3 Whiskey-Soaked Days on Islay

Our guide eased the thick fire-proof door open, allowing the earthy-scented peat reek to roll out and meet us. Inside, we could see lumps of rich black peat smoldering away, the tendrils of smoke curling upwards to impart flavor on barley destined for a love-it-or-hate-it bottle of Islay-style whiskey. I was in my version of heaven: the Laphroaig distillery on the isle of Islay (pronounced EYE-lah), off the west coast of Scotland. Read on to discover what makes Islay’s whiskey so distinct and how to make the most of your Islay visit. Below, you’ll find a 3-day itinerary, with each day focused on a geographic cluster of distilleries. You can visit the clusters in any order, but keep in mind that some of the more unique experiences I mention here are only available on certain days of the week and often only once per day. Another important note is the “Silent Season” period, where no spirits are produced, usually lasting between 3 to 6 weeks at each distillery between mid-June and August. During this time, many staff are encouraged to take leave while important inspections, maintenance, and repairs take place.  Due to the limited operations, tours and experiences can be quite limited. Be sure to check each distillery’s websites for their Silent Season closings if you are planning a summer visit.

Islay is a wild beauty. Spanning approximately 239 square miles (62,017 hectares), the island is a mix of peat bogs, moorlands, wetlands, salt marshes, and rolling hills. With greenery as far as the eye can see inland, the coastline marks a stark contrast of raised black rock, dotted with sandy beaches. With a whole 15 people per square mile, mostly concentrated in the capital of Bowmore and a few port towns, the area is an open invitation to whiskey lovers and outdoor enthusiasts alike. As we drove around the island visiting the various distilleries, I found myself wishing for a few extra days just to wander the island on foot with my camera capturing the windswept scenery. But this trip was all about Islay’s famed product—whiskey.

        The Islay style is unique among single-malts because the distillers incorporate the island’s richest natural resource, peat. Originally used as a heat source, peat imparts smokey, earthy, and iodine-forward characteristics through low-level concentrations of peat in the water used throughout the distillation process in addition to the practice of smoking the malted barley prior to fermentation. Each distillery sources water from nearby natural springs and this water contains yet more peat, lending additional character that is unique to each distiller. At Laphroaig, the whiskeys tend toward a saltier profile with notes of iodine, due to their location at the water’s edge. Kilchoman, on the other hand, sits more inland, so while the whiskey retains some iodine from the peat, their drams lack some of the saltiness of Laphroaig. With ten whiskey distilleries located on Islay, there are plenty of opportunities to find your favorite whiskey! You can find all ten on Google Maps here. Not a whiskey fan? There is also a brewery, a rum distillery, two gin distilleries, and a winery located on the island. Find the list here.

3-Day Whiskey-Tasting Itinerary on Islay

Day 1, Western Islay (Port Charlotte, Bowmore)

    1. Guided Distillery Tour at Bruichladdich

        Kick off your Islay adventure and set the scene with a guided tour of the Bruichladdich Distillery! Be sure to book this in advance. This tour lasting approximately 1.5 hours includes a behind-the-scenes tour of the distilling process, followed by an opportunity to taste several of Bruichladdich’s offerings. In addition to the Bruichladdich core whiskeys, this distillery also produces specialty whiskey lines like the heavily-peated Port Charlotte and the even MORE heavily peated and experimental Octomore–both named for previously defunct distilleries that Bruichladdich has brought back to life. You’ll also have an opportunity to see how Botanist Gin comes to life at this distillery.

(Bruichladdich Distillery, Isle of Islay, Argyll, Scotland, United Kingdom, PA49 7UN; open seven days a week from April through October, 10:00 – 17:30. From November to the end of March, open Monday – Saturday, 10:00 – 17:30.)

 

2. Lunch at Kilchoman Distillery

        Next up is a delicious lunch at the Kilchoman Distillery. Don’t miss the Cullen Skink, a rich, smokey soup made from smoked haddock, potatoes, and leeks. Enjoy a dram over lunch or hit up the tasting bar in the shop once you’ve filled your belly. The cafe has limited seating, so reservations are a must. Be sure to pick up a bar of Kilchoman’s haggis-flavored dark chocolate for an extra-special treat! 

(Kilchoman Distillery, Rockside Farm, Bruichladdich, Isle of Islay PA49 7UT, United Kingdom; open seven days a week, 10:00 - 17:00)

3. Tasting at Bowmore Distillery

        Round out the day with a visit to Bowmore Distillery, located in Islay’s capitol. For a guided tasting, be sure to make an advanced reservation. Alternatively, stop by the shop for a browse, where there is often a limited selection of whiskeys to try before you buy. (Bowmore Distillery, School St, Bowmore, Isle Of Islay, PA43 7JS, United Kingdom; Distillery Gift Shop open Tuesday - Saturday, 10:00 - 17:00, Tasting Bar open Tuesday - Saturday, 11:00 - 16:00)

Day 2, Southern Islay (Port Ellen)

    1. Laphroaig Distiller’s Wares Experience (Winter) / Wood Exploration Experience (Summer)

    You’ll want to be sure to have a hearty Scottish breakfast before this tour! During this 2.5-hour event, your guide will take you through the whiskey-making process. Yes, there will be some similarities to the Bruichladdich tour, since the basics of producing and distilling whiskey won’t change, but with this experience, you will also get to see the malting floors, including the peat fires. This is unique to the Laphroaig experience, since most other distilleries conduct their malting off-site! During our Distiller’s Wares Experience in the winter months, we also got to explore the on-site warehouses where we observed barrels and casks in their whiskey naps–waiting for the liquid gold inside to reach peak flavor. We also lucked out and got a sneak peek of the workers filling barrels with new-make spirit (aka whiskey before the barrel aging makes it whiskey!) and even got to stick our fingers in the barrel for a little taste–don’t worry, the alcohol content is so high at this stage that it would kill anything inadvertently left behind! The tour finished out with tasting 3 cask-strength whiskeys and selecting one to take home. Don’t skip this tour!

(Laphroaig Distillery, Isle of Islay, PA42 7DU, United Kingdom; March - October, open 7 days a week, 9:45 - 17:00; November - February, Mon/Tues/Thur/Fri, 9:45 - 16:30)

    2. Lunch at Ardbeg

        Next up, head over to Ardbeg for some delicious nosh. In the wintertime, their Kiln Cafe opens to serve hearty hot food; during the summer months, the “Ardstream” trailer in the distillery courtyard serves al fresco soups, sandwiches, and snacks. With the distillery located along the water, you’re sure to have gorgeous views while you enjoy your lunch. Check out the shop afterwards to pick up your favorite Ardbeg drams and other goodies.

(Ardbeg Distillery, Port Ellen, Islay, Argyll, PA42 7EA, United Kingdom; May - October, open seven days a week, 9:30 - 17:30; November - April, Monday - Friday, 10:00 - 17:00)

     3. Lagavulin Distillery

           Finish out the day at Lagavulin for a whiskey tasting and to check out their shop. But first, just before you reach the distillery, keep your eyes peeled for the turn-off for the Dunyvaig Castle. There is an easy path from the parking area to the ruins of this castle that’s perched on a small rise above the sea–beware the path can be quite muddy, so I wouldn’t advise attempting a visit in your Manolo Blahniks! This is also the perfect spot for an Instagram-worthy photo of the Lagavulin Distillery. If you only have 2 days on Islay, be sure to keep your eyes peeled for some of Lagavulin’s sister distilleries in the shop; Caol Ila and Port Ellen fall under the same parent company so while the selection will be more limited than at their home distilleries, you might find some extra whiskeys to try here.

(Lagavulin Distillery, Port Ellen, Isle of Islay, PA42 7DZ, United Kingdom; March - October, seven days a week, 10:00 - 17:00; November - February, Monday - Saturday, 10:00 - 16:00)

Day 3, Eastern Islay (Port Askaig):

1. Caol Ila Spirit of Smoke

        Start off your day with the Caol Ila Spirit of Smoke experience. While sitting in the Maturation Warehouse, your guide will spin tales of Caol Ila while serving drams straight from the cask. After your tasting, grab an early lunch at the on-site cafe.

(Caol Ila Distillery, Port Askaig, Isle of Islay, PA46 7RL, United Kingdom; March - December, Monday - Saturday, 10:00 - 17:00; January - February, Tuesday - Saturday, 10:00 - 17:00)

2. Ardnahoe Distillery Stop

        Next up, stop into the beautiful Ardnahoe Distillery shop, one of the newest on theisland. Try their inaugural release and check out what else they have in the works for their next bottle!

(Ardnahoe Distillery, Port Askaig, Islay, PA46 7RN, United Kingdom; Tuesday - Saturday, 10:00 - 17:00)

3. Bunnahabhain Warehouse 9 Tasting Experience

        In case you didn’t get enough at Caol Ila, head over to Bunnahabhain for their Warehouse 9 Tasting Experience. You’ll taste 4 whiskeys while sitting amongst the aging casks. At the end of the experience, you’ll have the opportunity to purchase a bottle to take home from your favorite cask.

(Bunnahabhain Distillery, Port Askaig, PA46 7RP, Isle of Islay, United Kingdom; seven days a week, 10:00 - 17:00)

Top Tips for Your Stay

        1. Reserve everything in advance!

        My top tip to avoid disappointment is to book your tastings, experiences, and driver well in advance. Even during the low season in February, the few restaurants located on site or near the distilleries were often operating at full capacity.

        2. Hire a Driver.

        Scotland and the United Kingdom have zero-tolerance policies for drinking and driving, and with the narrow, windy roads on Islay, I wouldn’t recommend putting this to the test. Book a driver for your stay so that everyone in your group can safely enjoy the tastings. Kenneth from Islay Taxis was incredibly knowledgeable and helpful when planning our days. If you choose to self-drive, all of the distilleries offer “driver’s drams” so that the driver can safely enjoy a tasting once you return to your lodging.

        3. Choose your lodging wisely.

There are plenty of AirBnB/VRBO options available on Islay, but I recommend staying somewhere like the charming Port Charlotte Hotel, which has an absolutely lovely pub with a real wood-burning fireplace on site. The bartender, a former Glaswegian police officer named Gary, was a never-ending and entertaining fount of information for whiskey, gin, and Islay lore. I would absolutely stay here again just for Gary’s stories! And that’s nothing on the food (fresh-caught oysters with a whiskey chaser, anyone?), the views, and the comfortable rooms.

        4. Check out some of the island’s other sights.

        While Islay is known for her whiskeys, there are also some very cool historic places on the island. I mentioned Dunyvaig Castle above, which is an easy ruin to see along the whiskey route. Near Port Askaig, you’ll find Finlaggan Lake, once the home to the Lords of the Isles. Among the three islands in the lake, fragmentary ruins of the former council buildings can be found. If the weather is nice, take a stroll out to the American Monument at the southernmost end of the island. This stone tower, dated 1918, pays tribute to the American soldiers who lost their lives in the waters around Islay during World War I. Finally, consider a stop at the Museum of Islay Life (Mon-Fri, 10:30 am - 4:30 pm) to learn more about Islay’s history beyond the whiskey industry.

How to Get to Islay

Due to a tight timeline, we opted to fly to and from Islay. Loganair (https://www.loganair.co.uk) operates two 45-minute flights per day between Glasgow and Islay. If you have a bit more time or a desire to see more of the Scottish countryside, there are also two companies operating ferries between the mainland and Islay. CalMac runs between Kennacraig to Port Ellen or Port Askaig. From Glasgow, take Bus 296 from the Buchanan Bus Station to Skipness Road End, approximately 3.5 hours; the ferry will take an additional 2-2.5 hours, route dependent. Kintyre Express operates between Ballycastle (Antrim) and Port Ellen; Kintyre is approximately a 3.5 hour drive from Glasgow and the ferry takes another hour.

What are your top tips for visiting Islay? What is your favorite bottle that you picked up while visiting?