included in the cost of your whisky and will be charged at standard rates at the time of bottling. Bottles can also be collected from the distillery by prior arrangement at a mutually agreed time. All collection costs are the responsibility of the cask owner. Single Malt Scotch Whisky can only be exported from Scotland in bottles, so your cask will be bottled by us on Raasay and then exported to your country. The cask is not included in the sale, unless you are buying one of our smaller 30 litre casks, which are included in the sale.

UK & Europe

Delivery is available to UK and European countries. Shipping cost will vary dependant on the delivery address.

United States of America

Please contact us for more information on shipping to the US.

Other International

If you would like to have your bottles delivered to an address outside of the UK or Europe, please contact us.

View Cask Terms & Conditions

You can view our full terms & conditions for cask purchases by clicking on the link below.

View Terms & Conditions

Require More Information?

To request more information on our cask offering, please complete the form below. A member of the Raasay Distillery team will then be in touch to answer any queries.

Alternatively, please feel free to contact our team on +44 (0) 1478 470178 or email [email protected]