Torabhaig distillery information
Torabhaig is only the second whisky distillery ever licensed on the Isle of Skye, part of Scotland’s Island whisky region, arriving nearly two centuries after Talisker first did in 1830. The project began with Sir Iain Noble, the Skye landowner and founder of Pràban na Linne, who won planning permission for a distillery at the old Torabhaig farmstead back in 2002. After his death, Mossburn Distillers, a subsidiary of Dutch drinks group Marussia Beverages BV, took over the site and spent four years restoring the Category B-listed farm steading, a project involving a custom removable slate roof to get the stills in and out. Production started in January 2017.
The distillery is compact and traditional: a single copper pot pair from Forsyths of Rothes (an 8,000-litre wash still named “Sir Iain” and a 5,000-litre spirit still named “Lady Noble,” after the couple who conceived the project), eight Douglas Fir washbacks, and a 1.5-tonne semi-lauter mash tun. Long fermentation (70 to 120 hours) and a wider-than-usual still neck, dictated by the height restrictions of the historic building, give the spirit extra copper reflux and a gentler character. Barley is peated to around 75 ppm, with the house style described as “well-tempered peat”: present, but never dominant.
Water is drawn from the Allt Breacach and Allt Gleann burns on-site. Torabhaig doesn’t malt its own barley; malt arrives pre-processed and is milled on-site before mashing. The distillery has a working visitor centre and cafe overlooking the Sound of Sleat toward Knoydart.
Torabhaig Whiskies
Rather than a fixed year-round core range, Torabhaig releases its whisky as a numbered Legacy Series, each chapter building on the last as the distillery’s house style matures:
- Legacy Series Ch.1: 2017 – the distillery’s first-ever release, from the inaugural year of production
- Legacy Series Ch.2: Allt Gleann (plus a Batch Strength edition) – a blend of 2017 and 2018 distillate, matured in first-fill bourbon and refill casks
- Legacy Series Ch.3: Cnoc Na Mòine
- Legacy Series Ch.4: Sound of Sleat (plus a Batch Strength edition) – the current flagship chapter
All are bottled at 46% ABV for the standard releases (Batch Strength editions vary, e.g. 61.1% for the Ch.2 Batch Strength), natural colour, non-chill filtered. Beyond the Legacy Series, Mossburn also runs a subscriber-only Reserve Series and a Journeyman’s Series, where individual distillers create their own experimental batches; these sit outside the core range and are flagged here for completeness rather than treated as widely available bottlings.
Distillery info:
Detail |
Information |
|---|---|
| Name | Torabhaig |
| Region | Island |
| Country | Scotland |
| Logo |  |
| Status | Active |
| Founded | 2013 |
| Water source | Allt Breacach and Allt Gleann Thorabhaig |
| Malting floor | No |
| Owned by | Mossburn Distillers |
| Address |
Torabhaig Distillery, |
| Visitor centre | Yes |
| Website | https://www.torabhaig.com |
| https://www.twitter.com/torabhaig | |
| https://www.facebook.com/TorabhaigDistillery | |
| Community | The Torabhaig Club |
| Map |
Distillery Setup:
Component |
Capacity |
Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| Mash tun | 1.5 | Semi-lauter, stainless steel |
| Washback | 8000 litres | 8 (Douglas Fir) |
| Wash still | 8000 litres | 1 (Copper pot, Forsyths of Rothes) |
| Spirit Still | 5000 litres | 1 (Copper pot, Forsyths of Rothes) |
| Expected yearly output in LPA (Litres of pure alcohol) | 500000 |
Images courtesy of Torabhaig distillery.
Frequently Asked Questions
Torabhaig is pronounced tor-a-VAIG. The name comes from Gaelic “tor” (hill) and “bhaig” (bay), meaning roughly “hill on the bay,” describing the distillery’s setting on the Isle of Skye.
Yes. Torabhaig is only the second whisky distillery ever licensed on the Isle of Skye, arriving nearly two centuries after Talisker first did in 1830.
The project began with Sir Iain Noble, the Skye landowner and founder of Proban na Linne, who won planning permission for a distillery at the old Torabhaig farmstead in 2002. After his death, Mossburn Distillers, a subsidiary of Dutch drinks group Marussia Beverages BV, took over the site and spent four years restoring the Category B-listed farm steading, a project that included fitting a custom removable slate roof so the stills could be moved in and out. Production started in January 2017.
The distillery runs a single copper pot pair from Forsyths of Rothes: an 8,000-litre wash still named Sir Iain and a 5,000-litre spirit still named Lady Noble, after the couple who conceived the project. The setup also includes eight Douglas Fir washbacks and a 1.5-tonne semi-lauter mash tun.
Long fermentation of 70 to 120 hours and a wider-than-usual still neck, dictated by the height restrictions of the historic building, give the spirit extra copper reflux and a gentler character. Barley is peated to around 75 ppm, with the house style described as well-tempered peat: present, but never dominant.
No. Torabhaig doesn’t malt its own barley; malt arrives pre-processed and is milled on-site before mashing. Water for production is drawn from the Allt Breacach and Allt Gleann burns on-site.
Rather than a fixed year-round core range, Torabhaig releases its whisky as a numbered Legacy Series, each chapter building on the last as the distillery’s house style matures. Releases so far include Legacy Series Ch.1: 2017, the distillery’s first-ever release; Legacy Series Ch.2: Allt Gleann, a blend of 2017 and 2018 distillate matured in first-fill bourbon and refill casks, plus a Batch Strength edition; Legacy Series Ch.3: Cnoc Na Moine; and Legacy Series Ch.4: Sound of Sleat, the current flagship chapter, also with a Batch Strength edition. Standard releases are bottled at 46% ABV, natural colour, non-chill filtered, while Batch Strength editions vary, for example 61.1% for the Ch.2 Batch Strength.
Yes. Mossburn also runs a subscriber-only Reserve Series and a Journeyman’s Series, where individual distillers create their own experimental batches. These sit outside the core range and are considerably less widely available than the Legacy Series bottlings.
Yes, Torabhaig has a working visitor centre and cafe overlooking the Sound of Sleat toward Knoydart.