PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
Torabhaig is a young distillery on the Isle of Skye, opened in 2017 in a restored 19th-century farm steading on the Sleat peninsula, and known for a house style it calls “Smoke with Taste”: robustly peated (75 to 80 ppm), with long fermentations and copper stills. The Distillers’ Series is its experiment in handing the stills to its whisky makers. The first two releases are Niall’s First Edition (a lightly peated, tropical, rum-influenced whisky) and Iona’s First Edition, and Iona’s is the surprise: there is no peat in it at all.
Iona MacPhie, a member of the team since 2017, was inspired by her autumn hill walks across Skye with her dogs, “shared with her dog, a dram and a bar of dark chocolate.” She made an unpeated spirit from Concerto barley with 10% chocolate malt (a heavily roasted specialty malt used in dark beers), with a warm, long fermentation (90 to 120 hours, up to 34°C), long foreshots, a long spirit run, and a low cut point at 64% to bring weight and richness. She chose a combination of first-fill bourbon barrels and well-used refill sherry butts to protect the character of the spirit. It’s bottled at cask strength, 60.9% ABV (121.8 proof), non-chill filtered, with natural colour, in April 2026.
The distillery’s tasting notes: “Nose: Soft and inviting, opening with smooth vanilla sweetness and creamy cocoa butter. Layers of dark chocolate and malted cereal bring depth, while a gentle lift of citrus and subtle tropical notes adds brightness. Palate: Warming and expressive, led by clove and a cool hint of peppermint, gradually building into a richer spice character. Sweet notes of caramel and toffee unfold alongside redcurrant and raisin, adding a dark fruit richness, while toasted oak provides structure. A thread of ginger emerges and gradually carries through the palate toward the finish. Finish: Long and vibrant, where that warming ginger note continues alongside peppercorn and cinnamon spice. A return of vanilla softens the spice.”
Reviewers have been positive. On Words of Whisky: “Opening up on notes of melted butter, icing sugar, white chocolate and cocoa powder. There’s a malty veneer, which I absolutely love, with an additional nuttiness. And then light citrus notes help cut through the sweetness... Good texture, decent complexity, nice balance despite the clear spicy notes.” The Whiskybase community scores it 87 out of 100 across seven ratings, with one connoisseur calling it “pretty unique.” Gauntleys’ Whisky Shop found the nose “youthful and herbal with the chocolate malt really noticeable,” “lightly coastal with raw cereal, rose Turkish delight, bourbon butter,” and with water, “more saltiness, more citrus and American oak” and “more barley and fleshy fruit, giving it a fuller feel,” concluding: “a distinctly unique bottling of Torabhaig.”
It’s an unusual, youthful, chocolatey, spicy island single malt for customers who want something different, and who might not expect Skye whisky without smoke. At cask strength, a few drops of water open it up. It’s also an easy one to point at drinkers of Scotch and chocolate stout alike, and a collector’s bottle, as the first edition in a series.
Torabhaig The Distillers’ Series Iona’s First Edition is produced at Torabhaig Distillery on the Isle of Skye, Scotland, by distiller Iona MacPhie: unpeated Concerto barley with 10% chocolate malt, long warm fermentation (90-120 hours), low spirit cut (64%), matured in first-fill bourbon barrels and refill sherry butts. Non-chill filtered, natural colour. Bottled April 28, 2026 at 60.9% ABV / 121.8 proof, 750ml.
Whiskybase community — 87.00/100 (7 ratings)
Words of Whisky:
“Opening up on notes of melted butter, icing sugar, white chocolate and cocoa powder. There’s a malty veneer, which I absolutely love, with an additional nuttiness. And then light citrus notes help cut through the sweetness... Good texture, decent complexity, nice balance despite the clear spicy notes.”
Gauntleys:
“The nose is youthful and herbal with the chocolate malt really noticeable. Lightly coastal with raw cereal, rose Turkish delight, bourbon butter and a touch of feints... Water makes the nose aromatic and slightly perfumed... A distinctly unique bottling of Torabhaig.”
Torabhaig (tasting notes):
“Nose: Soft and inviting, opening with smooth vanilla sweetness and creamy cocoa butter. Layers of dark chocolate and malted cereal bring depth.”
Nose
Vanilla, cocoa butter, dark chocolate, and malted cereal, with citrus, subtle tropical notes, melted butter, and white chocolate.
Palate
Warming, with clove, peppermint, caramel, toffee, redcurrant, raisin, and toasted oak, with a thread of ginger.
Finish
Long and vibrant, with ginger, peppercorn, cinnamon, and a return of vanilla.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Style | Island Single Malt Scotch Whisky — Unpeated, Cask Strength |
| ABV / Proof | 60.9% ABV / 121.8 Proof |
| Malt | Unpeated Concerto barley + 10% chocolate malt |
| Casks | First-fill bourbon barrels and refill sherry butts |
| Filtration | Non-chill filtered; natural colour |
| Distillery | Torabhaig — Sleat, Isle of Skye (opened 2017) |
| Distiller | Iona MacPhie |
| Bottled | April 28, 2026 |
| Critics | Whiskybase community 87/100 |
| Style / Identity | An unusual, unpeated, chocolate-malt, spicy cask-strength Skye malt |
| Aromas & Flavors | Vanilla, cocoa butter, dark chocolate, malt, clove, peppermint, redcurrant, ginger |
| Bottle Size | 750ml |
Neat, then with a few drops of water — to open the chocolate and citrus at cask strength.
Bottle Size: All bottles are 750ML/700ML unless otherwise noted.
21 and Over: Adult Signature Required
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