What does one do on a cloudy, foggy, rainy day on Islay? You take distillery tours of course. Islay is known as the Whisky Island and is especially known for its peaty whisky. My visit took me to Caol Ila and Lagavulin – both owned by corporate spirits giant, Diageo. Looking out from Lagavulin into Lagavulin Bay you can see the remains of Dunnyveg Castle, once a stronghold of the MacDonalds, Lords of the Isles. Caol Ila is modern vs Lagavulin which is more pub like. Caol Ila is also the distillery producing the bulk of whisky which goes into the making of Johnnie Walker. It’s always interesting to see how each distillery markets itself. Scotland has over 150 whisky distilleries, spread out across five distinct whisky-producing regions: Campbeltown, Highland, Islay, Lowland and Speyside. It is the country with the highest concentration of whisky production in the world, thus marketing is an important component of every distillery business.
There are nine distilleries on Islay alone: Ardbeg, Ardnahoe, Bowmore, Bruichladdich, Bunnahabhain, Caol Ila, Kilchoman, Lagavulin, and Laphroaig. Irish monks are believed to have begun distillation on Islay, during the early fourteenth century which puts it right in the middle of the reign of the Lords of the Isles. One wonders if this new spirit made its way onto Finlaggan during council meetings!
Each tour brings visitors into the working areas of the distillery where you can observe the process of producing this sought after spirit. Some of the distilleries receive their barley already malted, others, like Kilchoman, do their own malting. The malted barley is then milled and the product becomes the basis of the various stages of production. The final stage is distillation and the copper stills used for this purpose are true works of art and each made to the specifications of the individual distilleries. While the entire process is fascinating to watch the best part of any tour is the end when you are given a few wee drams to sample. Slàinte mhath!
