Isle of Raasay Scottish Dry Gin | 46% ABV, 70 CL | Distilled On Scottish Isle of Raasay

Product Information

The distillery runs organized tours as well as tasting sessions, but my main intention was to reserve a bottle of their highly recommended gin and single malt whisky for later collection. Discover wonderful wildlife tours to book and experience in Scotland, including bird watching safaris, whale watching, farm tours and much more! At just 24 square miles, Raasay is nowhere near as big as the Isle of Skye but it has a much smaller population and far fewer tourists, meaning you can explore it from top to bottom (14 miles) and side to side (5 miles) in almost guaranteed peace and quiet. Still, if you’re of reasonable fitness I guarantee you’ll enjoy the ride and the views across the water to Skye are nothing short of breathtaking. Raasay Distillery Visit: Explore the Isle of Raasay’s first legal Scotch whisky distillery. Enjoy a guided tour and learn about the distillation process and the history of ‘the water of life’ on Raasay. It’s the perfect destination for whisky enthusiasts.

The Isle of Raasay Distillery welcomes visitors from around the globe with any level of whisky knowledge, from the curious to the connoisseur. Enjoy a guided whisky tasting tour through the distillery and into the tasting room, where you’ll be offered a complementary dram of Isle of Raasay Single Malt Scotch Whisky or Isle of Raasay Gin. The bottle shape and contemporary colours reflect our modern island distillery, and the textured lettering, ‘liquified’ images and silhouette views of the mountains, including Dun Caan/Dùn Cana, echo the contours and horizons of the island and its surroundings. A fusion of tradition with contemporary design. When it comes to accommodation in Scotland, there's a fantastic choice of amazing stays from luxury hotels to glamping getaways.For day-trippers, there are a handful of destinations to choose from, with the highlights being Raasay House, Raasay Distillery, and Calum’s Road, but in my opinion, the best way to enjoy the island is to just set off on foot – or two wheels – and bathe in the peaceful off-the-grid experience. The wee isle of Eilean Tigh is immediately to the north and the isle of Rona looks like an easy paddle in a kayak – although by all accounts the currents between the two islands are very strong. After creating a short list of our favourite botanicals with local botanist Dr Bungard, we were fortunate to be able to work with Heriot Watt University MsC student Fiona Williamson who worked a summer as a tour guide at the distillery! Fiona single distilled our botanicals on their own, and then together on small glass stills as part of her Master’s project. We ruled out a few botanicals through this process, like sea pinks, or armeria maritima to give them their Latin name. If you’re staying for longer, I recommend continuing past Calum’s Road and walking along the footpath that ends at the far north of Raasay near the Taigh Thormoid Dhuibh bothy. The views along this route are spectacular. Tourist Information Having spent a lot of time on the Isle of Skye I usually look for new places to explore whenever I return, and Raasay has for a long time been at the top of my ‘must-do’ list.

From the ferry terminal it’s a 5-minute cycle ride to Raasay House which I’d decided would be an ideal place to grab breakfast while examining my OS Map #24 of Raasay (link to the OS Maps shop). The lower coastal road on the west side of the island is relatively flat and offers stunning views of Skye. Breakfast munched, coffee slurped and route planned, I set off to the next stop which was the newly-opened Raasay Distillery. The main reason for taking this detour wasn’t to see the ruin, but to whip out my binoculars (see my guide to recommended budget binoculars) and look for marine wildlife as this part of Raasay is renowned as a favourite spot for grey seals.Raasay is a good place for cycling – as long as you don’t mind lots of hills. The roads are narrow but in fairly good condition and there’s hardly any traffic on them, meaning you can set off and lose yourself in the scenery in total peace and quiet. In fact, the landscape is so varied that Raasay has become something of a Mecca for geologists worldwide and it has been said that the island is one of the most geologically diverse on the planet. That’s a real shame as this is a small island that punches well above its weight when it comes to scenery, and it’s the best place to view the dramatic Cuillin mountains on Skye and the rugged Torridon Hills on the mainland. Tours in French and German are available with prior notice. Our tours are perfectly timed with the ferry, so you can easily plan your journey to and from the island. Book your whisky distillery touronline. Getting to the Isle of Raasay

There’s a narrow 3-mile beach on the southern edge of Raasay that offers a lovely walk with views of Skye, Scalpay, and the Applecross Peninsula. To get to it, take the road south from the ferry terminal past the distillery and follow it around the coastline for 3 miles (keeping the sea on your right-hand side). The start of the beach has a couple of parking spaces on the grass on either side of the road. Combine a visit to Raasay House with a tour of Raasay Distillery which is just over 1/3 of a mile away – perfect for sampling a few drams without having to drive. Visiting Tips From the village of Clachan (near the distillery) the road winds its way through mixed woodland and up a series of steep hills before finally plateauing at a barren expanse of moorland.

Recently, I spent a week in the area around Kyle of Lochalsh and decided it would be a good time to book a ferry from Sconser to see what this remote island is all about. As an alternative option, Raasay House organizes RIB tours out to Rona with expert guides leading the way which might be preferable to kayaking solo. This grand hotel was built in the 1740s as the home of the MacLeod Chief of Raasay, but it’s now privately run as the island’s biggest attraction. Raasay House is a much bigger place than you’d expect to find on such a small island and it’s surprisingly luxurious, with a very nice dining room, friendly staff, and delicious food. If you’re visiting the Isle of Raasay for an afternoon I suggest either of two itineraries. The first is to walk north and climb Dun Caan, and the second is to cycle to Calum’s Road and Brochel Castle.

In addition to the scenery, Raasay is a paradise for nature lovers – especially around the coastline – where it’s not uncommon to see golden and sea eagles, dolphins, otters, seals, and even the occasional basking shark and minke whale. The Isle of Raasay is located off the east coast of Scotland. To get there, you can take a ferry from the village of Sconser on the Isle of Skye, operated by Caledonian MacBrayne, which takes around 25 minutes. I have to say, I loved every minute of my time on Raasay and I recommend the itinerary I’ve mentioned here to anyone who wants to make the most of a day on this amazing wee island.Hiking on Dun Caan: The highest point on Raasay, Dun Caan, is an extraordinary flat-topped hill that provides breathtaking panoramic views of the Cuillins on Skye and the Applecross Peninsula on mainland Scotland. Climbing Dun Caan is a truly amazing adventure for anyone who loves the great outdoors. There are no other points of interest to comment about this part of Raasay, but 3.5 miles past Clachan you’ll find a parking area that allows access to the summit of the island’s highest point at Dun Caan. The distillery appears to have gone all-out to cater to tourists and there’s a very nice bar and shop in the main visitor centre alongside an outdoor seating area with stunning views over the Sound of Raasay.