This whisky forms part of The Legacy Series from Torabhaig (pronounced tor-a-vaig) on the isle of Skye and is released as a small batch. The spirit has been made from peated Concerto and Laureate malted barley, using Pinnacle MG+ yeast. This has been matured exclusively in American oak ex-bourbon casks. The whisky is named after The Sound of Sleat. This narrow stretch of sea separates the Sleat Peninsula on the southwest of Skye with the Scottish mainland.
The Torabhaig distillery was founded in 2016 by Mossburn Distillers. It is housed in old farm buildings dating back to the 1820s and located in the village of Sleat on the south western tip of Skye. Production started in January 2017 and the visitor centre opened a year later in March 2018. It is one of two distilleries on Skye, with Talisker being the other. They use barley peated to level of 55-60ppm (phenol parts per per million). This puts it on a par with some of the heavier Islay malts. The annual capacity is half a million litres, but they are currently operating at 400,000 litres.
The Torabhaig Sound of Sleat is bottled at 46% ABV and is both non-chill filtered and of natural colour. The packaging features abstract artwork from Scottish landscape painter Ellis O’Connor. It will be available via specialist whisky retailers in the UK and selected world markets beyond. A bottle should cost £59.
Our Tasting Notes
The colour is pale gold and the nose is peppery, smoky and a little fruity. Aromas of crisp green apple with a hint of white peach kick things off. They are quickly joined by white chocolate and a honeyed, almost golden syrup-like, sweetness and a big kick of peppery spice. The flinty and ashy peat smoke threatens to dominate and is accentuated by the sweet fruitiness. Hints of linen, damp paper and fresh camomile sit underneath.
On the palate this whisky feels is bold, smoky and peppery with an intriguing minerality. The bright green apple, white chocolate and honeyed sweetness are evident upfront but then the savoury peat smoke and spices take over. This has an initial charcoal ashy quality to begin with, before becoming more flinty and mineralic. A hint of damp earthiness, reminiscent of wet spongey moss, sits in the background.
The second half of the palate is dominated by the peppery spice and the heat it creates. Underneath are hints of malty biscuits and cocoa powder, plus a suggestion of palma violet and lemon sherbet sweets. The peppery nature builds and seems to exaggerate the peat smoke, especially the minerality, even further.
The finish is long and ashy with the peppery kick dragging it out. The sweet and fruity characteristics fade quite quickly, which leaves the spiciness and a hint of oak tannin to give a mouthwatering dryness.
What’s The Verdict?
This has been pitched as the closest thing to a core release that Torabhaig have bottled to date. If that is the case, then it can only be a good thing. We feel that every new brand needs at least one core product to root themselves in the market.
The Sound of Sleat is a fine example and shows drinkers, new and old, what Torabhaig is all about. Many of their previous releases have been at cask strength, some aggressively high in ABV. But here the distillery character really shines through and shows off the peppery smoke superbly. Delicious.
