Tastes

Nose: Sweet, malty, honey, tropical and orchard fruit, berries. light citrus develops as it sits in the glass Palate: Lightly sweet, lightly floral, lightly spiced - light, light, light! Finish: Medium short finish. Sweet, oak, light fruit, mild spice and a little citrus. Honey and floral on the aftertaste. Ubiquitous, consistent, easy drinking and unchallenging. A fruity and mildly spicy dram. Typical - stereotypical - Speyside. I've had this a thousand times, it's consistent across the years. Generally OK, but that's about it.

(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow – Virtual Isle of Raasay Na Sia Tasting, 24 November 2022). This was an interesting tasting showing the Na Sia (The Six, in Scots Gaelic) single cask range from Raasay. Before Raasay released it’s first own malt whisky from their distillery, I was invited to taste the aging spirit from the same range as this tasting. I have compared the now whisky to the aged spirit before fully matured as a comparison – shown at the end of the notes. Nose: Light peat, TCP, Germoline, Root Beer, summer berries Palate: Farmyard, earthy, funky. Sweet liquorice sweets, dandelion and burdock, dark fruit and berry sweets. Finish: Long finish. Leather, liquorice, damp wood, forest floor. Salt/saline and more of the dark fruit. The peat is quite damp on the aftertaste. Compared against: Spirit matured for 29 months in ex-Woodford Reserve Rye casks. The 29 month spirit is all about the peat. The nose has hardly anything to pull out at all, a little peat and some TCP and that's really all that's there. On the palate, there's really not much to describe other than damp peat, some aniseed and possibly a hint of sweetness. The Raasay ambassador leading the tasting confirmed that the first batches of Na Sia Rye cask are still Woodford Reserve Rye, but future editions may have a variety of other Rye casks in the make-up. Came joint third out of the six drams, with 18% of the final vote for favourite of the night. 65% of those present said they enjoyed the whisky.

(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow – Virtual Isle of Raasay Na Sia Tasting, 24 November 2022). This was an interesting tasting showing the Na Sia (The Six, in Scots Gaelic) single cask range from Raasay. Before Raasay released it’s first own malt whisky from their distillery, I was invited to taste the aging spirit from the same range as this tasting. I have compared the now whisky to the aged spirit before fully matured as a comparison – shown at the end of the notes. Nose: Cherries, berries, very light peat, TCP/medicinal, sweet Palate: Light harsh peat, grappa, very spiced and tannic. Salt and seaweed Finish: Medium long finish. Berries, dried dark fruits, spice and a strongly peppery aftertaste. Casks include those sourced from Chateau Margeaux and Chateau Rothschild. Compared against: Spirit matured for 28 months. The 28 month spirit has more of the same notes but just generally less well integrated. There's a bizarrely metallic finish. The extra few months takes the same notes but smooths everything out. The peat in the 28 month spirit is also the far more prominent note. Came second out of the six drams, with 24% of the final vote for favourite of the night. 76% of those present said they enjoyed the whisky.

(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow – Virtual Isle of Raasay Na Sia Tasting, 24 November 2022). This was an interesting tasting showing the Na Sia (The Six, in Scots Gaelic) single cask range from Raasay. Before Raasay released it’s first own malt whisky from their distillery, I was invited to taste the aging spirit from the same range as this tasting. I have compared the now whisky to the aged spirit before fully matured as a comparison – shown at the end of the notes. Nose: Light damp peat, honey, burnt caramel, maple syrup, green, aniseed, hay, menthol wisps. There is a medicinal note to the nose. Palate: Very sweet. Dark/dried fruit. More ash, charcoal and peat than you'd expect from the nose. Intense and coating, coal smoke and oak char. Finish: Long finish. This has a light, sweet, peaty finish. You get more of the dark fruit and char on the aftertaste. 40-52ppm on the barley, 15-20ppm in the bottle Compared against: Spirit matured for 28 months. The nose on the whisky is sweet and mildly peated, the 28 month spirit has a more pronounced farmyard note on the nose. The palate is quite similar, but the spirit has a darker funky farmyard note that is absent in the whisky. The char is more pronounced on the 28 month spirit. Came first out of the six drams, with 29% of the final vote for favourite of the night. 88% of those present said they enjoyed the whisky.

(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow – Virtual Isle of Raasay Na Sia Tasting, 24 November 2022). This was an interesting tasting showing the Na Sia (The Six, in Scots Gaelic) single cask range from Raasay. Before Raasay released it’s first own malt whisky from their distillery, I was invited to taste the aging spirit from the same range as this tasting. I have compared the now whisky to the aged spirit before fully matured as a comparison – shown at the end of the notes. Nose: Butterscotch, toffee caramel, maise, malt biscuit, baking spice, brine. Very light on the nose. Palate: Black pepper, chilli, vanilla, spirit forward. Quite new-make-y! Light tropical fruit, pineapple, pears Finish: Long finish. Ash, oak, burned caramel. Compared against: Spirit matured for 25 months in ex-Woodford Reserve Rye casks. The 25 month spirit is much lighter and harsher - hot and peppery, with a sour and ashy aftertaste. The whisky retains the peppery notes but adds more tropical fruit and smooths out the layers. The Raasay ambassador leading the tasting confirmed that the first batches of Na Sia Rye cask are still Woodford Reserve Rye, but future editions may have a variety of other Rye casks in the make-up. Came joint last out of the six drams, with 6% of the final vote for favourite of the night. 76% of those present said they enjoyed the whisky.

(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow – Virtual Isle of Raasay Na Sia Tasting, 24 November 2022). This was an interesting tasting showing the Na Sia (The Six, in Scots Gaelic) single cask range from Raasay. Before Raasay released it’s first own malt whisky from their distillery, I was invited to taste the aging spirit from the same range as this tasting. I have compared the now whisky to the aged spirit before fully matured as a comparison – shown at the end of the notes. Nose: Metallic, cherries, berries, hairspray Palate: Kids sweets, artificial sweetener, red fruit/redcurrants, cinnamon, nutmeg, cream/crème brûlée, cake, grappa, Ouzo Finish: Long finish. Toffee, char/ash, spices - pepper, ginger, chilli, cloves. The spices build on the finish and aftertaste. Compared against: Spirit matured for 26 months. The 26month spirit has a sharper and more sour/citrus palate. The whisky has more cherry/berry notes, but otherwise they are quite similar. The whisky also has a more caramel/toffee finish than the 26month. Overall, the whisky is smoother, but quite similar. Came joint last out of the six drams, with 6% of the final vote for favourite of the night. 88% of those present said they enjoyed the whisky.

(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow – Virtual Isle of Raasay Na Sia Tasting, 24 November 2022). This was an interesting tasting showing the Na Sia (The Six, in Scots Gaelic) single cask range from Raasay. Before Raasay released it’s first own malt whisky from their distillery, I was invited to taste the aging spirit from the same range as this tasting. I have compared the now whisky to the aged spirit before fully matured as a comparison – shown at the end of the notes. Nose: Sweet, honey, hairspray Palate: Spicy, smooth, very sweet, apple, butterscotch, heather, golden syrup, toffee. Earthy/funky wisps Finish: Long finish. Tannic oak, leather, wood shavings Compared against: Spirit matured for 25 months. The whisky has quite a chewy texture and this is more pronounced against the 25month spirit. It loses the citrus sour note and gains a buttery, biscuity malty note. Far smoother with a much darker taste. Came joint third out of the six drams, with 18% of the final vote for favourite of the night. 100% of those present said they enjoyed the whisky.

(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow – Virtual Whisky Tasting, 19 November 2022). Nose: Dried fruit, malt, cherries, berries, raisins and currants Palate: Sherry!!! Dried fruit, funky, diesel, farmyard-y, orange peel, damp peat, chocolate cherries. Finish: Long finish. Dark fruit, chocolate, sherry, tobacco, leather, farmyard funk. Fizzy and vibrant note on the aftertaste. This is a complete sherry bomb, with a load of funky, peaty dried fruit. I'm not usually a Springbank fanboy for their standard range, but this is an unctuous and full -bodied cracker of a dram. Came first out of the six drams, with 70% of the final vote for favourite of the night. 93% of those present said they enjoyed the whisky. This was a very close second for favourite of the tasting for me.

(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow – Virtual Whisky Tasting, 19 November 2022). Nose: Dried fruit, dark chocolate cherries, baking spices Palate: Dried fruit, stewed apple, cloves, cinnamon, salt/saline, caramel sauce, chocolate. Nutty & woody dryness. Christmas cake. Finish: Long finish. Salted caramel, cocoa, chocolate, cherries, nutmeg, sherry. Ex-bourbon and (mostly) ex-Oloroso sherry casks Unctuous, full-bodied and sherried. Toffee and dried fruit with a well balanced sweetness. Christmassy. Complex, layered and well integrated. This is a cracker of a dram! Came second out of the six drams, with 20% of the final vote for favourite of the night. 83% of those present said they enjoyed the whisky. This got my vote for favourite of the tasting.

(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow – Virtual Whisky Tasting, 19 November 2022). Nose: Lemon Pledge, fruit/berries, wood shavings, sherried Palate: Fresh berries, cherries, nutty, cooking spices, light char/smoke, hints of peat, toffee/penny caramel Finish: Medium long finish. Sherried, dried fruit, light hints of peat smoke, sour cherries 1 of 3,000 bottles worldwide 15ppm Fully matured in Oloroso sherry casks Very sweet and sherried, the peat is there but very much in the background. Easy drinking, sweet and sherried but lacks some of the complexity I've come to expect from Cù Bòcan. A decent wee dram. Came forth out of the six drams, with 3% of the final vote for favourite of the night. 65% of those present said they enjoyed the whisky.