Drams and drama

For many, a trip to the Scottish island of Islay (pronounced aye-lah) is like a pilgrimage- to the source of the water of life (uxisge beatha in Gaelic)- whisky.

All the great names are here: Lagavulin, Ardbeg, Laphroaig, Bruichladdich, Bowmore, Caol Ila and more, simple names of tiny villages that command global attention. Almost without exception the distilleries are perched on the edge of improbably tranquil bays and just reaching them feels reward enough.

The roads to Caol Ila, Bunnahabhain and Ardnahoe are particularly demanding and we wondered where they were taking us until their secretive bays opened up with stunning vistas of the sea and mountains. After such journeys the offer of a welcome dram seemed well earned.

On the flight from Glasgow on Scotland’s airline, Loganair, passing over the peat bogs of Islay, I had wondered about the use of a fossil fuel in the production of the whisky. After all, peaty smokiness is the principal characteristic of Islay whiskies. I was surprised to learn that the peat regenerates about two millimetres a year and relieved to hear that the supply will last for thousands of years more.

Unlike mainland distilleries where a tour is often obligatory prior to tasting, Islay offers different levels of experience. With nine distilleries plus Jura there’s only so much malting and mashing one can endure. We chose the warehouse experience at Lagavulin where we sampled cask strength whiskies direct from the barrel, including the opportunity to draw up some ourselves. After that it was simply a case of turning up at seven of the other distilleries for that welcome dram or two – with a wee sample bottle for the driver.

Islay’s not just for aficionados of smoky peated whisky. 

You can do more than just drink whisky on Islay and Jura. You can drink gin! Gin lovers will find plenty of refreshment and inspiration from the mainstream- The Botanist produced by Bruichladdich- to the ultimate in artisanship- Lussa Gin at the far north of the mountainous, sparsely inhabited island of Jura (population 250). To say the road to Lussa was long and winding is an understatement. It was single track with precarious passing places, craterous potholes, vertiginous gradients, and relentless- a motoring drama to match the scenic drama of moor, mountain and sea.

“We must be going somewhere because they have electricity,” we told ourselves.

Eventually nowhere became somewhere- Lussa, where a warm welcome, tales of George Orwell (who wrote 1984 in an even more remote part of Jura) and a shot or two of gin awaited us.

Having, earlier that day experienced Caol Ila’s sublime visitor centre built with the corporate might of Johnny Walker, Lussa’s distillery came as a shock. Actually a shack. A shack in which two women, one in a white lab coat, were hand distilling from a portable still, a basket of botanicals by the door- juniper berries, seaweed, roses and other locally grown herbs and spices used to infuse the spirit.

For the less adventurous, Isle of Islay Gin is situated in a craft centre in Bridgend, serviced by a normal two-lane road. Here we sampled gins infused with heather and gorse.

A swap of designated drivers and it was back to the whisky trail again to the original Islay distillery, Bowmore. Being in the centre of the town (village) the drams were for purchase only, but two whiskies- 18 and 16 year – only cost £10 for the pair.

Was the trip to Islay worth it? For the road and the interactions, the hospitality and beauty, the stillness and the adventure, the sense of pilgrimage. And yes, my soul definitely feels better for it.

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