Islay. Islay ( i/ˈaɪlə/ EYE-lə; Scottish Gaelic: Ìle, pronounced [ˈiːlə]), is the southernmost island of the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. Known as "The Queen of the Hebrides",[8] it lies in Argyll just south west of Jura and around 40 kilometres (25 mi) north of the Irish coast. The island's capital and largest settlement is Bowmore where the distinctive round Kilarrow Parish Church and a distillery are located.[6][9] Port Ellen is the main port.[10] Islay is the fifth-largest Scottish island and the seventh-largest island surrounding Great Britain, with a total area of almost 620 square kilometres (239 sq mi). [Note 1] There is ample evidence of the prehistoric settlement of Islay and the first written reference may have come in the 1st century AD. The island had become part of the Gaelic Kingdom of Dál Riata during the Early Middle Ages before being absorbed into the Norse Kingdom of the Isles.
Geography[edit] Topographic map; clck to enlarge Oblique aerial photo of NW Islay, looking east. Islay Show | Argyll & the Isles. Islay. The great Clan Donald chose well when they made the Isle of Islay the centrepiece of their Lordship of the Isles. Islay has always been blessed with nature's bounty - rich farmlands which each autumn witness clouds of geese arriving. Loch Gruinart in the north is the island's main reserve, with barnacle and white-fronted geese flying in from Greenland.
Peat is still cut from the mosslands which cover much of the interior, giving the unique flavour to the 'Islay malts' - world-famous whiskies such as Bowmore, Laphroaig and Ardbeg. Most are still in production and welcome visitors to watch the production process and, even better, sample their delights. Islay has a number of villages with terraces of small, single-storey houses lining the foreshore, such as Port Ellen, Port Charlotte and Port Askaig. Relics of a bygone age abound, with stone circles, carved stones and crosses, fine forts and castles and evidence of Bronze Age settlements.
Islay Ultimate Online Guide - Isle of Islay Queen of the Hebrides. IslayBlog.com, a blog about the Isle of Islay, Scotland. Wild and Magic Islay. Visit Islay and Jura – Islands with spirit! The Isle of Islay, a visit to the beautiful island off the west coast of Scotland. Welcome to my pages about the beautiful Isle of Islay. ‘Where is Islay?’ , you might ask. Here's a wee map to help you finding it: Islay is the most southerly of the Hebridean islands off the west coast of Scotland. It is approx 25 miles long north-south and approx 20 miles wide east-west, it has approx 3,500 permanent residents.
Traveling by car and ferry (from Kennacraig) it should take approximately 4 1/2 hours to/from Glasgow (2 1/2 hours for the approx 100 mile drive and 2 hours for the ferry crossing). ‘What is there so special about Islay?’ I invite and encourage you to browse these pages to learn more about Islay and enjoy the views though my images, pictures and photography of Islay. If you need information to take with you on a visit to Islay I suggest the printable Islay guide I've just developed. Museum of Islay Life Port Charlotte. Islay News Events Pictures Information Wildlife and Videos - - Islay Blog. Come and enjoy Islay | Islay Estates Company, Isle of Islay, Scotland. Islay Maps, Islay road map, islay satellite map.
Mid Argyll, Kintyre & Islay in Scotland - Official Scottish Area Tourist Board Website. Islay Ales Home. Islay Whisky. Islay. Islay whisky. Whisky producing regions of Scotland Distilleries on Islay Islay whisky is Scotch whisky made on Islay (/ˈaɪlə/ EYE-lə) or Ìle in Gaelic, one of the southernmost of the Inner Hebridean Islands located off the west coast of Scotland. Islay is one of five whisky distilling localities and regions in Scotland whose identity is protected by law.[1] There are eight active distilleries and the industry is the island's second largest employer after agriculture.[2][3] Islay is a centre of "whisky tourism", and hosts a "Festival of Malt and Music" known as Fèis Ìle each year at the end of May, with events and tastings celebrating the cultural heritage of the island. Styles of whisky[edit] The whiskies of the distilleries along the southeastern coast of the island, Laphroaig, Lagavulin, and Ardbeg, have a smoky character derived from peat, considered a central characteristic of the Islay malts, and ascribed both to the water from which the whisky is made and to the peating levels of the barley.
Enter Islay time… | Ardbeg. Islay Whiskies :: IslayWhiskies.com. Dr.Whisky: islay. Laphroaig 12yo Oloroso Cask Islay Single Malt Whisky 53.1% abv £35 This version of Laphroaig is a World Duty Free(UK) exclusive. Like all Kildalton malts, whiskies on the south coast of Islay (Ardbeg, Laphroaig, Lagavulin), this release has attracted much whisky-nerd interest sparking forum discussion and debate (HERE and HERE, to cite just two). We bought a bottle on the way out of Heathrow. TO DRINK with FRIENDS and FAMILY. I have mixed feelings about collecting whisky as it is, but to each their own. The kind folks at Beam Global tell me that this 12 year old "was specially selected 1994 Laphroaig – selected by Master Blender Robert Hicks, from 3 ex-bourbon barrels.
Tasted with SK amongst candles and beer in Oslo (and again this morning with Kristin under more controlled conditions... in bed). Very viscous, and I usually don't mention this, but it has extremely slow legs. Sweet, melons and Sprite. Malt Mission #216Malt Mission #217Malt Mission #218Malt Mission #220Malt Mission HOME. Islay's Lost Whisky Distilleries. Detailed description about Islay's Historic Distilleries. Islay's "lost" Whisky Distilleries In historic times Islay had much more distilleries than nowadays. In the last 200 years distilleries were started up, closed again and some were mothballed and re-opened again later.
Below an interesting and detailed article about some of the "lost" distilleries of Islay. Malt Mill Distillery, Established 1908 When Sir Peter Mackie lost his bitter legal dispute to retain the sales agency for Laphroaig whisky in 1907 he reacted in characteristic style by deciding to make his own "Laphroaig" type whisky, and in 1908 built a tradition small pot-still distillery within the Lagavulin complex.
Mulindry Distillery, Established 1826 This is perhaps one of the shortest lived and unlikely distilleries on Islay. Newton Distillery, Established 1819 The Small Stills Act of 1816 encouraged quite a few individuals to take out distilling licences and in 1819 Thomas Pattison opened a farm distillery at Newton, located of the Bridgend to Ballygrant road. ELEMENTS of ISLAY - Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky. The Botanist: Dry Gin with 31 Botanicals from Islay, Scotland. For this, "The Botanist", small-batch, artisanal Islay gin we use nine of the classic gin aromatics – orris root, cassia bark, coriander seed, etc – and augment these with a heady harvest of 22 local botanicals, hand-picked by our expert foraging team from the windswept hills, peat bogs and Atlantic shores of this Hebridean island of Islay.
This truly seasonal and exotic cocktail is then slow "simmer" distilled in our unique and cherished Lomond pot-still, affectionately known by our head distiller Jim McEwan as "Ugly Betty". Betty prefers to work at low-pressure and won’t be rushed. So our precious botanicals are slowly and gently coaxed into releasing their complex, signature aromatics. This was a unique project for Jim. Jim says he had to "learn a new dance" with Betty, and none of us knew what to expect from that first, achingly-slow 17 hour distillation. The result: a highly distinctive, complex, floral gin with outstanding finish and impeccable provenance. Islay. Islay Airport. /islay-airport/ Welcome to Islay - Queen of the Hebrides /islay-airport/destinations/ /islay-airport/airport-information/ /islay-airport/visitors/ /islay-airport/about-us/ /islay-airport/contact-us/ Islay walks. Select area The three Hebridean islands of Islay, Jura and Colonsay may be neighbours, but they contrast starkly.
Islay is green and relatively fertile, with a rangle of more rugged hills in the east. The island has many superb sandy beaches and offers some great coastal walking as well as being a top destination for bird-watching. It is, however, perhaps for its distilleries that it is best known - and many regard it as the spiritual home of whisky. Jura is as wild and rugged as anywhere in the Highlands.
Best known for its three great mountains - the Paps of Jura - the island also has its own whisky. Jura has long been an isolated retreat, and it was this that attracted George Orwell to write his novel 1984 here. Colonsay may be the smallest of the three islands, but this does nothing to blunt its appeal. Islay Studios. Islay Pipe Band. THE ILEACH :: THE INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER FOR ISLAY + JURA.
The Islay Festival | Welcome. West Islay Tidal.