Torabhaig has now released their first core range whisky, the Taigh; before that, they produced a series of inaugural bottlings called The Legacy Series. We're looking at the second Chapter in that series: Allt Gleann, which was released in 2021.
This whisky doesn't have an age statement, but considering the distillation vintages of 2017 and 2018, we know that this is 3 to 4 year old spirit. Torabhaig wanted the focus to remain on the spirit character here, so they chose a selection of first fill bourbon and refill bourbon casks for maturation; these batches are made up of no more than 30 barrels each, according to the front label. While there was later a cask strength version of this release, today we're looking at the 46% ABV version.
The distillery's website does add some other interesting information about the whisky as well:
The barley varieties used were Concerto and Laureate
The peat level on the malted barley was measured at 77 ppm
The peat level on the spirit is 17 ppm
That maturation in first fill and refill casks is split with a ratio of 80%/20%
Let's get into it.
Torabhaig Allt Gleann
Scotland/Highland - Single Malt
Price: USD 60 (2025)
Age Statement: NAS
Strength: 46% ABV
Cask Makeup: First fill ex-bourbon and refill barrels
Details: Not chill filtered, no color added; distilled 2017 and 2018; bottled 2021
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 2 times over 4 months from a sample. Tasted in a nosing glass each time, rested 15+ minutes
Nose: Dry and salty with slate, a medium level of peat (but not too much), and day-old campfire notes. It smells quite coastal, and we get some dry bready malt and a bit of charcoal; accents of lemon-lime soda and vanilla build over time. This has a light complexion.
Palate: Charcoal combines with sweet orchard fruits and citrus, especially lemon candies, or perhaps lemon pastries. Lots of salt and dry peat, and we get some earthy notes, flint, and a touch of acrid wood smoke. The mouthfeel has a medium thickness.
Finish: Bright and fresh with a white pepper bite, sweet soda water, vanilla, and malty white bread. Ash, a medium level of peat smoke, and yellow apples come next; it all mellows out, and this has a medium length finish.
Final Note: There's nice spirit character here - very coastal with lots of salt and mineral notes, as well as that pleasant peat influence. It does taste quite young and fresh, though, and because of the limited maturation time, not a lot of complexity has had time to develop. This is a good bottle if you like young, coastal whiskies, but we're more excited to try older, higher-strength Torabhaigs in the future.
Value for this bottle is decent, on the high side of average, though. The price is quite fair for a Scotch single malt at around $60 here in the US, and to try a new distillery, we think it's worth that price.
Our Rating: 6.3 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 6.39
About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.
Check out our other Torabhaig reviews:
