SCOTCH TOM McLELLAN With thanks to the monks Part of the beauty of Oban,
Scotland, is that you can have a fish supper by the harbour wall, take a quick spin around the Oban distillery, which is nestled right in the centre of town, and still have time to take the 15-minute walk to the Caledonian MacBrayne ferry, which will transport you about 100 miles southwest to the island of Islay. Islay is mostly composed of peat.
The water, therefore, is brown and not too enticing. Winter gales drive the ocean salt spray far inland, and this obviously saturates the peat, which is then dried again by a salty,
seaweed-induced breeze. And of course this is what helps to define the unique characteristics of the whiskies of Islay. There are eight distilleries on
Islay, all on the rugged coast of the island, and all battered by strong salty sea winds. Amongst the Islay products are
the strongest flavoured of all malt whiskies. You either like them or you hate them. The Southern Distilleries,
Ardbeg, Laphroaig, and Lagavullin, are the most potent, producing what’s considered medium-bodied whiskies,
saturated with peat-smoke, brine and iodine. And they are not cheap. The Northern Islay distilleries,
Bruichladdich, and Bunnahabhain, are, relatively speaking, much milder. The main difference is that they draw their water directly from the spring, before it has a chance to come in contact with the island’s peaty soil. They also use light or un-peated barley. The resulting whiskies are much
lighter-flavoured, mossy as opposed to peaty, but still with some hints of seaweed, nuts and the unique “dry finish”.
Bowmore, in the middle of the
island, right on the shores of Loch Indaal, stands between the two extremes: hint of peat, with some toffee, some floral scents, and traces of linseed oil. Caol Ila, although close to Bunnahabhain, is home to a more delicate, greenish malt, with floral notes and a peppery finish. As with most of Scotland, it’s not
just the whisky that attracts people from all over the world. The history and geography of Islay is every bit as fascinating as the distilling of Islay’s peaty water. It’s believed that Irish monks
first introduced the art of distillation to Islay in the fourteenth century. On Islay they found all they needed with unlimited supplies of peat, lochs, rivers and streams all filled with pure soft water. From standing stones to rugged
carved stone crosses, the history of Islay is evident everywhere you go. But it’s the malt liquid that most
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