The Isle of Skye-based Torabhaig Distillery, has announced the launch of the first releases from its new Distillers’ Series, a collection of single malts, that gives its distillers the freedom to create a whisky entirely their own.

For one month each year, the distillery is handed over to two of its nine distillers to create their own whisky – choosing the malt, yeast, fermentation and maturation, in an industry-first initiative that captures the innovation and creativity of the distillery. Same stills, new stories.

The Distillers’ Series explores the ideas and creativity of the distillers who shape every drop of Torabhaig whisky. The result is a range of spirits that embrace new raw materials, processes and styles, from heritage grains and unusual malting styles, such as chocolate and dark crystal malt, to a range of fermentation times designed to accentuate new flavours and aromas in the final whisky.

Torabhaig – The Distillers’ Series: Iona’s First Edition (60.9% ABV) was created by distiller Iona Macphie, this is the first expression in the series. Iona joined Torabhaig at the age of 21 and distilled her whisky at 23, making her the youngest distiller to go through the process.

For her bottling, Iona built her whisky around chocolate malt – a rich, slightly bitter speciality grain she first encountered at Crisp Maltings in Portgordon, and liked enough to eat by the handful. She noticed the chocolate character coming through from the still after just 15 minutes, so adjusted her timings to capture the deepest, richest flavours.

Torabhaig – The Distillers’ Series: Niall’s First Edition (59.3% ABV) created by distiller Niall Culbertson, this expression reflects his childhood memories of travelling to the bay by boat. His ambition was to produce a bright, coastal whisky with an unmistakable maritime character.

Using a small proportion of brown malt and dark crystal malt, alongside a low-peat-level base malt, Niall chose to part-mature his spirit in ex-rum casks, capturing aromas of tropical fruit and light, sweet char.

Commenting on the launch, Iona Macphie, said: “I adore chocolate, so I always knew I wanted to incorporate that in some way. The chocolate malt turned the wash black as stout, but the final spirit is really rounded and rich.”

Niall Culbertson, added: “I knew what sort of spirit I wanted, but this whisky is even better than I hoped. It has all the tropical fruit and maritime notes I was aiming for and brings them together in a way I didn’t think I would quite be able to capture.”

The series will continue with two launches a year, exploring how each whisky develops over time.

Torabhaig – The Distillers’ Series: Iona’s First Edition and Torabhaig – The Distillers’ Series: Niall’s First Edition are both limited to 5,250 bottles each and will be available from selected specialist retailers early next month, for a RRP of £75.00.