moseleymoles on Visiting Islay, home of nine whisky distilleries
I know that whisky and in particular single malts are a frequent topic of discussion here, so I thought some reflections on a five-day stay on Islay earlier this week might interest a few. Various discussions and a life celebration led me and Ms Moles to book an air b and b just outside Port Ellen for a short stay earlier this week.
One of the attractions of Islay is that you get nine – nine! – top-notch distilleries within less than an hour of each other. Four (Laphroig, Lagavulin, Ardbeg and the recently-opened Port Ellen distillery, are within hiking distance of Port Ellen. Ardnahoe, Bowmore, Bruichladdich, Bunnahabhain, Caol Illa and Kichoman complete the set. We booked three distillery tours in advance, the Calmac Ferry from Kennacraig to Port Ellen and off we went in the car.
Our accommodation was a mile outside Port Ellen, so at the last minute we added two days of e-bike hire. This proved to be a godsend. Mrs Moles has less appetite for the lengthy hike than I do, but was very happy e-biking around the island.
Our first booked tour was Laphroig, the first stop on the ‘3 distilleries trail’. The weather was gloriously sunny for our entire stay, after pelting it down on the ferry over. The whitewashed buildings on the shore with the waves lapping against the rocks was a sight we saw repeated several times, and what a glorious sight it is. At the last minute our tour was switched from the distillery tour to a more-expensive but at no extra cost to us Tasting Experience due to an issue with plant onsite. The four we tasted included a measure straight from the cask and a Quarter Cask, along with a very knowledgeable discussion from the host. Along with a welcome dram, we just about stuck to our resolution to not buy anything until later on when we’d been to some other distilleries.
We didn’t do a tour of Lagavulin, but popped our head round into the visitor centre on the way to Ardbeg. They seemed a slightly less open operation for the casual visitor, as might be expected if prices for your product start at £50.00.
Ardbeg however are definitely much more about the visitor experience. There’s a cafe onsite, at which I had an excellent cullen skink and a cake before the tour. Not only is there a welcome dram, our guide dispensed two drams during a tour from a backpack. We started in the malt rolling room, and followed our way through the mash tuns and washbacks (putting our heads in for a good sniff of what at this point is basically bad beer) then through to the iconic wash and spirit stills. I gather from others that the tours of much more famous names like Glenmorangie or Macallan are much more tightly policed, and no photos are allowed. Here absolutely not the case.
Our final tour was Bowmore, trading blows with Ardbeg for the title of oldest Islay distillery. Everything about Bowmore was a little more traditional from the bottle labels through to the buildings and plant. They are one of only three distilleries to germinate and smoke their own grain onsite and cut their own peat. The Port Ellen distillery plant (owned by Diageo) provides maltings for most of the others. This stage of the process was absolutely fascinating, and we could get involved by turning the grain to ensure even germination and throwing peat into the oven as we went round. We also at the end got to go into the vaults, and drink two drams from the cask, one sherry, one bourbon. I can now conclusively tell at least this about a single malt, along with of course peat or unpeat.
The other six we didn’t get to go round. I heard good things about the Kilchoman tour as the only truly independent distillery on the island. The others are variously owned by multi-nationals LVMH, Suntory, Diageo etc. etc. We did however get to drink them all in the No 1 Charlotte St bar, which has as you might expect a very very long list of whiskies.
What did we put in the boot of the car? I’ll tell you in the comments.
Reflections:
It’s clearly been a boom time for Scottish distilleries over the past fifteen-twenty years. Kilchoman opened in 2005, Ardnahoe in 2019 and a tenth distillery is under construction near the airport and an eleventh next to Laphroig. All this on an island of 3,000 inhabitants. Our trip co-incided with the current bout of Trump madness, and clearly the Scotch whiskey market in the US will be hit by tariffs. Our Ardbeg tour guide was very candid about their past difficulties, which saw them close twice during the eighties and nineties. Bowmore were talking about reducing production levels. It’s had hard times before, and I can see some of the planned expansion at least being put on hold.
Everyone is very, very friendly. Apart from the first time we went to the Ardview Hotel (the other bar in Port Ellen) when there was a Rangers match on and the place was full of balding sweaty and shouting men.
Our tours were not full, and the hinges of the season, April and September, would seem to me the best time to go. Yes the weather is variable, but it’s always going to be like that on a Scottish island. We didn’t meet any other English going round, only several groups of Americans, two Poles and two groups of Germans. All of whom were having a great time.
On both visitor experience tours we got to taste three or four whiskys, so unless you have a very refined palate and want to drink very old and rate varieties they seemed as good as the more expensive tasting experiences.
E-bikes are absolutely the best way to get from distillery to distillery. We could easily have added Bowmore, Bunnahabhain, Ardnahoe and Caol Illa to our itinerary.
What did we put in the boot for the car home?
Many ‘drivers drams’ from all three distilleries, along with full bottles of Laphroig Lore (probably our standout of the week, and we drank it twice to be sure), a ‘distillery exclusive’ Ardbeg Eureka and a half-bottle of Caol Illa. There were disappointingly few half-bottles on offer. Several people said the distillery prices were daylight robbery, but we price-checked and on the whole they were equivalent to buying them online.
Outside of Speyside it’s probably the most concentrated geographically and thus great for three days to a week (it takes a long time to get there unless you fly from Glasgow). Now to read that Iain Banks book where he did the whole of the Scotch whisky map…
Great guide to what sounds like a very pleasurable trip, thank you. I got introduced to Scottish whisky through reading ‘Raw Spirit’ the Iain Banks book, and though totally self-indulgent, (and, in the version I read, without any index at all), it really immersed me in his passion and knowledge of the subject in a vastly more entertaining way than those official whisky guides, that seem to me the equivalent of that Steve Hoffmann site many AWers mention (seems ghastly to me, never visited).
Raw Spirit is much more in the spirit (hah!) of the Afterword – rambling, diverting into side topics, but always written with the joy of a fan. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did.
Càirdeas fan here – thanks for an illuminating report.
I can see this little jaunt getting pencilled in for next year, with a following wind.
@vulpes-vulpes I can’t see how you’d regret it. Even if it rains all week, that merely makes the whisky take better. The ferry times can be confusing as some days the outward is out to Port Askaig, somedays Port Ellen and vise versa. Mainland port always Kennacraig. Those from abroad had all flown from Glasgow.
If you’re planning to get around by taxi, as many were, then prebooking is essential as there only a limited number on the island.
Surprised you didn’t also nip across to Jura, from Port Askaig. Jura Inn, Jura Shop and Jura Distillery is about all there is. Oh, a zillions of deer. Lovely place to avoid the 21st century.
We probably should have, but that’s a reason to return surely.
Don’t like any of the Jura malts that I’ve tried.
No reason not to visit. True, they are a little bland, as compared to Islay mighty, but, aimed at the cheaper end of the market, serve a perfectly reasonable entry level purpose, an easy dram to lure you away from blends.
A trip to Islay and distillery tours is on my bucket list, so this is a great review.
I’ve done a few distillery tours over the years, but for some reason reason Islay has alluded me – which is doubly strange as Bruichladdich is one of my favourite whisky’s and the Classic Laddie is probably my standard “go-to” dram (although the newish 18yr old is rather splendid and I do have a couple of their Black Art series as well).
I could see though it would be tough to decide which to go to – the wife is not a drinker and so I don’t think I could justify all of them ! Obviously Bruicladdich would be top of my list, both for the reasons above and that I believe it still has all the Victorian stills etc (and the Botanist Gin they distil is also jolly nice).
Has anyone done the plethora of Speyside distilleries, from say Dufftown. Would be interested in hearing how that went. There’s a whisky trail that links together eight of the best known distilleries, and a working cooperage which sounds interesting.
I haven’t done the lot, but we’ve done day trips to Glenlivet from Mrs F’s family in Ballater.
The A939 from Bridge of Gairn to Speybridge via Lecht ski centre is one of my favourite scenic drives. Plus: photo opportunity at Cock Bridge.
Islay is a truly beautiful isle but for me you can keep all that peaty stuff tasting of smoke and seaweed. I may be biased coming from Aberdeen (ok, I’m very biased) but there’s only one place for a proper whisky tour and that’s
Speyside.
Aye – you’re a canny loon, Lodes, right enough: but clearly wrong…
Not done the Speyside ones. I do get the feeling that a lot of the “big ones” are more marketing than substance – e.g, Macallan, so I’m not sure you would get a real distillery tour, more a “whisky experience” tour aimed at rich Americans. As I said, I have not been, so am probably completely wrong.
One of my favourite distillery tours is Glenturret near Crieff – its partly as I went there with a group of friends when we were at Uni so it has some fond memories, but we went last year and it was really enjoyable (we happened to turn up on the day they launched that years product and so there were lots of freebies). I believe that it’s also one of the oldest distilleries still going and its a gorgeous part of the country. Its now under new owners (from a few years back) and the supposed horror show “Famous Grouse Experience” of 10yrs or so ago is no more.
If you do want the company of rich Americans, try the Royal Lochnagar distillery at Balmoral.
My advice would be to walk straight past and follow the footpath up to Prince Albert’s Cairn, which is a pyramid and not, as you might imagine, a ring.
I think that’s probably right, that the Glenmorangies and Macallans of the world are about experiences aimed at rich Americans (and Germans it would seem). Interestingly Bowmore are slightly annoyed that they have no documentation proving they were distilling before Glenturret, as that is the oldest distillery still producing.
Sounds brilliant, lucky you. I recently had a tour and tasting of the English Whisky Distillery near Thetford which was an excellent day out.
I had an Islay single malt whiskey on my last long haul flight a couple of weeks ago. This choice was based on a visit there back in 1998 and I remembered liking the smoky taste. Anyway, the drink arrived and it was a like being given a tumbler of apple juice. A very generous serving, which very much helped me sleep for the next 6 hours.
Used to love a good peaty malt whisky but I don’t know why, I’ve completely gone off them. Even the mildly smoky ones.
What have you switched to Mike?
Can’t afford anything truly exciting, just supermarket offer malts in the £25-£30 range. Currently I have a bottle of Old Pulteney 12 year old (Caithness) on the go, with bottles of Cardhu Gold Reserve (Morayshire)*, Auchentoshan American Oak (Clydebank) and Bunnahabhain Stiùireadair (Islay) sitting in the cupboard. Enjoyed my second bottle of Tamnavulin Red Wine Cask (Speyside) a couple of weeks back.
*Bought a couple of times when on offer in Sainsbury’s. It’s lovely, but currently selling at around £30-40, which puts it just outside my budget.
Old Pulteney is my ‘go to’ quaffing whisky.
For quaffing look no further than Monkey Shoulder. It’s a blend of Speyside Malts (an old friend says it’s mostly Macallan and Glenfiddich but that can change depending on what’s on offer) and an absolute steal at under £25 (at least here in France where admittedly the alcohol tax is lower).
Just checked, 25 smackeroonies in Waitrose
If it’s quaffing, my current “go-to” is Campbeltown Loch, a blended malt consisting of – you’ve guessed it – a blend of Campbeltown malts.
Highly recommended, especially if you like the Campbeltown style.
Don’t laugh but the Lidl single malts are very decent. At 17 quid, there’s a Speyside, an Islay and a Highland. All highly quaffable. Someone gave me a bottle and I’d cheerfully consumed a reasonable amount over a few months before I discovered its provenance. Cheap git.
Absolutely agree! You really can’t go Wrong with any of these.
We did a blind tasting at the last Burns’ Night Supper – 6 whiskys, two very expensive. The winner – Lidl Speyside.
Tried the first sample in my recent whisky tasting gift – Bladnoch Samsara (can’t stop my self referring to it as Bloodnok!). Absolutely wonderful. It’s a lowland distillery, originally closely linked with Northern Ireland. If it wasn’t so expensive (£75 +) I would definitely make it a regular. It’s about twice as good as my current favourite, Glendronach.
Very interesting stuff…we’re planning a trip to Islay and Jura next year, having been to Arran, Campbeltown, Mull Of Kintyre and the Isle of Gigha last summer and found all the areas, beautiful, as well as perfect for campervanning. I was never really a whisky fan before that but that’s somewhat different now…
Campbeltown is another on my bucket list as both Springbank and Glen Scotia are favourites.
It’s a bugger to get hold of a bottle of Springbank and may actually be easier at the distillery.
Calling old chum @geacher
Here Sir!
Enticing report. I too have a Jura / Islay plan in mind; I would be taking my own bike, mainly at the insistence of my liver, as it would put a cap on my haul.
I’m off to Mull in July on the bike. I haven’t yet investigated whether Tobermory does anything.
The rumours of his activities in his workshop with Mdm Cholet were completely unfounded.
Tobermory distillery produces both the Tobermory and the (much superior) Ledaig whiskies. and, yes, there is a tour. Mull is a lovely isle to visit.
Very different, certainly – but not necessarily superior…
I take it this is a motorbike @thecheshirecat as we e-biked around after – a few – tasting drams. The ‘3 distillery trail’ has a dedicated bike/walking path perhaps for this very reason.
Oh no. While I do own a motorbike, my two wheeled touring activities are definitely on a pushbike. I’ve done Skye, the Outer Hebrides, Shetland, Orkney,
Arran and Kintyre . It’s only a matter of time before I get to Jura and Islay.
I’m sure all the sensible people here are fairly canny financially too, but this whole trip came about as Mrs Moles was looking at organised trips costing £800 upwards each for a 4-day trip from Glasgow. I said we could surely do it ourselves a bit cheaper. With the Calmac ferry, an air b and b flat, 3 distillery tours, petrol and a couple of meals out plus food we probably spent a little less than £1000 between us for five days.
The attraction is chiefly that it is all organised for you, and that’s what you’re paying for. For me organising is an enjoyable part of the holiday process. That and I don’t like too much organising of me by other people.
That sounds like a splendid wheeze!
We have been going to Islay on family summer holidays (more often than not) for the best part of forty years, so I have been on most of the distillery tours. Every distillery has some aspect of their world that is “THE OLDEST ON THE ISLAND” or “THE FIRST DISTILLERY TO INSTALL THE CLASSIC …..” , whether that is the malting floor, the peat ovens, the stills, whateffer.
The tours are all charming, in their own ways – I think I enjoyed the Bruichladdich one the most, as a visitor experience. Kilchoman was very informative too.
When we did the Ardbeg tour, my daughters were 12 and 9, and they came along with their three cousins (11, 9 and 6). They complained about the stink, of course, and enjoyed the cake at the cafe. At the end of the tour, when we were being given a tour dram, my brother-in-law informed the tour guide “These chaps are all technically under age, so we will take their drams, thanks.” She smiled, and said “that’s why these chaps all got in free, yes.” I still managed to get a taste of the Corryvreckan, which was fabulous.
We go to Islay every year to see my old college chum and her husband – both of them work at Bruichladdich. They live down the road at Port Charlotte, just a few seconds from the beautiful pier.
We go mainly for the walking at the wildlife. In between boozing I can highly recommend walking up to the American Monument at The Oa, I’ve seen eagles every time I’ve been.
My other must-do is a wildlife boat trip from Port Ellen – both times I’ve done it our boat has been joined by a pod of dolphins for half an hour. It’s such a special experience.