myguideBritain Blog

Whisky or Whiskey?

November 21st, 2007

I used to live in Louisville, Kentucky and my first daughter was born there so it holds a warm place in my heart. It was in Loretto, Kentucky on a bright autumn day of that year that I discovered hard liquor ….. and Maker’s Mark is still my whisky of choice. Try it and be convinced.

With an increasing number of our Guests looking for whisky tours of Scotland I decided that a bourbon drinker from Wales should really see for himself if these Scottish malts really compared to the smooth elixir from Loretto.With only a few days to sample as many malts as possible I headed for Islay (pronounced I-la not Iss-lay) and Jura where you’ll find the greatest concentration of malt whisky distilleries in Scotland namely Ardbeg, Lagavulin, Laphroaig, Bowmore, Bruichladdich, Caol Ila, Bunnahabhain and Jura in a few square miles. So I boarded a flight from Bristol to Glasgow before renting a car to drive to Islay. There is a 35 minute flight from Glasgow to Islay but unfortunately it was full on the day I wanted to travel. Not to worry as any drive in Scotland is worth it for the scenery. Glasgow airport is located on the west side of the city and very convenient for a quick getaway northwards on the A82. I travelled along Loch Lomond before turning west onto the A83 and over the “Rest and be thankful” towards Inveraray. “Rest and be thankful” is the highest point along this stretch of road and so named by the old drovers who were thankful that they had made it up the steep climb when they sat down to rest. Nothing complicated about these old Scots. The route has been changed a little these days, it’s not as steep but still a good climb.

Onwards through Lochgilphead and Tarbert on Loch Fyne to Kennacraig for the ferry to Islay. Kennacraig is no more than a jetty on West Loch Tarbert with a Caledonian Macbrayne Ferry ticket office so be warned if you’re expecting a town when driving to the terminal. The journey from the airport will take two and a half hours but it’s difficult to drive this road without stopping for some sightseeing so estimate three hours to be on the safe side. By the time you check your car in for the ferry and get settled to wait for the boat to arrive your metamorphosis will have started. By now you’ll have ceased to be a tourist. You’ll now be an Islay whisky pilgrim chatting enthusiastically to fellow pilgrims from all over the world, that will be also waiting for the ferry with you, about whisky - the fact that you may not be an expert will not matter. You’re all there for one thing and one thing only - malt whisky. In my case I befriended a group of five Swedes who seemed to have an encyclopedic knowledge of Islay whiskies and came over on their pilgrimage every couple of years. On this occasion they were attending the Bruichladdich Academy were they were going to learn about the whisky process by working alongside the distillery craftsmen, getting hands on experience and staying in the distillery manager’s house. They were paying around $1500 each for this unique experience. Paying to work - these guys were serious pilgrims!

The ferry takes a couple of hours- just enough time to get some pie and chips with a mug of tea and take in some of the scenery on deck before getting to Islay. It will take you to either Port Askaig or Port Ellen depending on time of year and time of ferry. It doesn’t really matter as the island is small. I stayed in the small 7 room Harbour Hotel in Bowmore but there are some other good hotels (Port Charlotte, Bridgend and Machrie) as well as numerous good B&B’s on the island as well. None are very large so booking early is a must.

Islay is also a mecca for birdwatchers as it has an amazing number of geese that winter there as well as Golden eagles, peregrine falcons and many other species. So if you’re a bird watching whisky drinker you’ll be in your seventh heaven.

How to plan the whisky sampling day (or days if you’re lucky). Although it’s a small island a car is by far the most practical way to get around if you have a limited amount of time. Biking would be fun as the island is relatively flat apart from the hill up from the ferry terminal at Port Askaig. The bus is OK but you’ll spend a long time waiting around for it. The only problem with the car of course is that whisky sampling and driving don’t mix. This is where a wife who dislikes the taste of whisky comes in useful. I’d convinced mine to come with me based on the following promises(A) We’d be staying in a nice Hotel with good food (B) there was great scenery (C)there were excellent craft shops on the island and (D)I’d be paying.

I’ll not go through a description and events in each distillery other than to say that all the tours are very good and that they market themselves very well. Make sure that you check visitor opening times on the distilleries’ web sites as not all distilleries are open to the public for the whole year. I did not get onto Jura to visit that distillery but if you do go it’s a very short ferry crossing from Port Askaig.

A financial warning: You’ll end up buying some limited edition bottles of whisky that you would have never dreamt of buying if you had not just been on a distillery tour (Great for sharing with friends when you get back home though). My favourite distillery was Bruichladdich. My favourite whisky was Laphroaig with its seaweedy taste. By sheer coincidence Laphroaig mature their whisky in barrels that they import from the USA. Yes folks you’ve guessed it…… in charred American Oak barrels from Makers Mark in Loretto, Kentucky.

As for “whisky” and “whiskey”; in Scotland it’s whisky, in the USA it’s whiskey. Apart from in Loretto where they use the word whisky, in deference to the Scottish malt.

If you want to take part in a live on-line whisky tasting then head on over to Laphroaig Live at 8.00pm GMT tonight where friends of Laphroaig are hoping to host the world’s largest on-line tasting. Should be fun…..see you there!

And what of Makers Mark and Laphroaig? I’d say that the the Americans do excel at some things!….Now where did I put that Mint Julep?

Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

Entry Filed under: All of Britain, Scotland, Wales