Port Ellen, Islay - Whisky 🥃 Galore! 02 August 2023

 


Islay is definitely a whisky island, maybe THE Whisky Island.  So, whether we liked it or not, we were obliged to visit a distillery or three.  There is nowhere better to do this than from Port Ellen.  It has a walk following the road but separate from it, from the town, for three miles, that takes in three (world famous) distilleries.

A mile from town is Laphroaig, another mile brings you to Lagavulin, and the third mile gets you to Ardbeg. Whisky aficionados drool over these names (a  German woman walking the Camino in northern Spain this April told me she loved me because I have been to Ardbeg!).  Not only are the whiskies good, but the distilleries are beautifully kept and lovely places to visit (honestly, the free samples have not influenced this consideration). 

Laphroaig distillery
where we had free samples, a bottle of Lore was bought,
free coffee, and wonderful atmosphere sitting both inside and outside.

Lagavulin distillery
with lovely whisky, though a bit pricey, and a nice bar
(remarkably busy given that it was before lunch).  
We didn’t have any samples here.


Ardbeg Distillery
where a sample was had along with lunch from a trailer in the yard.
We watched huge barrels of 2004 whisky being rolled in a warehouse
where the whisky was due to be put into different barrels for further maturing

Along the route there is abundant evidence of the importance of whisky to local life.  

The future Port-an-Truin Distillery
a massive structure that shows there is definitely money in whisky.
There were also huge new warehouses being built along the route for
the Laphroaig Distillery. Money no object!


And, of course, the taxman will get his share!


Pulled pork, Cajun chicken and sandwiches from the trailer cafe at Ardbeg.
Yummy. 

A lovely walk back to Port Ellen, with Spotted Flycatchers along the way (a real treat) and good weather (a real change) followed by dinner aboard with a glass of grape juice.

Port Ellen bird list is quite modest at just 23 species  

Our route:  



















































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