Torabhaig 2017 The Legacy Series

Subtle. Lemon drop candy. Sea spray. Light smoky peat. Glad to have found this and look forward to their future releases.

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!

(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow – Virtual Whisky Tasting, 05 March 2021). Nose: Salt/brine, alcohol heavy, light peat, orchard fruit Palate: Dry brush smoke, pears. Slightly artificial. Liquorice, aniseed, green pepper. The smoke is quite gentle. Finish: Gentle dry smoke, green/herbal, slightly sour/bitter short finish. Behind the smoke there’s a greenness to this dram. It has a medicinal note that reminds me of Fisherman’s Friend lozenges. For me, this needs a little more time, but it does have the hallmark of something that that will be pretty good in a few years. First-fill bourbon barrel Peated to 55-60ppm with 16ppm residual phenols post-distillation Concerto barley Pinnacle MG+ yeast 1of 32,000 bottles (3,000 allocated to UK) Came second out of the six whiskies, with 25% of the final vote for favourite of the night. 89% of those present said they enjoyed the whisky.

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.