Torabhaig

Torabhaig is a Scotch whisky distillery on the Isle of Skye. Established in 2017, it is the second on the island, after Talisker. 

The distillery occupies an old farm steading, built using stone recovered from a 15th-century castle. It produces a heavily peated single malt in the traditional island style.

The Torabhaig single malt is smoky with tropical fruit notes and a hint of the sea.

The distillery is operated by a production crew of nine staff. The crew consists of two groups. The first are experienced brewers, distillers and maltsters. The second are apprentices who will earn their guild medals at the distillery.

There are plans for each member of staff to be given the chance to create their own unique interpretation of the Torabhaig single malt.

Long fermentation in wooden washbacks for 80 to 120 hours produces lots of tropical fruit notes in the wash.

Each still is fitted with a boil ball that causes rising vapours to drop back into the pot. There, the vapours will be redistilled, helping to create complexity in the final spirit. 

The majority of the distillery's spirit is matured in first-fill bourbon casks from the USA.

The first single malt bottling was released in 2021. It was produced using Concerto barley that had been peated to 55 phenol parts per million.

In 1972, Sir Iain Noble purchased 20,000 acres of land on the Isle of Skye. He planned to convert a 19th-century farm building into a distillery. Planning permission was granted in 2002 but Noble sadly passed away before work could begin.  

Mossburn Distillers, a subsidiary of Marussia Beverages, was also seeking to build a distillery. The Netherlands-based spirits company had no desire to refurbish a listed building but Torabhaig was too good an opportunity to pass up. They took over the plans in 2010.

Building work began in 2013 and took three years to complete. The distillery was fitted with a removable slate roof designed to allow access to the pot stills inside.

Production began in 2017 and the spirit reached the all-important three-year milestone in 2020. However, the covid-19 pandemic delayed the release of the first single malt bottling.

Torabhaig Legacy 2017 was eventually released to critical acclaim in February of 2021. New expressions in the Legacy series will be released as the brand builds towards a 10-year-old bottling. A second release, entitled Allt Gleann launched in July of 2021.

The distillery has a visitor centre. Prior to the pandemic, it attracted some 12,000 guests per year. There is also a member's club called The Peat Elite. Members gain access to exclusive Club Reserve single cask bottlings.