Torabhaig 2017 The Legacy Series

Torabhaig is the newest distillery from the Isle of Skye (the other one is one of my all time favorites, Talisker), and it is a very young spirit. Born in 2017, this single malt promises peat and bold flavors. The bottle looks a little cheap, and the marketing is inferior in comparison with other new distilleries like Raasay or Waterford. In my book, that is a good thing, because i have always believed that if the bottle is not pretty, that means that the whisky is so good that it doesn't need marketing. Bottled at 46%, pale straw color. On the nose, very earthy. Mud and grass, peaty. Very spicy on the nose, white wine and bananas. It has a tropical, peaty profile. Chilli, coconut. After a first sip it gave me a stinky but beautiful earthy aroma, with hints of chocolate. On the palate, it was very enjoyable. Grassy, vanilla, coconut and sand. A beach feeling, some very nice american oak casks have been used in here. Aftertaste is very rewarding with remarkable herbal notes. Salty and very grassy, green tea and ginger. The peat is not overpowering. Very herbal. Overall, i loved this whisky. In contrast to the inaugural release of Raasay, this dram has managed to hide its young age, and delivers something very rounded and enjoyable. For a 3 year old whisky, you can easily guess that Talisker will have some competition in some years from now. Beautiful single malt, nice experience, my score for it is 90 over 100.

Yes it's a young NAS from a new distillery on Skye but more complex and intriguing than the age suggests. I'm really interested to see what Torabhaig can really produce when they have the capital from the first few releases. When they can make some unique aged whisky and some complex interesting ones as they won't be hampered by pressure to get something on the shelves. Nose is Ardbeg smoke competing with pineapple, mango and pear fruit and vanilla and toffee sweetness. Behind what jumps out of the glass is a malty cereal note, hint of citrus and also a hint of sour mineral heavy peatbog bordering on laphroaig medicinal and a touch of wet wood. Taste is a bit of a departure from this rather light sweet nose you still get the sweet tropical fruit, the smoke and light but dry oak, and the vanilla toffee sweetness but mid palate and holding all the way to the finish is a very strong black pepper note (very high rye bourbon cask influence ala 4 roses or barton) and a almost tabasco sauce slow red pepper burn not an alcohol burn but from the peppery notes. Finish is the sweet and malty notes with the dominant pepper spice. This whisky takes cues from Ardbeg10 , Laphroaig 10, Tobermory, Talisker's red pepper, and throws in a huge amount of Ardbeg's Corryvreckan spicy black pepper to come up with a everything but the kitchen sink whisky; hopefully they keep it up.

Isle of Skye’s newest distillery my ass. I think these blokes went across the island, stole some young malt from Talisker, and popped a label on it as Torabhaig. I was curious of this one, but was skeptical. Namely because it’s a 3yr old and the prices I was seeing in the UK / EU retailers were sky high ($200), which to me is just silly for a 3 yr old untested newbie. The prices in the US were more reasonable at $60-70, but at that price I can buy a true and tested Isle of Skye distiller that’s 7 yrs older. But my buddy @Richard-ModernDrinking graciously sent me a sample. And needless to say...the $60-70 is well priced for this ( don’t pay the silly auction prices of $200+). This is a really good replica of a young Talisker, but less of the brute and more of a refined elegance. It’s young, so you get the astringency on the nose immediately. Let it rest, and you’d be greeted with grassy aromas with hints of brine. Taste is salted meats, grilled lemons...leaving a long lingering citrusy heat. For $60-70, grab this...it’s the cheapest inaugural release I’ve seen hit the market. And it’s damn good. In fact, I immediately bought one. Thanks Richard for the pour!

Apologies for the bad picture of an empty bottle, but between my greedy gulps and the many requests to share this went from open to empty in a matter of days. It comes with a reputation of the most promising debut since Kilkerran and I think the comparison is a worthy one. While the Campbeltown upstart took its time to show its full potential, this three-year-old release arrives fully formed, suggesting the second distillery on Skye is a worthy neighbor to Talisker. The nose bristles with crushed sea shells, salt and lemon and once the bottle has had some time to breathe the liquid yields a compelling mix of tangy peat, salt and grapefruit in the mouth that tapers to a citrusy aftertaste. There are none of the grassy off-notes or feints that one associates with young whiskies. The balance and intensity of the flavors suggests there must be some kind of voodoo at play over on Skye and for a second I wondered if they were sneaking over to Talisker at night and stealing a few barrels. I don’t want to overhype this - the initial pours were a little disappointing beyond the nose. But once it opened up it proved hard to resist. That empty bottle will be replaced immediately.

The nose starts with a lightly peated lemon lime soda with sea salt then vanilla extract followed by tangy barbecue sauced tender jackfruit, salted orange and red grapefruit that transitions to steamed mussels with white wine broth and light ethanol burn. The taste is a thin mouthfeel starting with a moderately bitter and slightly sour spice that slowly fades to charred lemon and lime with a moderate minerality of sea waves crashing over shore rocks then vanilla meringue followed by tangy barbecue sauced tender jackfruit, salted orange and red grapefruit pith that transitions to baked stuffed clams and light ashy oak with light ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with baked stuffed clams, light peat, lemon frosted Angel food cake and lightly ashy oak. For just 3 years old, this came together well with a mix of citrus, green vegetal notes, light peat and seafood, but the taste is thin and leans towards a moderate bitter and sour spice that throws the balance off for me. This expression shows real promise for their future releases with some more age to them and a huge thank you to @Richard-ModernDrinking for the generous sample for me to try.

Was hoping for a Talisker knockoff,... not to be. There seems to be a lot of positive reviews here by many members I respect the opinions of. I dont know if they are grading on a curve cause this is a new distillery but Im just not feeling it. Regular pricing on this is around $55-60 but I got it on sale for $33 at TW. Poured neat this could be the lightest color whisky Ive ever seen just a tick above water. Noses like a smoky though with sweet bbq pit oceanside, wet graham cracker, cardboard and salty oak but not much depth. Palate is smoky,salty and sweet but generic and thin. Traditional smoke fade finish with some ash, tobacco and pepper added. There is nothing bad about this malt its just not standing out. Perhaps its the youth at play but Wee Beastie is young and still packs a punch. I will say there is a refinement not every smoker has and with more age this could be a player. I dont dislike this but would put it more on the level of Ardmore than the big boys. The $33 I paid is fine value but $60 is right out. I cannot score any peated scotch low as they are pretty damn good even when below the competition.........83/100