New Raasay Distillery Nearing Birth

“New” is not usually a good word in the whisky industry but new distilleries in tradition-rich Scotland don’t come around very often, so excitement is gurgling as the new whisky distillery on the Isle of Raasay nears fruition. R&B Distillers is seeking to develop what had been a failed hotel into a whisky-producing distillery beginning operations in 2017. R&B Distillers was formed last year by Bill Dobbie and Alasdair Day – Dobbie is a co-founder of the dating site, Cupid, while Day’s company makes Tweeddale blended whisky.

If approved, the as-yet-unnamed distillery is expected to produce its first single malt whisky in 2020 [assuming a 2017 operations date] with an annual goal of 150,000 bottles.