David Kelly Consulting

I have always been a Scotch whiskey drinker.

Wait, let me correct that. I have always been a whisky drinker. You see, in Scotland, they consider all whisky made in Scotland to be Scotch whisky, so when you are there, it is just… whisky. They even leave out the Americanized “e” when spelling it.

So, when I found myself planning a trip to Scotland to immerse myself in my Scottish heritage, I knew that I wanted to spend a good part of my time on the small island of Islay, famous for some of the world’s oldest and purest whisky.

Even better, it is also home to my favorite type of whisky – smoky peated single malt – but more on that in a moment. (Continue reading below photos).

A ‘WEE DRAM’

Islay has been producing whisky for more than 300 years. The first recorded legal distillery, Bowmore, was founded in 1779, and now there are eight more on this island with a population of only 3,000 residents.

Scotch whisky is divided into two types. Blended whiskies can be made from a mix of malted barley from multiple distilleries, often producing a smooth well-balanced drink, or a “wee dram” as the locals call it.

Single malt whisky, on the other hand, is produced entirely from a single type of malted barley and at a single distillery. Since each distillery has its own malt and its own way of flavoring it, you find a vast array of tastes and smells in single malts throughout the country.

Most of the island distilleries produce Islay’s characteristically smoky and “peaty” single malts. The area is covered with peat, a thick firm brown material that has formed over centuries by the decomposition of ancient grasses in the wet, salty, and acidic conditions of Islay’s bogs. It is harvested by teams using “peat tuskers”, a tool specific to cutting out logs of peat to dry them for later use.

The local distilleries use this peat to flavor the malted barley before distilling it, allowing it to smolder in special pits below the malt rooms. This creates a thick smoke that rises and penetrates the malt with its distinctive flavor. The amount of peat used determines how much smoke is produced. This process introduces a briny, smoky taste into the whisky that is like no other.

Aging the whisky in oak or sherry casks, sometimes for 30 years or more, finishes the process and infuses the individual collections with subtle flavors unique to each barrel, batch, and its year.

TIME TO TASTE

We landed at the island’s tiny airport, checked in to our inn, and it was time to taste.

First off was a trip down the Three Distilleries Path, also known as the Islay Whisky Trail. It features three operating distilleries only two miles apart – Ardbeg, Lagavulin and Laphroaig – and a gentle winding path guides you from one to the next along the island’s salty south seashore.

Each distillery offers up unique tasting sessions, often comprised of four or five sample-sized units collectively called flights and accompanied by tasting notes. These notes offer helpful tips on how to enjoy each type of whisky, allowing one to appreciate the subtle smells and tastes of their brand. These tastings also feature distillery tours, where the entire fascinating process from malting to bottling is shown off with typical Scottish pride.

The next day featured a trip to the crown jewel of Islay whisky distilleries – Bowmore. Ever since receiving a bottle of 30-year-old Bowmore as a wedding present years ago and being enthralled by its magnificent essence, I have vowed to visit the source of this legendary spirit.

The experience was everything I had hoped for. When the barley is on the malt floor of a distillery, it remains there until it germinates and sprouts in a week to 10 days. During this process, entire rooms are up to six inches deep with this malting barley. To keep it fresh during this process, employees work tirelessly to rake the barley and flip it to not rot or get soft.

When I asked more about the process, the tour guide handed me the malting rake with a hearty “Have at it!” Dragging the heavy utensil over the floor, it occurred to me that I may well be preparing the whisky that I will be drinking 10 years from now!

Bowmore’s tasting room and whisky bar were amazing, filled with too many years and batches to count. The tasting room also consists of a museum-style area where Bowmore’s more successful and famous bottles of whisky are featured.

Imagine my surprise when I found the exact bottle of 30-year-old I mentioned earlier on the museum’s shelf. I knew it was good when I tasted it all those years ago!

The trip was a whisky-lover’s dream come true. It is little wonder that the Scots’ words for whisky are “uisge beatha” – the Water of Life.

The Three Distilleries Path

Ardbeg

www.Ardbeg.com

Lagavulin

www.Malts.com

Laphroaig

www.Laphroaig.com

Bowmore Distillery