Review #770 - Isle of Raasay Na Sia Single Cask - Unpeated Ex-Rye Cask

Raasay uses 6 different combinations of spirit and cask for their flagship single malt: both peated and unpeated spirit, paired with a selection of ex-rye, Bordeaux red wine, and new Chinkapin oak casks. They showcase these different unique combinations with their 'Na Sia' single cask series; today, we have a single cask of unpeated spirit which was fully matured in an ex-rye whisky cask.

In the past, Isle of Raasay was sourcing most of their ex-rye casks from Sagamore Spirit; these days, they're generally getting them from Woodford Reserve in Kentucky. Because of the large amounts of both rye and corn in the spirit that previously inhabited these casks, we could see some secondary flavors such as butterscotch and vanilla, but also spicy and herbal notes.

This specific Na Sia single cask is number 19/921, distilled in 2019. It doesn't carry an age statement, but based on bottling in 2023 or 2024, we're guessing it's 4 years old or so; it's bottled at a punchy strength of 60.1% ABV.

Isle of Raasay Na Sia Single Cask - Unpeated Ex-Rye Cask

Scotland/Highland - Single Malt

Price: USD 114 (2026)

Age Statement: NAS

Strength: 60.1% ABV

Cask Makeup: Ex-rye cask

Details: Not chill filtered, no color added; cask 19/921, distilled 2019

Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times over 15 months; bottles at 50%, 70%, and 40% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a nosing glass each time, rested 15+ minutes

Nose: A bit herbal and dry, spirity, but then some pears and apples brings orchard fruit scents. Icing sugar, butterscotch, and malty barley notes bring more sweetness, and we get some lemon and vanilla as well. It does smell quite young, but it leans sweet overall.

Palate: Quite hot, with a medium-thick mouthfeel - very oily. Flavors of vanilla, malt, pear, and sugar syrup lead the way, followed by a spice kick with pepper and herbs. Lavender brings a floral side, and we get accents of mineral flavors and some nondescript yellow-orange fruit. It's fizzy with great texture, but quite fiery too.

Finish: Much like the palate, we get vanilla, malt, white pepper, and herbs. Linen and salt bring more delicate notes, and we get citrus of acidic lemon and lime - it's a bit like a margarita at times. It's still quite warm, and we get an aftertaste of powdered sugar and lavender. This finish is long.

Final Note: This single malt from Raasay pulls no punches - it's fiery, in-your-face whisky with a lot of flavor. The casks do indeed bring a nice mixture of sweet baking flavors and more subtle herbal/floral notes from the rye, but there's still some nice spirit character showing with the fruit flavors and the mineral notes. Texture is great at this strength, but it's a bit unpolished and young; overall, a decent bottle, but it needs a few more years to be rounded out and show its full potential.

Value is a bit below average as this is also not a cheap bottle, with a price in excess of $100. We have generally enjoyed this Na Sia series, but this specific bottle wasn't our favorite in the range.

Our Rating: 6.2 / 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: 5.09

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.