We’re back from the Islay Festival of Music and Malt, after a successful week of pouring whisky, meeting old friends and making new ones. The Whisky Exchange Islay Pop-up Bar was a success, with hundreds of old and rare drams poured, drunk and enthusiastically raved about. All going to plan, you’ll see us back next year.
Islay is beautiful and I took hundreds of photos. Here are a few to give you a flavour of the island, the distilleries, the festival and the whisky.
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- Islay is slow to reveal itself as the ferry approaches
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- Laphroaig in the sun. Twenty minutes earlier, it was tipping down with rain…
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- Lagavulin Distillery, Lagavulin Bay and Dunnyveg Castle
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- Bunnahabhain can be a little bleak if the weather isn’t friendly.
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- Port Ellen: full of boats and whisky
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- The sandy beach in front of the Port Ellen warehouses.
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- It wouldn’t be a trip to Islay without a quick stop at Bowmore’s No.1 Vaults
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- There may not be any distilling at Port Ellen these days, but you can’t leave without a picture of the old warehouses.
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- The line-up at The Whisky Exchange Islay Pop-up Bar. The prices and the whiskies went down very well.
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- A few of the drams on the bar.
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- A flight of Port Ellens, anyone?
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- I got to be a barman again – only 20 years since last time.
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- A refreshing little number – Elements of Islay Peat, Bottle Green Elderflower, soda water and a squeeze of lime.
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- Our favourite highball of the week – mango-infused Bowmore with a squeeze of lime, topped up with soda water.
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- The most divisive drink we served: The Smoky Cokey – Lagavulin 16yo with Coke and ice. It’s actually really nice…
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- If you make it to Lagavulin, get on to one of Ian ‘Pinkie’ MacArthur’s warehouse tastings.
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- The misty insides of Kilchoman’s mash tun.
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- A dram of Kilchoman 100% Islay by the malting floor, where the next batch of Islay barley is getting ready to become whisky.
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- New spirit running at Kilchoman.
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- The weather changes often on Islay, and the sun’s not usually that far behind the rain.
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- It’s not every day you get to sit in the middle of a pile of Bowmore barley while it malts.
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- I showed too much interest in the Bowmore maltings and they put me to work.
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- Islay’s known for great seafood, and almost every distillery had something to try – oysters and Port Charlotte whisky went down very well.
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- Whenever you’re on Islay, it’s worth seeking out the Seafood Shack’s trailer – a pile of sea-fresh scallops drizzled with whisky is an excellent thing.
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- Bruichladdich head distiller Adam Hannett’s tasting was more like a TED talk than a traditional masterclass – the whisky was still excellent.
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- Jura’s open day was all about cocktails and live music, with a string of bands braving the elements to get to the island and play in the distillery’s old cooperage.
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- In true Islay fashion, one of the two ferries that serve the island broke down at the end of the festival, stranding people on the island. No one seemed to mind.
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- Bunnahbhain can look intimidating to first time visitors.
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- Kildalton Cross – the best preserved Celtic cross in Europe – is worth a visit for a few moments of tranquillity. Take a dram.
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- Ardbeg day can be a bit much after a week of celebrations.
Enjoy responsibly
Recent Comments
Unfortunately, the answer is 'between 400g and 2000g per litre' :)
Posted on: 9 October 2024
What ratio of Sloe to gin is used, I see anything from 400 to 2000g of sloe to 1 litre of gin!
Posted on: 7 October 2024
What really makes Bob Harris' predicament in 'Lost In Translation' so absurdly funny is that he nailed it in one take, and the director just couldn't accept that.
Posted on: 11 January 2024