This whisky is a limited edition of the Sound of Sleat bottling, which forms part of the core range of Hebridean distillery Torabhaig (pronounced torra-vague). The spirit has been made from peated Concerto and Laureate malted barley, and fermented using Pinnacle MG+ yeast. As with the core expression, 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 Batch Strength is bottled at 60.2% ABV and is both non-chill filtered and of natural colour. As with the core bottling, the packaging features abstract artwork from Scottish landscape painter Ellis O’Connor. Batch Strength is available via specialist whisky retailers in the UK and selected world markets beyond. A bottle should cost around £75.
Our Tasting Notes
The colour is bright, vibrant gold and the nose is packed with sweetness and ashy peat smoke. Aromas and golden syrup aromas marry nicely with the peppery smoke. The smoke has a distinct minerality to it. Some dried green apple and crisp green pear add a lovely fruity edge and are joined by some white chocolate and something reminiscent of hessian or linen.
On the palate this whisky is immediately bold, sweet and punchy. The smoke dominates and gives a rich mix of ashy bonfire embers combined with damp moss, drying seaweed and dusty parched earth. It begins acrid and slightly medicinal but mellows with time. Again, there is a slight minerality. The sweet characteristics exhibited on the nose help to keep the smoke in check – think of golden syrup, heather honey and milk chocolate.
There are also notes of vanilla toffee and milky mocha mixed with some toasted coconut sitting in the background. The fruit from the nose takes some time to battle through the bolder characteristics and show itself. Green apple and pear are again evident, plus hints of ripe peach, plump sultana and dried apricot. Further hints of orange and eucalyptus oils, plus a building peppery heat and spice add depth and complexity.
The finish is long and powerful. The peppery and punchy peat smoke lingers superbly and outlasts everything else. The fruity elements are the first to go, then the sweetness. This brings out the ashy embers in particular and dried the mouth out. Add in that pinch of white pepper and it makes you want to reach for another sip.
What’s The Verdict?
This is a superb offering from Torabhaig and one of the best whiskies from the new wave of Scottish craft whisky distilleries that we have sampled. Do not be surprised if this appears in our Top 10 Whiskies of the Year list. We liked the core Sound of Sleat bottling but this elevates it to another level. Some previous Torabhaig releases have been aggressively high in strength, but this somehow creates a wonderful balance. The expert casking has seen the high ABV exaggerate and compliment what was already there. You get a lot of whisky for you money and a ‘must buy’ for any peat fanatics.
