Tasting Notes

Kilchoman was a good introduction to Islay Scotch. The distillery was founded founded in 2005 - the other seven distilleries on the island have been making Scotch for over a century. Kilchoman are also the smallest distillery on Islay, so you won't find their whiskies in Duty Free. Referred to as a 'farm distillery', Kilchoman uses locally sourced barley rather than importing it from Scotland.

Despite their limited time in barrels, their "Spring" and "Autumn" bottlings were fruity more than smokey, and subtly different. the Autumn is long since sold out, but their next Spring will be worth hunting down. (http://www.kilchomandistillery.com)


The next distillery on the tour was Bruichladdich (http://www.bruichladdich.com). Founded in 1881, the distillery has had a checkered past, closing several times, most recently from 1994 to 2000. The distillery has been refurbished, and the Victorian buildings have been transformed from dingy warehouses to a freshly painted showcase distillery.


And the Scotch? Their range is vast (amazingly so for what is still a small distillery by world standards) so we only got to try a few varieties. My favourite was the 17 year-old Rum Cask. We also tried 'Octomore', named after a local farm. Several distilleries claim that their whiskies are the smokiest, but Octomore would have to be the smokiest by far. I didn't like it, the impression wan't of barley gently smoked in a peat kiln as much as burning tyres and bitumen. I needed some more of the 17 y.o. afterwards to recover! Sorry guys, it's just not for me.

Although we stayed in the town of Bowmore, we didn't get to tour the distillery itself (http://www.bowmore.co.uk). Tastings were conducted at the local pub, and may have gotten a little out of hand. We certainly weren't taking notes! The lucky few who stayed in Bowmore Distillery's cottages received a complimentary bottle of 12 year old! Quite a few brain cells were sacrificed to the cause in Bowmore, but I do remember the 18 year old making me very happy.

The south coast of Islay has a string of three distilleries - Laphroaig, Lagavulin and Ardbeg. Unfortunately Lagavulin wasn't open on a Sunday, but Ardbeg (http://www.ardbeg.com) opened to show us around, and entertain us afterwards in their shop. Their whiskies were some of my favourite on the tour. Uigeadail was my overall favourite, not just smokey but spicey as well. Corryvreckan was another standout, sadly now sold out.


Last on the tour was one of the largest Islay distilleries, Laphroaig (http://www.laphroaig.com). I ended up joining the "Friends of Laphroaig" club, mostly to get a few freebies, but they also issue all members with their own square foot of Islay. If I go back, I can pace out the paddock over the road and plant a flag!


Some intrepid Kiwi's been there ahead of me though... As for the whiskies - 18 year old was my favourite.


And so ended the tour of Islay. I'd love to go back one day, plant my flag and 'bag' the other distilleries, and would recommend a visit to the island to anyone who likes their holidays off the beaten track, and a bit wild and quirky.

Islay

Islay (pronounced Eye-la) was a magical place to visit. It's away from the usual tourist trails through the Highlands, and has a wild and isolated feel. It's largely flat, and although the Spring sun shone brilliantly the whole time we were there, the wind off the Atlantic had teeth. In the dark winter months, Islay would be a forbidding place, a test of character and endurance.

We sent three days on Islay, staying in Bowmore. Over those three days we visited five distilleries - Kilchoman, Bruichladdich, Bowmore, Ardbeg and Laphroaig. More on them next time.


It wasn't just about the whisky though. A great highlight was Portnahaven, a small fishing village built in the 19th century around a natural harbour on the south west tip of the island. Its small white houses crowd the road around the harbour, with seals swimming in the kelp in the centre of town. Many of the houses, we were told, are owned by descendants of villagers who have since moved away, and are maintained as holiday homes. Even with houses standing empty the town projected a cheerful air, with tubs of flowers on the footpaths, and locals out enjoying the sunshine.




On the southern coast of the island is Kildalton church. The roof is gone, probably ripped away during Atlantic storms, and the interior is carpeted in sweet emerald grass. On a calm day, it was a peaceful place, sleeping away the years. Outside the church is the 8th century Kildalton Cross, still standing straight, the carvings easily seen through a veneer of lichen.



Visiting Islay wasn't just about the towns, distilleries and scattered relics of a long history at the edge of the world. Some of the best impressions are of the places in between. Small villages around the coastline, wide flats with peat cutters drying turf for the winter, narrow roads lined with drystone walls winding over low hills, small beaches and rugged cliffs, the smell of peat smoke in the evening air, and the lilting sounds of gaelic in the pub at night are all part of the island's charm.

How to make the best whisky in the world

A big part of the trip to Islay was to visit several of the island's distilleries and sample their products. I didn't know that much about whisky (note - 'whiskey' is the American spelling, usually referring to bourbon) before I went to Scotland. I liked it, had heard that Islay whiskies were special, but really went on the tour to see the island.

We visited five distilleries - Kilchoman, Bruichladdich, Ardbeg, Laphroaig and Bowmore, although we didn't get a tour of Bowmore. We also passed Lagavulin, but they were closed on a Sunday.

Making Islay Scotch seems simple, but there are a surprising number of factors involved in making a complex flavour. The main ingredient in Scotch whisky is barley. Some is grown in Islay, but the island's climate means that supply can't be guaranteed, so the majority comes from the mainland.


The first step is to germinate the barley, which turns the starch in the grain to sugars, which are essential for fermentation.


The germination takes place in cool storehouses, well ventilated to ensure the barley doesn't heat up.


Once the barley has germinated, it's dried in kilns. Islay's Scotches get their famous smokey character from drying and smoking the barley with peat, which is an abundant form of fuel in the island. After drying, it's ground - the grinder here is at Ardbeg:


The ground barley is then mixed in a 'mash tun' with hot water, before being piped to fermentation vats called 'wash tuns'.


Some distilleries use wooden wash tuns, others more modern stainless steel. The wood doesn't contribute much to the flavour. If you're ever invited to stick your head in a wash tun and savour the yeasty smell of fermenting grain - don't! Some stages produce what can best be described as nasal napalm.




After fermentation, the solids and liquids are separated, and the alcohol goes through a two-stage distillation. At this point you can taste the grain and smoke, but it lacks the character imparted by ageing in barrels. Distilleries use bourbon and sherry barrels to impart woody, fruity flavours to the whisky, moving it from one barrel to another to add various layers to the taste. The 'age' of a whisky indicates how long it has been in barrels for - once it's in a bottle, the ageing process ceases. Younger whiskies generally have higher alcohol content, as it gradually evaporates through the wood (the Scots call this "the angels' share"). If the alcohol content drops below 40%, it cannot be sold as a single malt, and instead is used for blending.


The best thing about Scotch making is that it is a genuine art - the subtleties of timing and ingredients at the various stages have profound effects on the final product, and even the professionals are sometimes surprised by their results. Every once in a while a whisky master opens a barrel and finds something extraordinary. And in a world of mass-produced products, that's something to treasure and marvel at.

Edinburgh

The first part of my holiday was a tour of Scotland's Highlands, and the islands of Islay, Mull and Skye. The tour left from Edinburgh, so once I'd headed north from London (ie Heathrow) I had an afternoon to have a look around. And yes, I knew one afternoon wouldn't be enough time to do it justice...