Torabhaig has unveiled The Distillers’ Series, a new collection giving the distillers behind the Isle of Skye whisky brand complete creative freedom to shape their own whisky — from grain and yeast to fermentation and maturation.
The initiative sees the distillery handed over for one month each year to two of its nine distillers, allowing them to develop expressions based entirely on their own ideas about flavour and production. Described as an industry-first approach, The Distillers’ Series explores what happens when the same stills and the same island are placed in the hands of different makers.
The series moves beyond Torabhaig’s familiar Smoke with Taste philosophy, introducing new raw materials, production techniques and maturation approaches. These include heritage and speciality malts, chocolate malt, dark crystal malt, brown malt and different fermentation regimes, as well as unconventional cask choices.
The result is a collection designed to showcase not only Torabhaig’s spirit, but also the individual creativity of the people who make it.
“Torabhaig has always believed that whisky is about stories, especially the stories of the people making it. The Distillers’ Series is where we let the people who make Torabhaig follow their own curiosity, with the freedom to make something entirely their own. The stills are the same, the island is the same, but the story changes with every maker. That is exactly the point.”
— Neil MacLeod Mathieson, Torabhaig Whisky Maker
Iona’s Expression
The first release comes from Iona Macphie, who joined Torabhaig at the age of 21 and distilled her expression when she was 23, making her the youngest Torabhaig distiller to undertake the process.
Iona built her whisky around 10% chocolate malt, a speciality grain she first encountered at Crisp Maltings in Portgordon. The malt produced an unusually dark wash, while Iona detected its chocolate character coming through the still after just 15 minutes. She subsequently adjusted the production timings to capture what she considered the richest expression of the flavour.
The resulting whisky is bottled at 60.9% ABV, with an allocation of 5,250 bottles worldwide.
Tasting notes
Nose: Smooth vanilla, creamy cocoa butter, dark chocolate and malted cereal are joined by citrus, subtle tropical notes and a gentle grassy freshness.
Palate: Clove and peppermint lead into deeper spice, with caramel, toffee, redcurrant and raisin complemented by toasted oak and ginger.
Finish: Long and vibrant, with ginger, peppercorn and cinnamon alongside vanilla for a fresh, integrated finish.
Production:
- Base malt: Concerto
- Speciality malt: 10% Chocolate Malt
- Yeast: Distillamax MG
- Fermentation: 90–120 hours
- Fermentation temperature: 30–34°C maximum
- Foreshots: 15–30 minutes
- Spirit run: 3 hours 30 minutes
- Spirit cut: 64%
- Phenols: Unpeated
- ABV: 60.9%
- Allocation: 5,250 bottles globally
Niall’s Expression
The second debut release has been created by Niall Culbertson, whose inspiration came from childhood memories of travelling to the bay by boat.
His goal was to create a bright, coastal whisky with a strong maritime character. Niall used 5% brown malt and 5% dark crystal malt, alongside a low-peat base malt, before part-maturing the spirit in ex-rum casks to develop tropical fruit and sweet char notes.
The whisky is bottled at 59.3% ABV, with an allocation of 5,250 bottles worldwide.
Tasting notes
Nose: Cooked pineapple, guava and pear-drop esters combine with vanilla and golden syrup, alongside soft ember ash, sweet char, malted biscuit and gentle earthiness.
Palate: Juicy orange, sweet fruit and malted biscuit are supported by vanilla, sea salt and brine. A lightly oily texture connects the tropical sweetness with the whisky’s spice.
Finish: Long and warming, with complex spice, subtle ashy peat and lingering tropical sweetness and vanilla.
Production:
- Base malt: Concerto
- Speciality malt: 5% Brown Malt, 5% Dark Crystal
- Yeast: Pinnacle MG+ and Safspirit M-1
- Fermentation: 90–120 hours
- Fermentation temperature: 28–32°C maximum
- Foreshots: 5–10 minutes
- Spirit run: Up to 4 hours
- Spirit cut: 66%
- Phenols: 12–15ppm
- ABV: 59.3%
- Allocation: 5,250 bottles globally
The Distillers’ Series will continue with two releases each year, exploring how different distillers interpret Torabhaig’s spirit and how their whiskies develop over time.
Both inaugural expressions will launch across ten markets, with an RRP of £75 / $100 / €87.
