I needed a wee time to recover from the Glasgow Whisky Festival 2024 and the associated weekend shenanigans. So, after a short break and a low-key post, it is time to pick up where I left off and dive back into reviewing whiskies from new Scottish distilleries. On today’s program, my review of the Torabhaig Cnoc Na Moine. This whisky is the third and (apparently) final instalment of Torabhaig’s Legacy series. (P.S. possibly not judging by this submission to the US Alcohol and Firearms TTB)
TL:DR: A dram for those who love their peated whisky sweet and salty. This is all brine, woodsmoke and fruit.
Score*: 6, Good stuff
A newborn in Skye
For most single malt whisky drinkers, talking about Skye brings one name and only one to mind: Talisker. No surprises there. After all, apart from the historical traces of a couple of short-lived distilleries operating, most likely without a license, between the end of the 18th and the early 19th century, Talisker has been the undisputed whisky king of the Island since 1830. Or rather since then and until 2017 when Torabhaig was founded. It looks like another distillery will join the fray on the island soon, Isle of Skye Distillery, currently focusing on gin.
I could derail this post to complain about Talisker, its increased prices, the lacklustre NAS entry-level releases, the rebranding and so on. Instead, Let me just say I am glad there is finally some competition for Diageo… Torabhaig is still young and small, but the transparency it brings (more on this below) is a breath of fresh air for the informed whisky drinkers out there. After all, we are all growing tired of the arrogance large spirits multinationals continue to show us with a lack of transparency, integrity and their love for “premiumisation”. Or, as others have correctly called it, enshittification.
Torabhaig’s Legacy series
Let’s get back to Torabhaig briefly before the review of the Cnoc Na Moine. From what I heard and read in a couple of interviews, Torabhaig’s standard regular release line-up is still a few years away. The Legacy series was created to show what the distillery can do and ended with the Cnoc Na Moine.
The first two releases focused entirely on spirit aged in ex-Bourbon casks, with the Second release Allt Glean, available first at 46% abv and then a popular cask strength version. The Cnoc Na Moine uses sherry for the first time, both Oloroso and PX. How much of each is not shared, but it is a small gripe if you consider the amount of detail Torabhaig provides. From barley variety to yeast strain down to peat ppm before and after distillation (see the pic below), the level of transparency is admirable.
What will happen between the end of the Legacy series? Will we see a regular release soon? According to rumours, we won’t. Probably, the next releases will be the ones from the advertised but yet-to-appear Journeyman series, a more experimental series which follows Torabhaig nine distiller’s whisky experimentations. Meanwhile, let’s get to the review of the Torabhaig Cnoc Na Moine.
Torabhaig Cnoc Na Moine, The legacy series Chapter n.3
Specs
Price paid: €54.99
Bottled date: 17/1/2024
ABV: 46%
Natural colour: Yes
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Casks Used: American Oak Oloroso, PX and Ex-Bourbon
Tasting Notes
Colour: Pale gold. Considering the use of PX casks in the ageing process, I was a bit surprised by how lightly coloured this is. Maybe they make up only a tiny percentage or maybe they might be refill casks?
Nose: Hello peat! The first impression is all smoke, woody ash, and seaweed, all umami and brine. There are some sweet umami notes, maybe beef jerky, and a touch of pine needles. Then, the fruit emerges with ripe apples and cassis sprinkled with vanilla sugar, followed by a mineral impression of pebbly beaches. The overall impression is very briny with just a touch of Sherry sweetness.
Taste and Finish: Off the bat, I wonder if someone has added water to my glass. But that is impossible, the Glencairn has not left my sight. So unless I am sleep-diluting my drams, I have to accept this is thinner than a 46% normally would be. Non-chill filtered at that. The taste is peaty, slightly peppery, some malted biscuit note, but not too much, raisins, hazelnuts and a hint of baking spice and vanilla
The finish is medium. The flavours are less complex, with woody peat, shortcrust pasty, and some dried fruit. The aftertaste brings back maritime and mineral notes with a chalky feeling on my gums, sherry medium
Score*: 6
There are some aspects of a new whisky on the market that can excite or disappoint. Having a personality of its own, showing promise for the future and showing care in its production (or, if you prefer, not being rushed). Torabhaig’s Cnoc Na Moine does well in all three categories. Its briny maritime and peated character is evident, there is clearly some effort beyond the product and no sign of untamed youthfulness. Where it falls is in its lack of mouthfeel. The nose promises load, and the palate underdelivers. Don’t get me wrong, this is still a good whisky, but I would have loved to score this higher.
* Scores are based on the scoring scale used by Dramface, slightly modified to allow half-points
After writing my tasting notes, I always find it interesting to look at other opinions. Here are a few other reviews of Torabhaig Cnoc Na Moine I enjoyed:
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