Hebridean distillery Isle of Raasay has released its first ever Marsala Cask Single Malt whisky, a limited-edition expression matured exclusively in Marsala Vergine casks sourced from the Frazzitta winery in Sicily. Bottled at 50.7% ABV, only 12,300 bottles are available worldwide.
While wine casks in whisky maturation are nothing new, Marsala Vergine is a more elusive choice, bone dry, and far removed from the sweeter Marsala most drinkers may know. These casks have been previously seasoned for up to 30 years with wine from Frazzitta, one of Sicily’s oldest Marsala producers.
“This is one of the most distinctive cask maturations we’ve ever released,” says Master Distiller Alasdair Day. “Marsala Vergine casks, particularly from a historic producer like Frazzitta, are rare in the whisky industry. They’ve added beautiful layers of dried fruit, toasted nuts, and an oxidative depth to our Raasay spirit.”
Marsala Vergine is a more elusive choice, bone dry, and far removed from the sweeter Marsala most drinkers may know…
Isle of Raasay Marsala Cask Single Malt tasting notes
The Isle of Raasay house style is achieved through a blend of peated and unpeated spirit, both matured separately before being married for balance and complexity. Distilled May-July 2021, the Marsala influence here adds extra intrigue.
In the glass, the liquid is a golden amber. On the nose, there’s light, sweet smoke, undercut by the aroma of baked fruit, raisins and pine nuts.
The smoke doesn’t dominate the palette (the peat level is an approachable 8-10ppm), but mingles politely with the aforementioned fruits, syrup, and salted caramel toffee.
The exit is long and dry, with echoes of burnt toffee and a fleeting hint of lemon.
In design, the bottle introduces a new aesthetic to the Raasay range, drawing inspiration from the island’s slate-grey volcanic rock and fossil-marked shorelines. It’s a visual cue to the whisky’s origins, meant to give more distinction to Raasay’s limited releases, and it looks quite splendid.
“Our range has grown quickly,” explains Managing Director William Dobbie. “This new look helps mark out our special releases while still telling the story of where we come from.”
Priced at £75, Isle of Raasay Marsala Cask Single Malt is available from the distillery’s website and selected UK independents, with shipments also heading to the USA, Japan, France, Germany, and Australia.
Welcome to The Luxe Review podcast — where the whisky is limited, the Chardonnay has opinions about geography, and the listening bar is apparently a lifestyle now. Anne: The team has been covering a lot of ground this week — cask innovation, distilling heritage, a global wine competition, and a collaboration that pairs high-fidelity audio…
The world’s finest Chardonnay has been named, and this year the title has travelled a long way from Burgundy. At the recent London Wine Fair, one of the UK wine trade’s most closely watched tastings brought together some of the globe’s leading examples of the grape for a rigorous blind assessment. The result was a…
A new limited-edition Scotch whisky collection has launched exclusively through Master of Malt, celebrating distilleries that still use traditional worm tub condensers. Fewer than 20 distilleries in Scotland continue to craft whiskies using this historic production method. The range comprises five sherry-matured expressions: Knockdhu 10 Year Old, Glen Elgin 11 Year Old, Mortlach 12 Year…
The Luxe Review 
Hebridean distillery Isle of Raasay has released its first ever Marsala Cask Single Malt whisky, a limited-edition expression matured exclusively in Marsala Vergine casks sourced from the Frazzitta winery in Sicily. Bottled at 50.7% ABV, only 12,300 bottles are available worldwide.
While wine casks in whisky maturation are nothing new, Marsala Vergine is a more elusive choice, bone dry, and far removed from the sweeter Marsala most drinkers may know. These casks have been previously seasoned for up to 30 years with wine from Frazzitta, one of Sicily’s oldest Marsala producers.
“This is one of the most distinctive cask maturations we’ve ever released,” says Master Distiller Alasdair Day. “Marsala Vergine casks, particularly from a historic producer like Frazzitta, are rare in the whisky industry. They’ve added beautiful layers of dried fruit, toasted nuts, and an oxidative depth to our Raasay spirit.”
Isle of Raasay Marsala Cask Single Malt tasting notes
The Isle of Raasay house style is achieved through a blend of peated and unpeated spirit, both matured separately before being married for balance and complexity. Distilled May-July 2021, the Marsala influence here adds extra intrigue.
In the glass, the liquid is a golden amber. On the nose, there’s light, sweet smoke, undercut by the aroma of baked fruit, raisins and pine nuts.
The smoke doesn’t dominate the palette (the peat level is an approachable 8-10ppm), but mingles politely with the aforementioned fruits, syrup, and salted caramel toffee.
The exit is long and dry, with echoes of burnt toffee and a fleeting hint of lemon.
In design, the bottle introduces a new aesthetic to the Raasay range, drawing inspiration from the island’s slate-grey volcanic rock and fossil-marked shorelines. It’s a visual cue to the whisky’s origins, meant to give more distinction to Raasay’s limited releases, and it looks quite splendid.
“Our range has grown quickly,” explains Managing Director William Dobbie. “This new look helps mark out our special releases while still telling the story of where we come from.”
Priced at £75, Isle of Raasay Marsala Cask Single Malt is available from the distillery’s website and selected UK independents, with shipments also heading to the USA, Japan, France, Germany, and Australia.
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Welcome to The Luxe Review podcast — where the whisky is limited, the Chardonnay has opinions about geography, and the listening bar is apparently a lifestyle now. Anne: The team has been covering a lot of ground this week — cask innovation, distilling heritage, a global wine competition, and a collaboration that pairs high-fidelity audio…
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The world’s finest Chardonnay has been named, and this year the title has travelled a long way from Burgundy. At the recent London Wine Fair, one of the UK wine trade’s most closely watched tastings brought together some of the globe’s leading examples of the grape for a rigorous blind assessment. The result was a…
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