Meet the Distiller: Iona MacPhie, Torabhaig Distillery, Isle of Skye
This month’s meet the distiller Q&A is with Iona MacPhie from Torabhaig distillery on Skye.
Full name and distillery you work at
Iona MacPhie, distiller at Torabhaig Distillery, Isle of Skye.
What made you want to work in whisky?
I discovered whisky while working as a tour guide at Talisker. I loved a dram itself, but even more the enthusiasm of everyone across the industry. When I saw a brand-new distillery opening in Sleat and advertising for distillers, I jumped at the chance.
How did you get into the distiller role you're in now?
I joined Torabhaig in 2017, right at commissioning, as one of the founding four distillers - the team grew to nine of us over the following months, none of us with any distilling experience beforehand. Through The Distillers' Series I distilled my own whisky at 23 - the youngest to go through the process.
What is something surprising that people might not know about your role?
How hands-on and creative it is. People picture dials and routine, but for the Distillers' Series I chose everything - the malt, yeast, fermentation, cut points and cask. I tasted the chocolate character coming through after just 15 minutes of foreshots and cut to spirit there and then to capture it. Our distillery set-up means we're very involved in production from start to finish and can be agile to the subtle changes we see in the spirit.
What characteristics are you looking for in the whiskies you make and how do they represent the region/distillery?
Balance above all - rich and expressive, but still rounded and easy to enjoy. Everything starts from the same foundations as every Torabhaig: the same stills, the same island, the same team. Our house style is "Smoke with Taste" but my Distillers' Series steps beyond that into unpeated, chocolate-malt territory. It's still shaped by Skye and made by the same people, just with my fingerprints across it.
What was the first whisky you ever tried?
One I found in the back of my father's drinks cupboard (unsure what it was!).
Tell us about your new make, and what makes it so special?
Mine is built around chocolate malt - a rich, slightly bitter speciality grain I first met at Crisp maltings in Portgordon and liked so much I was eating it by the handful. It turned the wash black as stout, but the spirit came out really rounded and rich. I had to adjust my cut points during distillation because the chocolate notes came through sooner than I expected, and the result is a unique new make that I really love.
Are you working on any exciting new releases this year?
The Distillers' Series is the big one - my debut is out now, and the series runs with two releases a year. We only bottle a portion of each whisky at a time, so we can follow how it develops as it matures - the ambition is to take these expressions right through to much older releases. So this is really just the start of watching it grow up.
Who is your whisky hero?
Our mentor, Kenny Gray, who taught us so much about the science behind whisky.
What's your unpopular whisky opinion?
Real people over automation.
If your whisky was a movie star, who would they be?
Helena Bonham Carter.
Describe your whisky in three words
Rich, rounded, chocolatey.
Now describe yourself in three words
Outdoorsy, unhurried, a little indulgent.
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