Torabhaig Distillery — Local services in Skye

Travelling with friends from the US. We called the Distillery in advance to check if there was a tour (alas, no), and onsite refreshments. We told the Distillery we were arriving after 3pm. "Yes, we have a cafe where you can buy food and enjoy a wee dram." We arrived at 2.50pm, went to the cafe, and were greeted by a lady with a loose mouth and two guys sitting around in the kitchen area. They told us, "We don't serve anything after 2.30pm." We asked why the cafe was then still open and why we had been told that we could grab a sandwich if we arrived late afternoon. "I'm not sure anyone told you that, but we're not serving you." The rudeness was on a scale of its own. They were clearly ready to leave for the day even though there was over an hour of trading hours left to go. We asked about tasting a whisky (the "wee dram") and the same abrupt lady asked us if the cafe looked like a whisky tour. So offensive. My American friends were embarrassed by her behaviour, so we left the cafe. We were ready to leave in the car, when I thought someone needs to know about this behaviour in order to address it. I walked into the reception opposite, met initial indifference, but a lady appeared from nowhere who then told us to take a seat, she'd get us some whisky to taste, and the experience was entirely swung around to one of welcome and warmth. I brought my US friends back into the building, and the lady gave us 20 minutes of her time. She was a delight but alas I didn't catch her name. Management need to address the cafe manager and perhaps provide some training. If we had been told the cafe closes at 2.30pm, so be it, but we had explicitly asked, been explicitly told it would be open to serve food and drink, yet we encountered rudeness and hostility. If they worked for me, I'd fire them. I have given 1-star to highlight this concern. We toured the UK for a week and this was the one and only moment when I felt embarrassed for my friends who were in the UK for the first time. Try harder. Every...

Wow.....what an amazing place. In Skye for a week and decided on an impromptu stop at the Torabhaig Distillery after visiting the Clan Donald museum in Armadale. This is a new distillery which only opened and started producing in 2017. The actual Torabhaig single malt whisky won’t be available for a year or two yet as ‘Scotch single malt’ needs to be aged for at least 3 years minimum).The surrounding site where the distillery is situated is truly breathtaking. They have done a fantastic job of renovating the old buildings into a modern distillery while still respecting the original character. For me however, the most impressive aspect was the staff who I met there. Anne, who is a local Skye resident, provided a fantastic tour of the distillery and was incredibly knowledgeable, engaging and passionate about the whisky distilling process itself. Walking through the back of main production part of the distillery (where all the magic happens!), had the pleasure of meeting and listening to one of their craftsman, John (also a Skye local) explain The process while working on a production run. It’s clear Toraghaig will be well worth the wait once available with the knowledge and passionate staff they have in place (well done to whoever does the recruitment there!). Graham at the front desk was also excellent and very welcoming and good to talk with.

For anyone with only an inquisitive interest in the whisky distilling process, I could not think of a better place to learn from their fantastic staff while also enjoying the beautiful backdrop location. A must stop for new visitors and locals...

We jumped by Torabhaig Distillery without a booking, but luckily they managed to get us into a tour on short notice which already made a great impression.

Before starting, we had a quick bite at their cafe that is full of a assortment of cakes and other bakery. Also with a quite selection of whisky.

The tour itself was excellent. Although the distillery only started in 2017, it still uses traditional methods like wooden washbacks, and a very hands-on approach. It’s clear they’re focused on quality and staying close to the roots.

We tasted two whiskies, both young (around 3–5 years), but they really exceeded expectation surprisingly smooth and full of character for their age.

The whole place had a great atmosphere. The building fits beautifully into the landscape, and the setup felt authentic and personal not over-commercialised like some other distilleries.

Definitely a highlight of our visit to Skye, especially for whisky lovers or anyone curious about the craft.

If you have only time for our distillery in Skye go to this one, or Raasay that is also quite nice but more complex to get there, over Talisker. You will get a better experience on...