A little trio of Torabhaig


August 31, 2026

A little trio of Torabhaig

Here we are back on Skye, but while we’ve tasted a fair number of old Taliskers lately, today we’ll be having some (necessarily) young Torabhaigs. It’s also interesting to see that the indies have some too. We’re very fond of Torabhaig, I should add.
(Torabhaig)

Torabhaig 7 yo ‘Batch 1’ (51.5%, Living Souls, 1st fill bourbon barrel, 2025)

Could this be from 2017, the distillery’s first year? Colour: pale white wine. Nose: disarmingly straightforward, magnificently minimalist, this is essentially apples and lemons smoked over beechwood and peat, with a little antiseptic and bitter almonds thrown in at the last minute. With water: we dive straight into young peat and almond milk. Mouth (neat): almost exactly as on the nose, smoked apples and lemons, Mercurochrome, seawater, green pepper. With water: it loosens up, but not too much, becoming even saltier, with oyster juice. Finish: long, very taut, peppery and salty. Comments: …with the impression that we’ve just drunk a large glass of seawater. Or swallowed a big top-notch oyster whole.
SGP:366 - 87 points.

Torabhaig 7 yo 2018/2026 (56.7%, Dràm Mor, 1st fill bourbon barrel, cask #1163, 280 bottles)

This should be close… Colour: white wine. Nose: very close indeed, perhaps a touch more metallic, and more powerful too, but that’s probably down to the higher strength. With water: perhaps a little more medicinal, with a little more antiseptic. Mouth (neat): same impressions, it’s very, very close. With water: the lemons seem to have taken the upper hand over the apples, but apart from that, and this is entirely normal at such a young age, these very sharp malts are indeed almost identical. Finish: same. Comments: naturally, our friends the oysters are here too.
SGP:366 – 87 points.

Torabhaig 2018/2025 (58.9%, OB, The Whisky Exchange exclusive, Signature Reserve, new Scottish oak finish, cask #2829, 251 bottles)

We love names such as ‘Signature Reserve’, they have a lovely whiff of the twentieth century about them. Colour: full gold. Nose: not so easy to follow those two crystal-clear youngsters when you’ve got a much more pronounced oak impact. Pencil shavings, new cupboard… but the base remains fresh, taut, lemony, saline, coastal and, of course, very smoky. With water: an astonishing amount of shoe polish. Mouth (neat): we find that very taut and lemony style again, but once more the wood makes itself felt much more. Peppers, strong teas, shoe polishes… With water: the little tart apple is back. Finish: long, almost cutting. Lots of pepper and leafy notes. Comments: this is very good, and all this is naturally a matter of personal preference, but I tend to favour the versions that are less marked by fresh oak. You see, it’s like racing cars, the ones making the most noise aren’t the ones that win the race (hey, for what it’s worth). But indeed, this remains excellent.
SGP:366 - 84 points.

Check the index of all Torabhaig we've tasted