You could say that Alasdair Day and Bill Dobbie’s mission to craft inventive, limited-edition whiskies, all started with a book. Day’s great, great-grandfather, a pioneer Whisky blender, put together a collection of his sacred recipes in what the co-founders have dubbed, “The Cellar Book.” 70 years later, Raasay and Borders Distillers strive to put a modern twist on their company’s unique history. So after selling out the first release of its award-winning Raasay While We Wait, R&B is launching a limited second release of this lightly peated malt whisky.
Where the magic happens: the signature blend comes from combining heavily peated single malt whisky with an unpeated whisky from a Highland distiller. This time around the whisky takes 18 months to finish in Tuscan red wine casks, furnishing it with a rounder, smokier flavor. Red wine notes enrich the aroma, while hints of plum, raisin, and dark chocolate subtly linger on the palate. The release includes only 1,974 bottles to honor Raasay resident, Calum MacLeod. Starting in 1974, MacLeod began handcrafting the first road on the island of Raasay, until he finished the job 10 years later. And if there is one thing the founders of R&B Distillers know best, it’s that good things come to those who wait.
