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Isle of Skye

Isle of Raasay Distillery

Raasay's first legal distillery, opened in 2017 in a Victorian villa looking across the Sound to Skye.

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Welcome

Twenty-five minutes on the ferry from Sconser, and a short climb from the pier, the Isle of Raasay Distillery sits in Borodale House, a Victorian villa of 1877, with a gold-clad visitor centre at its side and the Cuillin filling the view across the Sound.

Visited and photographed by Simon Hird

Raasay has a long past in illicit stills, but this is its first legal distillery, opened in 2017.

The tour runs past the copper stills and ends in the tasting room with three of the island's spirits, including The Draam, the signature single malt, lightly peated and rich with dark fruit. Afterwards there is the bar, pouring the island's gin and rare single malts of its own, and a restaurant cooking Raasay venison and seafood from the waters around. To stay, there are six rooms in Borodale House itself and five cabins on the hill behind.

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The Daily for 31 October, from Scotland with love. A ring of standing stones set among mist and autumn birch
The Isle of Raasay Distillery's stone mansion and gold-clad extension face a courtyard with picnic tables.
Borodale House and the golden visitor centre beside it.Press a mark to look closer.
Before you go

Book a tour ahead, and check the ferry times back to Skye before you settle in at the bar.

Getting there
The CalMac ferry from Sconser on Skye takes 25 minutes. No need to book: be at Sconser 10 minutes before it sails, and buy tickets on board.
Tours
Daily, March to October. The tour and tasting is £22 for adults and £8 for ages 8 to 17, and takes 45 to 60 minutes.
Bar and shop
Daily from 10am, March to October: until 6pm on Tuesday and Wednesday, and late the rest of the week.
Restaurant
Closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Lunch and bar food 1pm to 5pm, dinner 6pm to 8pm; book for dinner.
Staying
Six rooms in the house and five cabins, Na Bothain, on the hill above.

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Did you know

A stainless steel still with an open hatch stands in the production room at the Isle of Raasay Distillery.
Did you know

The first legal spirit on a smugglers' island.

Raasay has centuries of illicit distilling behind it. Legal distilling began when the distillery opened in September 2017, and the island's first legal spirit was a gin.

A whisky barrel stencilled Isle of Raasay Distillery sits among other casks.
Did you know

Barley on Raasay, for the first time in living memory.

In 2017 the distillery and a local farmer sowed trial plots of barley with the University of the Highlands and Islands. It was the first time in living memory that barley had been grown on the island for grain.

An arched window frames a misty loch and mountains at the Isle of Raasay Distillery.
Did you know

The Well of the Pale Cow.

The distillery's water comes from a well called Tobar na Bà Bàine, the Well of the Pale Cow. It runs over volcanic rock and filters through Jurassic sandstone on the way.

Swan-folded towels sit on a bed beside a fireplace in a guest room at the Isle of Raasay Distillery.
Did you know

A bed inside a working distillery.

The distillery says it is the only one in Scotland where you can sleep in the same building as the stills, and have your morning coffee while the day's spirit is being made a few feet away.

A man in a Raasay-branded fleece stands before a stone wall lined with whisky bottles at the Isle of Raasay Distillery.
Did you know

One in ten of the island works here.

Raasay has around 160 people, and more than one in ten of them works at the distillery. Across the business the average age is about 30.

Whisky casks labelled Isle of Raasay Distillery are racked and stacked in a warehouse.
Did you know

Six casks in one whisky.

The signature single malt is made from two spirits, one peated and one not, each matured in three kinds of cask: ex-rye whiskey, new chinkapin oak and ex-Bordeaux red wine.

Tables are set for dining beside a stone wall and loch-view windows at the Isle of Raasay Distillery.
What is on

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Where it is

At Borodale House on the south-west of Raasay, a short way up from the ferry, looking across to the Cuillin on Skye.

Close byThe places nearest the distillery, on Raasay.
  1. St Moluag's ChapelSt Moluag's ChapelThe roofless walls of a chapel from the 1200s, in a graveyard behind Raasay House.Under a mile 1 min by road
  2. Raasay Walled GardenRaasay Walled GardenThe old kitchen garden of Raasay House, restored by the island community and open every day, free.Under a mile 1 min by road
  3. Pictish StonePictish StoneA carved early Christian stone, found near the harbour in 1800.Under a mile 1 min by road
  4. Temptation HillTemptation HillA short, sharp climb with views across the Sound of Raasay to Skye.Under a mile 1 min by road
  5. Ironstone Mine at the Old PierIronstone Mine at the Old PierThe concrete ruins of a First World War iron mine, worked by German prisoners of war.Under a mile 1 min by road
  6. RaasayRaasayThe island itself, 25 minutes by ferry from Sconser, home to around 160 people.4 miles 6 min by road
  7. Calum's RoadCalum's RoadAlmost two miles of road from Brochel to Arnish, built by one man with a wheelbarrow.9 miles 11 min by road
  8. Brochel CastleBrochel CastleThe MacLeods of Raasay's castle on a stack of rock above the Inner Sound.9 miles 12 min by road
Directions
Calum and Leonie with Daisy the dog.ShoppingThe ExchangeA step away
Round table and chairs by a bay window overlooking a loch and hillsRaasayRaasay House HotelPlace to stay · 0.2 miles
Lichen-covered stone sphinx statue overlooking a manor house and hillsideAttractionsRaasay Battery Cannon and Mermaids0.4 miles
The stair hall of Raasay Gallery hung with paintings to the ceiling, a large canvas of a green island standing on an easel.AttractionsRaasay Gallery0.7 miles
A walker on the old grassy track above the east coast of Raasay, birch scrub crowding the path.WalksHallaig3.2 miles
Red-roofed building with grey cladding and picnic tables outside on gravel car parkCafeCafé Cùil13 miles
A pool table under low lamps in the Gabbro Bar, a ball about to be struck.BarsThe Gabbro Bar17 miles
Shopfront sign for The Selkie Collective, advertising ethical, sustainable products and giftsShoppingThe Selkie Collective17 miles
A walker on a path above a loch beneath a steep mountain on the Skye Trail.WalksSkye Trail with Thistle Trekking17 miles

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Stay nearby

Places to stay near the distillery, and when each is next free.

Round table and chairs by a bay window overlooking a loch and hillsRaasay House Hotel
  • A hotel
  • In Raasay
  • Under a mile from the distillery
Check datesAttic bedroom with white panelled walls, double bed and framed floral printThe Crofter's House
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Camustianavaig
  • 3 miles from the distillery
Check datesA white house sits beside a stone bridge over a river, misty mountains rising behind.Sligachan Campsite
  • To stay
  • In Sligachan
  • 6 miles from the distillery
Check datesWood-burning stove alight beside floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a hillside pathSligachan Blackhouses
  • Sleeps 6
  • In Sligachan
  • 6 miles from the distillery
Check datesPlaces to stayEvery stay on SkyeAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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Scotland, in print.

We want to show you the best that Scotland has to offer. The makers and the creatives, the enduring experiences, the evocative tales, the concealed corners. The roads less travelled that take you to places that matter. The adventures that gather you up and sweep you away. The blend of the wild and the artistic that makes Scotland what it is. We’d love for you to join us.

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Read on

What we have written about it, the collections it is in and more on Skye.

From the magazineThe Exchange, Raasay – A Gallery, a Coffee Stop, and a Local’s Map of the IslandCollectionActivities on the Isle of SkyeCollectionPlaces to Visit in RaasayCollectionRainy Day Activities on Skye
More on Skye
Find out more

For further reading, before you go. The details on this page were checked on .