While I’m sure that the glorious warm sunshine and blue skies in Islay help, I’m starting to suspect that when it comes to picking a location for your new distillery, a beautiful coastal location is right up there with a good water supply and a ready source of peat. Laphroaig certainly has the location, snuggled… Read more »

Caol Ila has one of the prettiest locations in Islay; nestled on the east coast looking out across the Sound of Islay to Jura, even in the full swing of an open day there’s a peace and tranquility to the place. The distillery itself is, in parts, beautiful too. The great copper stills sit in… Read more »

Ahh, Bruichladdich! The distillery whose open day really does set the standard for the rest – even the locals will tell you it’s the one not to miss – and had the biggest queue I’ve ever seen in Islay. It is also, I believe, the only open day with an entry fee – five pounds… Read more »

It is fitting that the first distillery open day of Feis Ile 2013, the whisky and music festival on the beautiful island of Islay, is Lagavulin. As I’ve mentioned before Lagavulin formed my introduction to the world of whisky, and holds a special place in my heart. It’s also classically Islay; big, powerful peat flavours,… Read more »