The southernmost island of the Southern Hebrides is characterised by malts that are pungent with
peat, smoke and salinity, revealing their complexity layer after layer. There are
eight working distilleries on Islay:
Laphroaig,
Lagavulin,
Kilchoman,
Caol Ila,
Bunnahabhain,
Bruichladdich,
Bowmore and
Ardbeg.
Islay Festival, or
Feis Ile, is an annual week of malt and music shenanigans that takes place on Islay every end of May. Perhaps the highlight of the Islay Festival is that most distilleries craft a limited edition cask especially for the festival.
Even the island’s name is shrouded in complexity; the proper
pronunciation of Islay is ‘eye-la’.
Thirsty for more? Explore Scotch Whisky and its
regions:
Highland,
Lowland,
Speyside,
Campbeltown, and
Islands.