Isle of Raasay Na Sia Single Cask Peated Chinkapin Virgin Oak

This was an interesting tasting showcasing the Na Sia (The Six, in Scots Gaelic) single cask range from Raasay. Before Raasay released its 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 favorite of the night. 88% of those present said they enjoyed the whisky.