Isle of Raasay Distillery Private Cask Programme

Private Cask Programme

Own a piece of Hebridean history. On an island once defined by the smoke of illicit stills, the Isle of Raasay Distillery now offers a rare invitation to join our legal legacy.

Our 2026 Private Cask Programme is more than an investment; it is a partnership with the rugged landscape of the Inner Hebrides, from our mineral-rich water flowing over Jurassic sandstone to the heavy sea air that breathes life into every barrel.

Ownership grants you more than just award-winning single malt; it welcomes you into our community with exclusive perks, including one night Island Experience stay, and private tastings overlooking the Cuillin mountains.  Get in touch and start your Raasay adventure!

The 2026 Line up

This year we bring you 3 types of cask which have never been offered before. As always, you can choose if you would like peated or unpeated spirit.

  • The Quarter Cask 125L
  • The American Oak Barrel 190L
  • The Sherry Hogshead 250L

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.

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 the cask types available: unpeated or peated sherry quarter cask, unpeated or peated American oak, unpeated or peated sherry hogshead.

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 5-15 years, depending on the cask type you have chosen.

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.

The Quarter Cask

The 125 litres Quarter Cask, is a chance to purchase this size of cask privately for thefirst time. These casks are expertly coopered to increase the surface-area-to-spirit ratio by approximately 30% compared to a standard barrel.

We have used this size of cask to create our award winning DùnCana – Sherry Quarter Cask and now have a limited number for private sale. These casks are the ideal choice for those seeking a vibrant, oak-forward profile that showcases the interaction of our island spirit with premium wood which we recommend to be bottled between 5 – 10 years old.

Cask price: £4,250

rich dried fruit, sultanas85%
vanilla toffee50%
roasted nuts75%
white pepper & sea salt55%
aromatic wood smoke (with peated spirit)40%
Capacity: 125 Litres
Oak Variety: Quercus alba, American Oak
Call Us
+44 (0) 1478 470178

The American Oak Barrel

Our American White Oak barrels provide a chance to see our Isle of Raasay spirit in a ‘classic maturation’ of American Oak barrels. Sourced from central and eastern North America, these casks are crafted
from Quercus alba (White Oak), a wood prized for its high concentration of vanillin which gives the vanilla flavours associated with this species of oak.

Stored in our traditional dunnage warehouse on the Isle of Raasay, this will be its resting place until you decide to bottle it. These casks have previously held Isle of Raasay spirit, which will allow your cask to take on the flavours from the barrel in a more mellow format over the years of
maturation, making it ideal for 10 -15 years storage.

Cask price: £5,500

Vanilla60%
Butterscotch90%
Black Pepper 60%
dark fruits 85%
Aromatic wood smoke (WITH PEATED SPIRIT)80%
Capacity: 190 Litres
Oak Variety: Quercus alba,  American Oak
Call Us
+44 (0) 1478 470178

The Sherry Hogshead

These Spanish oak casks were first dried for 36 months before being seasoned with Oloroso sherry for 18 months. Subsequently, the notes they impart on the spirit are more sherry forward, such as
dark fruits and salted almond.

This gives the whisky a rich and distinctive character, as well as beautifully dark colour. Sourced from the renowned Tevasa Cooperage, these Spanish oak (Quercus robur) casks are the specification for our upcoming Machrihanish Distillery in Campbeltown. Our Master Distiller, Alasdair Day, visited the cooperage and saw the incredible process from stave to cask.

Cask price: £9,000

SWEET, DARK FRUITS 90%
SALTED ALMONDS40%
DRIED RASPBERRIES70%
SAVOURY SPICES & LEATHER85%
WOOD SMOKE (WITH PEATED SPIRIT)65%
Capacity: 250 Litres
Oak Variety: Quercus Robur  Spanish Oak
Register Your Interest

Register your interest on our private cask programme by completing the form below. A member of our team will then contact you to discuss your requirements and provide more information on our available casks. 

Please note if you are not already a Slàinte Club member (our free to join whisky club) you will be added to the club.

The  Perks

Enjoy a night’s stay at our award-winning whisky hotel with breakfast and a distillery tour.

All 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

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 immediatley available in both peated and unpeated spirit due to stock availability. Please contact us to discuss further. 

Type of Casks Available

Full Size Scotch Whisky Casks
The Quarter Cask 125L
The American Oak Barrel 190L
The Sherry Hogshead 250L

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.

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.

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

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 upon request, this will be a 20cl sample with a cost of £50 (including postage). 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 for The Quarter Cask 125L  will produce 150 70cl bottles at cask strength 

We estimate for The American oak barrel 190L , will produce 230 bottles at cask strength

We estimate for  The Sherry Hogshead  250L, will produce 320 bottles at cask strength 

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). The current UK dutr rate, as of March 2026, is £33.99 per litre of alcohol.

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.

The American Oak Barrel – 190L

Based on current UK duty rates of £33.99 (valid March 2026) per litre of pure alcohol, a 190 litre cask when filled at 63.5% will hold 120.5 litres of pure alcohol, equating to a total of £4,095.79 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 would total around £2,082.50 , the total payable will be around £6,178 in ten years’ time, on top of the purchase price of the cask, which equates to £46.71 per bottle including the original cask price of the cask. This is an estimate at the time of writing

 

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, but can be purchased separately.

UK & Europe

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

United States of America

Delivery is available to the US.  Shipping cost will vary dependant on the delivery address.

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]