RAER Single Malt Scotch Whisky – The Inaugural Release
Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
48.7% ABV / RRP: £68.00

Every now and again, a new name emerges in the world of Scotch whisky that makes you sit up and take notice. RAER is one such newcomer, a spirits brand from the family-owned Jackton Distillery in South Lanarkshire, where Jaynie Kean, one of Scotland’s youngest female distillery founders and managing directors, is leading the charge.

Having laid down its first cask in February 2020, the distillery has taken a patient approach while waiting for its whisky to come of age, building its portfolio with a range of award-winning blended Scotch whiskies, gins and vodka. In August, it unveiled its much anticipated inaugural single malt Scotch whisky, which was matured in a combination of ex-Bourbon, Pedro Ximénez, Amontillado and Oloroso Sherry casks. After hearing great things about it, I was thrilled to put it to the sensory test.

Nose: A full-on, festive-feeling foray into Sherry steeped raisins and sultanas, dried dates, baking spices, roasted walnuts and dark chocolate raspberry creams, followed by notes of blackberry jam, vanilla fudge, coconut ice, polished oak, anise and dried cedar.

Palate: An abundant assortment of dried fruits, sugared almonds, treacle tart, toffee pennies and dark chocolate-dipped cherries, with echoes of Sherry throughout, followed by notes of baking spice, tonka bean, orange peel, charred oak and a tease of aged balsamic vinegar.

Finish: Long and lingering, oozing with yet more dried fruit, toffee, sweet spice and all things nice.

Summary: It has to be said that this is an epic debut single malt from RAER, delivering everything I was expecting and hoping for, and then some. A dram that couldn’t feel any more festive if it tried, making it particularly well suited to the upcoming gifting season. The quality of the casks and the craft that have gone into producing this whisky are abundantly evident, from the very first nose, right through to the final, lingering sip.

It’s also worth highlighting the value on offer here. Compared with inaugural releases from some of the other newer dramming kids on the block in recent years, a number of which have come with shockingly high price tags, RAER Single Malt Scotch Whisky – The Inaugural Release, is phenomenal, both in terms of quality and price!