Review #621 - Isle of Raasay Dun Cana

Raasay distillery has now produced quite a few limited or special releases. Here's one that employs the use of sherry casks - seemingly a heavy use, as evidenced by the rich natural color of the whisky in the bottle. Raasay specifies that both Oloroso- and Pedro Ximenez-seasoned casks were used for finishing (50% for each type), and these were actually 125 liter quarter casks; that reduced size compared to other casks could add a stronger oak influence here.

Before the finishing period in sherry casks, the spirit in this batch of 14,000 bottles was aged in ex-rye casks, specifically barrels that came from Woodford Reserve; we'll see if that adds any sort of herbal or spice element to the mix. This whisky is also a mixture of both peated (55%) and unpeated (45%) spirit; there's quite a bit going on, then, so we're expecting a bit more complexity despite the young age of the spirit.

Speaking of age - we don't have any sort of age statement on this bottle, but considering that Raasay was only established in 2017, the oldest this whisky could possibly be is about 6 years due to the bottling year of 2023. Actually, the brand's website does go into a bit more detail: the youngest spirit in the batch is 3 years and 11 months old, while the oldest spirit is 4 years and 10 months old.

Isle of Raasay Dun Cana

Scotland/Highland - Single Malt

Price: USD 100 (2025)

Age Statement: 3 Years

Strength: 52% ABV

Cask Makeup: Ex-rye casks, finished in Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez sherry quarter casks

Details: Not chill filtered, no color added; first release; distilled 2019; bottled 2023; 14,000 bottles

Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times over 13 months; bottles at 50%, 70%, and 70% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a nosing glass each time, rested 15+ minutes

Nose: Rich red fruit - fizzy cranberry, red wine, blackberry jam, tart strawberry. The peat is somewhat mild at first, but it slowly grows, accented by charcoal notes. Time brings lighter fruit - orange, grapefruit - and there's a soft barley character lingering from the spirit, along with a mineral scent.

Palate: The mouthfeel is medium-thick; a moderate level of fizzy peat smoke is balanced by red berries, strong orange notes, and cranberry sauce, which brings both sweet and tart flavors. Tannins creep in, and there's a nice 'Christmas spice' flavor - fruitcake filled with baking spices like cinnamon. Charcoal, slate, and oily brine are subtle nuances.

Finish: Medium-long as the subtle peaty smoke lingers. It's more dark and jammy now - plums, raspberry. Cinnamon spice and tannins continue to grow stronger, and again, the background holds an interesting mineral note.

Final Note: This single malt is definitely cask-forward: the red fruit dominance from the sherry casks is clear, and that subtle fizzy note we get in the nose and palate reminds us a bit of rye. There's the subtlest hint of malt in the nose, but it pretty much disappears to make way for the fruit and smoke for the rest of the tasting experience. A fun, tasty whisky, but this one is somewhat straightforward and bold.

Value for this Raasay single malt is fine; this is a standard price in the US for a limited release from a newer distillery, and compared to the other bottles in the Raasay range, we think the increased cost is matched by increased flavor.

Our Average Rating: 7.0 / 10

In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.

Value Rating: 6.03

About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.