Torabhaig opened in 2017 on the Isle of Skye, perhaps more famous for its first distillery, Talisker. Situated in a farmstead from the 19th century built using stone from a nearby Cnoc Castle, the building has been refurbished with copper stills, washbacks, and all the other needed equipment. Thinking forward, the distillery roof is removable so that when the time comes to upgrade the stills, they can be moved in and out with minimal disturbance of the historical building. The Torabhaig Allt Gleann is the distillery’s inaugural release, so named from the Allt Gleann, one of the burns near the distillery that provides the water along with the Allt Breacach. Made with Concerto malted barley, Pinnacle MG+ yeast, and peated to 16ppm.
Distillery: Torabhaig
Region: Island
Age: NAS
Strength: 46%
Price: $59.99
Maturation: First-fill ex-bourbon barrels
Location: Teangue, Skye
Nose: Brine, smoke, butter, lime, lemon meringue, maple syrup
Palate: Lemon, butter, wintergreen, oak, orange blossom, vanilla, Myer lemon zest
Finish: Smoke, brine
Comments: Add water diminishes the heat on the front end but makes it hotter on the finish. Text on the box is both English and Gaelic.
Adam – The Allt Gleann calls to mind many things when you first approach it, but “young” is not one of them. Despite being the first single malt out of the distillery’s gate, this has an identity and complexity that, if not completely realized, is much further along than you’d expect. I love the brine along the nose letting me know where I am (the islands), yet followed up by a richness and citrus zest that flirts with sweetness but never really dives in. No hint of newmake here, folks. Happily, a lot of those elements translate from the nose into the palate. The lemon is strongest but really it is a panoply of citrus here. A bigger sip adds a bit of the brine back and leaves a wisp of smoke to bookend the experience. I wish the finish in particular carried some of the front palate and nose with it instead of suddenly exiting stage left, but it is not an incomplete experience. I am really impressed by this inaugural expression and can’t wait to see what time and further creativity bring from this distillery.
Kate – This is like meringue, a kind of whipped air with a hint of something sweet. I get a lot of oakiness in this along with some wintergreen on the back of the palate. The finish is this lovely heat.
Bill – There’s a little bit of acridity in the nose, the mix of peat and brine, and I like it. Like an Italian meringue. The Allt Gleann has promise but it hasn’t achieved that promise yet. There’s a semblance of control on the peat. Who knows where this’ll go with further age?
Like roasting marshmallows on the sea shore.
Henry – Like roasting marshmallows on the sea shore. Citrus and brine in equal parts make for a light and inviting nose. Breath deeply, and light peat and a bit of vanilla come through, but without any char or smoke. However, both of those elements come through with a vengeance on the front of the palate, with a surprising burst of heat for 46% ABV. There is an astringency on the back of the palate which borders on char, which mixes with brine to dominate the finish, evocative of a seaside turf fire.
Ben – The Allt Gleann is like salty lemonade. Then it comes back around and is hot on the tip of the tongue and hangs out for a while.
