Raasay While We Wait

This dram is subjectively excellent – and personally, I find it truly wonderful. It certainly requires a few sips and some patience to fully comprehend. Its distinctiveness might be polarizing; you'll either adore it or detest it. I, for one, am quite taken with it and am thrilled my spirits merchant suggested it. Nose: It presents a buttery quality with notes of very ripe, sweet grapes. I also detect aromas of soft apple pie complemented by a burnt sugar crust. A subtle peat emerges from the outset, remaining in the background as a foundational element. Additionally, I perceive hints of soft nougat chocolate. Palate: Alongside the peat, the sweet grapes, and some early summer berries and fruits, you'll find notes reminiscent of soft cheese. While it might sound unusual, it evokes a mild Camembert or cream cheese with walnuts. Its profile is not easily defined, which contributes to its intrigue. Overall, it's quite sweet but undeniably possesses some tartness as well. Aftertaste: The spirit lingers on the palate for an extended period, continuing to fill your senses even after swallowing, with lingering notes of buttery baked goods and sweet grapes. The peat serves as both the initial and final aromatic impression. You encounter so many varied sensations that you'll find yourself reaching for another pour to better categorize the experience from the previous taste. It's a coastal rollercoaster, daring to be truly unconventional, a feat at which the distillery has, in my view, brilliantly succeeded. This is truly a remarkable spirit, and I eagerly anticipate the distillery's first 3-year-old release this year. If this initial offering is indicative of what's to come, we're in for something exceptional that will significantly enrich the single malt scotch landscape.

Raasay is one of two recent distilleries in the Hebrides Islands. This expression, 'while we wait,' is a pre-inaugural single malt, released prior to their actual first bottling (which I found to be rather disappointing). I believe this malt was aged for 3 years in Tuscan red wine casks and bottled at 46% ABV, exhibiting a burnished gold hue. On the nose, it is complex yet somewhat unusual. Raw rice, salt, BBQ sauce, and burnt rubber are the initial aromas I detect. After the first taste, the scent evolves to chocolate, salt, gooseberries, and glazed ham. It has a wine-like character with undertones of caramel. On the palate, it performed adequately. It begins with spice, then reveals a red fruit/strawberry flavor accompanied by a surrounding sulfur note. Vanilla and gooseberries are also present. The finish is mildly peaty but not smoky. Rubber, salt, pepper, and gooseberries are noticeable. Raw rice is also present. It is dry and not very lengthy. However, it's not bad. Overall, this was not a well-balanced dram. It felt young and unfocused. I would be interested in sampling more from this new distillery in about 8 years to experience a more mature and consistent product. My rating for it is 78 out of 100.

Sample from their Virtual Whisky Tasting on 11th June 2020. The tasting introduced the 6 spirit styles they plan to use for their initial release from the distillery expected in 2021. The 6 styles are peated and unpeated versions using three distinct cask types - Rye whiskey, Chinkapin oak, and Bordeaux red wine. The While We Wait was produced at an unnamed Highland distillery “in the West Highlands near a very big loch”, but is intended to represent the flavor profile of the whisky they will produce from their own distillery. Upfront, the whisky does taste young, but it has a very smooth, creamy (almost buttery) character. There are light, smooth smoke and dark fruit notes, which mellow into a dry, tannic (slightly citrus) finish. This is quite an interesting whisky that has a quality feel to it for such a young spirit. It’s not quite perfect for my palate yet, but I’m looking forward to seeing what their own production is like next year.

While I've always enjoyed whisky, I still consider myself a novice. This marks my initial attempt at a review. This particular spirit comes very close to my favorite, Kilkerran 12 yo. Aroma: To me, the aroma (and taste) is like a distant bonfire – the smoke is present in both your nose and palate but isn't overwhelming. I detect some grape or citrus fruit, along with either strawberry or raspberry and caramel. Taste: A smooth peat (I've only recently started enjoying peat). I get pepper or chili notes with hints of licorice and vanilla, not to mention either grape or citrus. I also detected a very pleasant butterscotch flavor. Adding a few drops of water brought out much more pepper and licorice in the taste (which is enjoyable for a Dane). Aftertaste: Long-lasting vanilla, butterscotch, subtle peat, and some pepper and licorice. As a beginner to peated whisky, I find this very enjoyable. To my palate, this whisky offers complexity, with peat and a pleasant butterscotch note. I enjoyed it with or without water.

Nose: Extremely fragrant with deep red wine notes of cherry, blackberry, and smoked leather. Sweet vanilla, caramel, and charred oak. Lemongrass and orange. It can come together as smoked meat with a sweet BBQ sauce, almost like cola. A subtle layer of honey is present. Taste: Richly sweet honey and vanilla with strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries. Tobacco, leather, and shiitake mushrooms. Light honey and malt. Adding water reveals sharpness and oak with some underlying fruit notes. The peat is very subtle; the wine cask contributes most of the rich and tobacco flavors.

2018 release. This whiskey is delicious and exactly what I enjoy with malt, honey, caramel, vanilla, berries, red wine, and mild peat on the nose and palate. The palate is semi-sweet, slightly creamy, and has a little heat, smoke, and spice which carry through to the medium finish.