Torabhaig
SCOTCH SINGLE MALT WHISKIES > T
TORABHAIG: COUNTDOWN TO DISTILLERY OPENING
March 2017
also see Raasay
also see Borders
The second distillery to grace the Isle of Skye, Torabhaig, has only been operational since January 2017. But getting a new distillery off the ground takes years – if not decades – of planning and preparation, trial and error. Ian Wisniewski visited distillery manager Hamish Fraser to record significant dates in the lead-up to the distillery’s completion.
Torabhaig distillery
Torabhaig distillery: The second distillery on the Isle of Skye started production in January 2017
Establishing a new distillery requires extensive experience and abundant patience. Building work can include various complications and delays, but this is effectively a prequel to the ultimate phase: preparing to go into production.
All the equipment needs to be selected, ordered, installed, tested and trial runs conducted; contracts must be negotiated to ensure a consistent supply of malt, yeast and casks.
Numerous decisions also have to be made, whether it’s about which candidates to employ, or the best way of dealing with the hot water that leaves the condensers.
Torabhaig on the Isle of Skye, for example, went into production in January 2017, though plans for the distillery were first drawn up in 2005. It was Sir Iain Noble, who founded independent blender and bottler Pràban na Linne (Gaelic Whiskies) in 1976, who came up with the idea to convert the 19th-century listed steading at Torabhaig into a distillery.
In 2002, Sir Iain’s planning application was approved, but he died in 2010 before building could get under way. Work started in July 2014, converting the 200-year-old farmstead into a distillery.
Unoccupied for 60 years, there was plenty to renovate and being a listed building meant there were certain constraints. Concrete which had been used to patch up some sections of stonework had to be removed; roof slates and joists were replaced from one end of the building to the other; and cast iron down pipes were installed.
‘Everything was done as it would have been done 200 years ago, only better,’ says Hamish Fraser, Torabhaig’s distillery manager. The main structural work took two years to put in place and, as this neared completion, the countdown to becoming operational also began. Here Hamish Fraser documents some key dates during this important period.
Where a 1960s building once stood now sits a 4m-litre pond
January 2016
‘We demolish a 1960s building on the site to make room for a cooling pond, a traditional method of cooling hot water from the condensers before it’s returned to the river. Two 15-tonne diggers are going to take several weeks to dig out half an acre of space for the pond, which means moving a huge amount of earth – and, as the site is on different levels, it isn’t going to be easy.
‘The pond will have such a large surface area – and a capacity of 4m litres – that water from the condensers will be able to give off all the heat it will need to lose before returning to the river. Otherwise, if you return water that raises the temperature of the river by three degrees centigrade, you will have to shut down production.
‘We also begin to landscape the entire area. We’re on a seven-acre site, so there’s plenty of landscaping to do. After gathering stones and reseeding the surround of the now sealed pond, the grass was initially very slow to get going, but it’s now taken off.’
February 2016
‘What a week. We’re in a listed building, so we’re very restricted in what we can do. The doorways aren’t large enough to get the production equipment in, and we can’t take a wall down to do this either. The only option is to leave the roof open, and lower everything in through the roof using a crane.
‘Spirit receivers go in first, then the two stills, then eight wooden washbacks, each with a capacity of 8,000 litres. The mash tun, mill and its associated equipment are installed in the new part of the building, which we are calling the “mash house” – constructed to look as if it’s always been there. All the distilling equipment had been ordered three years ago from Forsyths of Rothes, who are installing everything for us.
‘We are at the mercy of the weather. It is glorious on some days and brutal on others, and it can also change very quickly on the same day, which is giving me some anxious moments watching the crane lowering all the equipment.
‘Sometimes I turn away and look out across the Knoydart peninsula instead. We’re only 50 metres from the sea and the peninsula is a superb view, which consoles me on a number of occasions when I need it.’
July 2016
‘Our boiler arrives and is installed and tested – and will continue to be tested over the next few months, which means a lot of firing it up and then cooling it down to test all is well. The name of the boiler is the Wee Chieftain, and it’s a big Wee Chieftain.
‘We also begin recruiting, initially for two production staff from within a 25-mile radius. We don’t want anyone to have a long journey, particularly if they have to arrive at the distillery for six in the morning.’
16 October 2016
‘We sign contracts and establish accounts with suppliers for our yeast and for our malt, which is heavily peated Concerto barley. We won’t be taking deliveries for a while, but at least our supply is confirmed, as you can’t just place an order and expect it all tomorrow. Two new production staff join this month, who will be working on each stage of the whisky-making process.’
The roof to the distillery had to be removed to install the stills
November 2016
‘What a relief to be getting the roof sealed (on the 16th). It’s a detachable roof above the stills, so we have access in case anything needs to be replaced in the future. We also place our first orders for casks, which are made specifically for us: Bourbon barrels from America and Sherry casks from Spain. We start recruiting for two more members of production staff to start in January.’
December 2016
‘Our first batch of yeast is delivered. It’s dried yeast in 10kg bags a time, with a good shelf life. We have to look after it as it’s pretty expensive – we use about 6kg per batch in each washback.’
8 January 2017
‘Two more production staff join, giving us a total of four distillery people. We begin our staff training period, covering each stage of production. Training will last until they know it by heart. In practice, this takes about 8-10 weeks.’
20-27 January 2017
‘The date of 20 January is a very important day, as we are holding our first trial production run. We call it a “dry run”, even though this means putting water through all the equipment and the stills to check for any leaks. Fortunately, there aren’t any.
‘Our first batch of malted barley was delivered in December, and we start milling on 27 January using our mill for the first time.’
31 January 2017
‘We are all feeling euphoric today, as we distil our first batch of spirit. Chris Anderson, master distiller, is very pleased. We need to smooth out a few things, sort out some pipe blockages and recalibrate a few of the sensors and pumps.
‘Forsyths, who installed everything, are holding our hands today (and will be for the rest of the week). Samples of the new make spirit are being sent to the lab for analysis.’
February 2017
‘We receive the analysis back from the lab and it’s all ship-shape, and the character we want, which is quite heavily peated. We’re now fully operational, doing five mashes a week, which is an amazing feeling after all the years of planning and preparing.
‘The visitor centre is still being completed; it’s part of the original old steading, which encloses a courtyard. There’ll be a balustrade from which visitors can gaze at amazing views of Knock Castle and across to the Knoydart peninsula. It will be a very special day when we welcome our first visitors.’
Torabhaig is another of the traditional farm steading-turned distillery projects cropping up across Scotland in recent years, though its output is significantly larger than many of its peers.
Skye’s second distillery is configured to produce a traditional island-style malt whisky – medium-weight and medium-peated with a long fermentation in wooden washbacks and plenty of copper interaction providing a fruit-forward spirit.
Every drop of its spirit will be earmarked for bottling as a single malt to begin with, though expect to see some siphoned off for blending further down the line.
Sir Iain Noble, the man who founded Noble Grossart, Scotland’s first modern merchant bank, moved to the Isle of Skye in 1972. He purchased 20,000 acres of land, including a hotel at Isle Ornsay, which had been part of Lord Macdonald’s estate.
Noble – who founded independent blender and bottler Pràban na Linne (Gaelic Whiskies) in 1976 – planned to convert a 19th century listed farm steading at Torabhaig into a distillery. He’d obtained planning permission for the project as early as 2002, though sadly passed away in 2010 before his plans could be realised.
Around the time of his death, Mossburn Distillers, a subsidiary of Dutch drinks group Marussia Beverages BV, was also seeking a site on the island to build its own distillery. While the group hadn’t previously considered the renovation and preservation of a historic building for its project, Noble’s Torabhaig farm steading proved the perfect location.
Mossburn set to work renovating the property, which had become little more than a ruin, in 2013. The steading’s infrastructure took three years to rebuild, while a bespoke removable slate roof was designed to allow access to the two stills for repairs.
Whisky production is due to commence at the distillery in early 2017, though a small visitor’s centre complete with café and retail shop will open to the public from July 2017.
CAPACITY (MLPA) i
500.000 Ltrs
CONDENSER TYPE i
Shell and tube
FERMENTATION TIME i
90 hours
FILLING STRENGTH i
64% abv
GRIST WEIGHT (T) i
1.5
HEAT SOURCE i
Steam
MALT SPECIFICATION i
50ppm
MALT SUPPLIER i
Simpson’s
MASH TUN TYPE i
Semi-lauter
NEW-MAKE STRENGTH i
72% abv
SINGLE MALT PERCENTAGE i
100% at opening
SPIRIT STILL SHAPE i
Bulb
SPIRIT STILL SIZE (L) i
5,000
STILLS i
2
WAREHOUSING i
90% palletised; 10% dunnage
WASH STILL SHAPE i
Bulb
WASH STILL SIZE (L) i
8,000
WASHBACK SIZE (L) i
8,000
WASHBACK TYPE i
Douglas Fir
WASHBACKS i
8
WATER SOURCE i
Allt Gleann Thorabhaig and the Allt Breacach
WORT CLARITY i
Clear
YEAST TYPE i
Dried
Mossburn ventures
Mossburn Distillers is a young company with a growing whisky brand portfolio. As we create new expressions, build new distilleries and bring on the next generation of whiskymakers, we will stay true to our guiding principles, while strengthening our whisky-making credentials.
For a deeper understanding of what we do and where we are headed, please explore our individual brand pages.
Our distilleries
The Distillery At Torabhaig
The Reivers Distillery
Independent whiskies
Mossburn Distillers & Blenders
A brief history
Where it all started
We are a young company, but our roots run deep. The first bottling under the Mossburn name was released in 2017 as a range of classic Independent Bottler Malts. In the nearly three decades prior, the team developed and honed its skills in blending and bottling whiskies and a variety of other spirits. Their combined experience spans generations, with over a century of continuous family history in the Scotch Whisky industry.
As we move into the next era of our development, we will add our own exceptional Single Malt Scotch Whiskies created in distilleries we’ve built ourselves.
Milestones
The Distillery At Torabhaig
On the Isle of Skye. In operation since January 2017, the distillery is our first fully operational producer of Single Malt Scotch Whisky and only the second ever legal distillery on the island. Torabhaig produces an extremely characterful, peated new-make spirit, which is currently maturing in a variety of casks.
Reivers Distillery
Our second distillery is located in the heart of the Scottish Borders. Designed to be much more innovative and experimental, Reivers will produce its first Single Grain Scotch Whiskies in 2020. Torabhaig and Reivers are poles apart, sitting at opposite ends of the whisky-making spectrum. But they are united in a common goal: to make something new, noteworthy and bring something unique to the table.
Torabhaig launches limited edition cask strength release
19 September, 2023
Isle of Skye single malt distillery Torabhaig has announced the launch of Allt Gleann, a batch strength release that completes the current chapter of the Torabhaig Legacy Series.
The Legacy Series charts the first decade of the distillery which began operating in 2017.
“Torabhaig Allt Gleann Batch Strength is our way of bidding a fond farewell to Allt Gleann and closing out this chapter of Torabhaig’s journey to 10 year old,” said Torabhaig whiskymaker, Neil Macleod Mathieson.
“This is the last time we’ll get to see this specific style of Torabhaig, so we set aside a few hundred casks of this expression distilled during the experimental phases of 2017 and 2018 to release at its natural strength.
“As with Allt Gleann, we’re transparent on the bottle about everything, from the variety of barley to the type of yeast to residual ppm – and not just in grain ppm. We want to take whisky lovers on this journey of experimentation with us and are confident about sharing our findings about flavour as we’re building this liquid legacy.”
Allt Gleann has been matured for 60+ months in American oak, both first fill bourbon barrels and re-fill whisky barrels, and follows the distillery’s emerging style of producing liquids with well tempered peat character.
The release is limited to 50,000 bottles globally with an rrp of £75 (€85/$89.99 USD).
Torabhaig announces third instalment of its Legacy Series
19 March, 2024
Isle of Skye single malt distillery Torabhaig has announced the launch of the third instalment in its Legacy Series which follows the journey to a ten-year-old expression.
Cnoc Na Mòine, meaning ‘hill of peat’ in Gaelic, is a peated single malt that marks the distillery’s first release to include whisky matured in sherry casks.
“There is an intriguing complexity to peated whisky, an endless depth to explore. There are many faces and moods to peat, so a balance has to be found between strength and refinement, between elegance and robustness,” said Torabhaig whisky maker, Neil MacLeod Mathieson.
“Each expression in the Legacy Series captures our progress towards this vision and is a liquid snapshot of our whisky journey here on the Isle of Skye.
“This is the first expression where sherry casks have played a part in our journey as well. The way new flavours are revealed through time with different casks is such an exciting thing for a younger distillery to discover and highlights the magic of whisky-making that can’t quite be explained, although it can be bottled.”
The Torabhaig Legacy Series charts the distillery’s journey to a ten year old and displays the experimental steps that lead to the definition of a house style.
Cnoc Na Mòine is the distillery’s fourth release following the launch of Torabhaig 2017 and previous launches within the Legacy Series, Torabhaig Allt Gleann and Torabhaig Allt Glean Batch Strength.
Torabhaig Cnoc Na Mòine is available for rrp £58 from The Whisky Shop and other specialist retailers.
Torabhaig reveals Cnoc Na Mòine whisky - the third chapter in its Legacy Series
The latest expression from the Isle of Skye distillery uses sherry casks for the first time to elegantly reveal the tempered peat of its distillery character
Updated 3 rd Apr 2024
Torabhaig has recently unveiled Cnoc Na Mòine, the limited edition third chapter in its Legacy Series that charts the journey to a ten-year-old expression.
Meaning “hill of peat” in Gaelic, Cnoc Na Mòine is an elegantly peated single malt inspired by the Isle of Skye.
Cnoc Na Mòine is also the distillery’s first release that includes single malt matured in sherry casks.
The whisky showcases the impact that rich sherry casks can have on the elegant smoke and brine character of Torabhaig.
Tasting notes from the team include: On the nose there are hints of orange peel and dying embers with a subdued peat smoke aroma giving way to vanilla and freshly sawn oak.
The peat smoke returns to the palate before the light spirit brings in pepper, balsamic acidity and gentle spice alongside fragrant touches of cedar and leather.
The Gaelic naming, and the nod to the geographical features that make the distillery’s location so special, is an homage to the distillery’s creative muse, the Isle of Skye, which both shapes and inspires the whisky.