Discover Torabhaig The Distillers’ Series, a new collection that hands the Isle of Skye distillery over to its own distillers for a month at a time, with complete freedom to choose the malt, yeast, fermentation and maturation and make a whisky entirely their own. It is an industry first, and a deliberate step away from the Smoke with Taste house style the distillery has built since it began distilling in 2017 as the first new distillery on Skye in 190 years. Two of Torabhaig’s nine distillers go through the process each year, with two releases to follow annually, and the first pair are now available.
The Torabhaig distillery sits on the Sleat peninsula of the Isle of Skye, in a restored 19th-century farmstead on one of Scotland’s most scenic stretches of coastline. The first new distillery on Skye in 190 years, Torabhaig began distilling in 2017 and is one of only two single malt distilleries on the island.
The first in The Distillers’ Series comes from distiller Iona Macphie, who joined Torabhaig at 21 and distilled her whisky at 23, the youngest distiller to go through the process. Iona’s is built around chocolate malt, a speciality grain roasted at high temperature until it takes on a rich, slightly bitter cocoa character, more familiar in porters and stouts than in single malt. Used at 10% alongside Torabhaig’s usual Concerto base, it turns the wash as dark as stout, and she caught the chocolate character coming off the still after just 15 minutes, adjusting her timings to capture the deepest flavours. The result is entirely unpeated and bottled at 60.9%, with vanilla and cocoa butter on the nose, clove, caramel and toffee on the palate, and a long finish of ginger, peppercorn and cinnamon.
While the second is by distiller Niall Culbertson, whose whisky was shaped by childhood memories of arriving at the bay by boat. Niall’s aim was a bright, coastal spirit with unmistakable maritime character, achieved with a small portion of brown malt and dark crystal malt over a lightly peated base, then part-matured in ex-rum casks. Bottled at 59.3%, it leads with cooked pineapple, guava and pear-drop esters, with ember ash and a light sweet char beneath, before a palate of juicy orange, malty biscuit and a distinct edge of sea salt and brine.
The Distillers’ Series expressions are non-chill filtered with no colour added, limited to 5,250 bottles each worldwide; for more details, visit the Torabhaig website.
