Whisky of the Week: Torabhaig Taigh

One of the most fascinating new distillers to emerge in the modern scotch landscape is Torabhaig, which has a very unique approach to making whisky. When the tiny outpost fired up its stills in 2017, it became only the second single malt distillery on the Isle of Skye, which is also home to Talisker. Production is headed up by founder and industry veteran Neil MacLeod Mathieson (master blender for Torabhaig’s sister labels Mossburn and Caisteal Chamuis), who leads a large group of distillers, many of whom are Skye residents from other walks of life who were hired without prior experience in the field.

Since Torabhaig is so young, it lacked sufficient aged inventory to support a core range of expressions. Instead, the distillery has The Legacy Series, a collection of limited annual releases that gives drinkers a chance to follow the distillery as it works toward creating its house style step by step. It kicked off in 2021 with the release of Chapter 1: 2017, which served as a jumping-off point for future expressions, each having slight tweaks to the original recipe while gradually increasing the age. Those whiskies have been nothing short of mind-blowing: Chapter 2: Alt Gleann Batch Strength scored 95 points with our tasting panel while last year’s Chapter 4: Sound of Sleat gave the distillery its first-ever Top 20 honor—both championing the idea that scotch doesn’t have to be old to be delicious. This year the distillery surprised everyone with news that it's finally ready to debut its first permanent release, which we recently got a chance to taste.

Years in the Making

The new expression is called Taigh (pronounced “tie”), the Scottish Gaelic word for “home” or “house.” According to the brand, this whisky epitomizes Torabhaig’s house style and will serve as the blueprint for all future releases. The majority was aged in first-fill bourbon barrels, but there are also some refill barrels and madeira casks thrown into the mix too. That latter portion includes parcels that were finished in madeira casks after an initial maturation in bourbon barrels, and others that were aged entirely in madeira casks. It was made from malted barley smoked with Highland peat from Aberdeenshire, non-chill filtered, no added coloring, and bottled at 46% ABV.

Torabhaig’s barley typically has a peat content that hovers around 78 phenol parts per million—nearly twice as much as Laphroaig, and almost four times higher than its neighbor Talisker—but its whiskies don’t taste nearly as smoky as those. The secret lies in the distillation, with the team running the stills slowly and tightening their cuts around the heart of the spirit, which serves to lighten its body while stripping some of the key phenols responsible for heavier industrial smoke notes. Torabhaig also uses a long fermentation (around 70–100 hours depending on the batch), which lends concentrated fruit notes early on in the process.

Taigh represents the culmination of the distillery’s The Legacy Series, with a particular focus on how it was aged. First-fill bourbon barrels have always played a role at the distillery, which largely used them for early expressions like 2017 Vintage and Alt Gleann. The distillery notably tried including PX and oloroso casks for Cnoc Na Moine, and virgin toasted American oak for Sound of Sleat, but both of those have been set aside this time around. The madeira casks are a fairly surprising addition, marking the first time Torabhaig has used these vessels for a mainline release. Madeira casks were previously used for a few one-off expressions, including retailer barrel picks and for Club Reserve No. 3, which sported a 6-month finish and was bottled exclusively for Torabhaig Club members.

The goal of The Legacy Series was always to arrive at a 10 year old flagship expression. Taigh is understood to be slightly younger than that, but the distillery isn’t giving up on the mission just yet. Torabhaig estimates that it’s roughly two years away from having sufficient inventory to make that dream a reality.

How does Torabhaig Taigh Taste?

94 points - Torabhaig Taigh Isle of Skye Single Malt Scotch

ABV: 46%
SRP: $50
Availability: Nationwide

Gentle wisps of earthy campfire smoke serve as a welcome mat for a pleasant nose that also includes roasted nuts, dried fruits, citrus, nutmeg, clove, and other assorted spices. The smoke reveals itself more on the palate, coiling around hazelnuts, vanilla, dried apricot, caramel apple, and bitter Seville oranges. The dram saves its best for the finish, adding hot cocoa and red berries to the mix, along with gentler woodsmoke and vanilla. A very tasty dram, with great flavors that continue to shift and evolve without stepping out of balance as you sip.