2011 in review

Posted on January 1, 2012

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

A New York City subway train holds 1,200 people. This blog was viewed about 5,900 times in 2011. If it were a NYC subway train, it would take about 5 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

Not bad for a wee blog like this in it’s first year !

Thank You to the Many people who visited during 2011 and i hope to see you back soon , have a very Happy and Prosperous 2012 !

The Best of the Year

Posted on December 2, 2011

On the Old Spirit of Islay Site at the end of the year i used to do a sort of yearly awards so i thought why not do it here ! So here are the things that we thoroughly enjoyed this year and we thought deserved some recognition in the 2011 Islay Visits Awards……..

Islay Distillery Bottling of the Year - Not a lot of new releases this year , a few specials and a few relaunches . My favourite has been the Lagavulin Jazz festival Bottling . A 1993 ex-bodega Sherry cask selected by Iain MacArthur . A stunning Lagavulin that shows off the distillery characteristics to a tee !

Islay Independent Bottling - There were quite a few candidates in this one , including ones from the SMWS , Whiskybrokers 20yo Islays and the Queen of the Moorlands 10yo Bruichladdich , all worthy winners ! But it was one that sneaked in at the last moment that stole it . We went to The Whisky Lounges Islay Blind Fury 2 Tasting recently , sitting in glass No.4 was a beaut , dark colour compared to the rest and then when we tried it we both said Old Sherried Bunnahabhain ! So our Fav in this section is Berrys own 1979 Bunnahabhain Cask #1795 at 54.7% . The perfect Christmas day dram ! We managed to track down a bottle of this and if you can find one i would say grab it with both hands !!! Doug , Rob and the gang at BBR have managed to find a classic , Sherry aged , Bunnahabhain that is getting up to the standard of The famous Auld Acquaintance .

The 1979 with a brace of the current 1990

Non-Islay Distillery Bottling of the Year – Not had a great deal of these but there is one distillery that had 3 i had a great deal of difficulty choosing between . It was a choice between their Distillers Choice (a stunning 4yo ) , A 10yo from a 2001 single sherry butt and a 1992 18yo from a sherry butt . In the end i went for the 10yo , simply because its a stunner filled with the New owners spirit . Raymond has been putting out some fantastic bottlings of the spirit he’s distilled since he bought Bladnoch and this is probably the best !
Non-Islay Independent Bottling – Only one winner here ! from the SMWS 7.67 ‘Breakfast Dram’ , a killer 7yo Longmorn at 61.4% (all the best drams are bottled at 61.4%….) , This is so good i bought 4 ! Very drinkable at 7yo and at that strength .
Best Meal on Islay – This year we’ve had some very disappointing meals on Islay (some verging on inedible ) which is strange as the food is usually to a very high standard on the Isle . Luckily the Bridgend Hotel came to our rescue , In September we took some of our friends out for a meal here to celebrate my 50th birthday , They’d just took a new chef on , Kevin , and he has set up a superb menu . We had a fantastic meal (see the September visit report) . It was so good we went back later in the Holiday and bumped into others who had been with us doing the same ! And we’ll be back on future visits…….
Tasting of the Year - Only one winner here , The Johnstons Choice at Laphroaig Distillery , The host David was great , the Whisky Superb and Mel found some Laphroaigs she liked !
Event of the Year (outside a normal tour) - My 50th Birthday ! Fantastic Company , Great malts , great tours on Islay and the remains of a hurricane ! A fun filled two weeks for sure !
Islay Distillery of the year – Has to be Bunnahabhain . The owners finally got their arses in gear and turned the standard bottlings 46.3% , NCF and uncoloured . Took the 18yo up another notch and made the 25 worth spending so much money on ! It’s not the prettiest looking of distilleries but it has 3 important things……. Really nice people working there , A great view and most importantly , Stunning Whisky ! A vastly under-rated Distillery , not just on Islay , that has produced some of the all time greats , The 65 and 66 Feis ile , The Auld Acquaintance , the 1990 Feis Ile , not forgetting a lot of independently bottled stuff .

September 2011 Visit

Posted on September 29, 2011

So once again we head back to Islay for our Annual fortnight on the Isle . This time slightly later than usual due to us celebrating my 50^th Birthday and to a new place , Maol Buidhe , due to Bunnahabhain having stopped the rental of their Cottages . Maol Buidhe is situated at the other end of the Isle on the South Shore just along from Ardbeg Distillery .

Saturday 10th

We set off at our usual departure time of 4.30am , the weather was fine on the East Coast but by the time we hit the west we were in showers / wind /low cloud . When we arrived at Kennacraig it wasn’t too bad infact by the time we were sailing down West Loch Tarbert it was sunny !

(Click on any of the photos to see larger version)

The new ferry Finlaggan isn’t too bad , apart from the Tacky lighting feature in the downstairs bar area and what i consider to be a slight oversight these days given the amount of money spent , NO Wi-fi ! One thing they could look into is an announcement before it docks for people parked on the Mezz Deck , so they know what to do and also an announcement to tell people to be sharpish in getting back to their cars so the rest of us waiting can off the boat !

Anyway when we did get ashore the weather was sunny with a strong wind . We drove straight down to the cottage , got settled in , had something to eat then drank !

As this is a special Birthday i’ve brought some bottles with me i’ve been keeping to open on this occasion , i can now hear people saying “do you know how much that is worth on the Secondary market ?!?!?! “ Yup i f*$&ing do and i bought it to drink it not make money on it ! So onto the first one……

Bruichladdich 1970 Valinch Cask #5085

Distilled Dec 1970 , Bottled 29^th May 2001 at 47.3% From a Bourbon cask . A lovely Golden Syrup colour , the nose is of a wonderful old , well matured Laddie , bags of oak spices and vanilla , very citrusy , a dram you could smell for ever and a day . Quite fruity as well , an English summer green fruit salad . On the palate it again is very spicy , quite oaky but in a nice way , again very fruity , apples and pears , apples with cinnamon . The finish is long , spicy and oaky with a hint of citrus at the end . The 1970 O.b. is one of my favourite Laddie releases , this single cask is another step up from it , if you’ve got one of these squirreled away , open it , you are in for a nice surprise . If you had one of these and you sold it on , no matter what price you got , you don’t know what you’ve missed .

Sunday 11th

Woke up to a howling wind and rain , after a lie in and breakfast we headed off to pick up some supplies at Bridgend and Bowmore . There was a brief lull in the rain but it’s been persistent all day , heavy one minute , the fine drizzle the next . We’ve decided just to spend the rest of the day in the cottage , get the home fires burning and pour some drams ! After something to eat of course…..

I Beg your Pardon….. What could be better on a Wet and Windy Autumn Evening on Islay in front of a real fire than a Handful of Begs……

Very Old Ardbeg 30yo

Bottled in 1996 at 30yo ( Aah 1966 , a good year for the English not so good for the Scottish……), i love the old fashioned style of label , looks old before you even try it ! An Amberish colour , the nose is a wonderful Ardbeg Iodine , no peat at all , again the palate is iodine but with an oakiness , very silky across the palate with a slight touch of oak spices , very warming . The finish is medium with iodine and a touch of spices . A wonderful Dram ,not lacking at 40% but still makes you wonder “What if they’d bottled it at…… ?”

Ardbeg Kildalton 1980 24yo Lightly Peated

Bottled for the Committee in 2004 at 57.6% , a lovely burnished Gold colour , the nose is very un-Ardbegish , very fruity , Malty and biscuity . The highlight of the nose is definitely the fruitiness , apples and pears bursting out all over the place . The Plate does have a touch of the peat and smoke underneath a fruitiness . There is also a hint of chocolate and cocoa . The finish is long and beautiful with green fruits . A cracking aged dram , not what you’d expect from an Ardbeg .

Ardbeg Committee Reserve

Another Committee Bottling , Made up of Ardbeg from the 1970’s , 1980’s and 1990’s , vatted into 3000 bottles at 55.3% . Again a burnished gold colour , a right old mixture of Ardbeg Smells , peat , smoke , iodine , chocolate , coffee…….. along with Marzipan and cloves ! The palate is youthful and elderly , the peaty youthfulness and the elderly iodine . The finish is long , warming , peaty and chocolate . An Ardbeg with everything !

Ardbeg Renaissance

The End of the Peaty path , a 10yo Ardbeg at Caskstrength (55.9%) from 1^st Fill Bourbon Barrels . Well where do you start , straw in colour , a fantastic Ardbeg nose , a classic Ardbeg palate , a whopping Ardbeg finish . I once gave this 9.95 out of 10 at a tasting , i know why , this is a fantastic Ardbeg , on the nose bags of peat , creamy fudge , cocoa , seashore and dunnage warehouse . On the palate Peat , smoke , Cocoa , Dark chocolate , creamy , wonderful ! Fantastic finish……. Heaven !

Ardbeg Feis Ile

This years Feis Ile bottling , 2 PX matured casks , hence the lovely amber colour . The nose is a perfect mix of Ardbeg Spirit and sherry casks , very smoky , dry and sherried . The palate is very dry , sherry , chocolate , peat and gorgeous . finish is long , dry , sherry and peaty chocolate . Absolutely gorgeous , a stunning example of an Ardbeg matured away from the usual Bourbon / Sherry casks .

Monday 12^th

Let the wind blow High , let the wind blow low…… with the remains of Hurricane Katia on our door step it was a wee bit windy ! After a trip into Port Ellen we headed along to The Old Kiln for lunch with Serge Valentin and his wife and Mark Gillespie of Whiskycast fame . On arrival we found a few familiar faces in the OK due to a Ardbeg Embassies trip including Martin Grant from MHUK and Arthur Motley from RMW . The lunch got off to a good start with a try of the recently released Alligator , i thought it tasted better than the Committee release but i was informed by my learned friends it was exactly the same spirit batch ! We ordered lunch and then the electric went off !!! We managed to get some of it (The Crab Chowder , Lamb Burgers , salad but Serge had to change his Baked Tattie ) . After a couple of drams i’d took along , Jackie appeared with a couple of Cask samples for us to try , a 1999 12yo 1^st fill and a 1999 12yo refill , that the Embassy mob had been comparing . Must say they were both stunning , i slightly preferred the 1^st fill , very Renaissance-y .

It was great catching up with Serge again after 6 years and finally meeting his wife , it was a pleasure meeting Mark in the flesh after so long talking over the internet and listening to his excellent WhiskyCast . We headed back to the Cottage for another Evening of Real fire and Islay Drams…..

Port Charlotte 4yo Cask R23

Decided to bring a new bottle of this with me to open up on the Isle , what can i say…… Best port Charlotte ever…..So far…… Wonderful nose , like an old dunnage warehouse at first then Maltiness and peat smoke . Delightful ! The palate is a dry smoky maltiness and a dry peat , very pleasant and tastes a lot older than it’s age . The finish is very long , dry with a smooth smokiness .

Caol Ila 10yo Unpeated Style

Bottled in 2009 at a whopping 65.8% . A pale gold in colour , the full strength nose is very fruity , green fruits , caramel and shortbread biscuit . The palate is quite strong (obviously !) , needs reducing , so with water it brings out the fruitiness . The finish is long and slightly sweet , nearly opal fruitish (that’s Starbursts for the youngsters…..) . A very nice dram from a distillery that doesn’t usually fail to deliver !

Tuesday 13^th

Woke up again to rain and wind , the left overs from yesterdays storm , it looks like it’s going to be like this all day . Today is the first of the booked tours , first up is the Laphroaig ‘Johnstons Choice’ Tasting so after lunch at The Old Kiln we headed off to a busy Laphroaig for the 3pm appointment . There were only 4 of us on this tasting hosted by David , a former warehouseman . We were given 4 drams to try….

Laphroaig 10yo 40%
Laphroaig 25yo 48.6%
Laphroaig Cairdeas 2008 Feis ile 55%
Laphroaig Cairdeas 30yo 43%

David talked us through what made up each expression , the original tasting notes and gave us a few pointers on how to enjoy each one , loved the tip for the Feis Ile bottling involving putting water in the palate then drinking the whisky through it , really brought out the full Laphroaig flavours in that one . Obviously our opinions were asked and given , it was a nice relaxed tasting intermixed with stories from David , a great way to spend a late afternoon with some fantastic whisky and a bargain for £25 . After purchasing the latest 10yo Cask strength batch (003) and a few other bits and pieces we headed back to the Cottage for a bit more Laphroaig…..

Laphroaig 10yo 40%

A lot better than the last 10yo i tried , seems to be regaining more of it’s former glory , getting more of the medicinalness on the nose , farmyard and nettles (don’t know why i started finding this from ) , also seems to be a lot more peaty . Pretty much the same on the palate with a long warming finish , now if only they’d go the full hog and bump it up to 46% without the chill filtering……. Was very surprised to see Mel drinking this one !

Laphroaig 25yo 48.6%

Was taken slightly aback by this one as the last 25yo i tried wasn’t too clever , this is superb ! Still holds a slight ‘Laphroaig’ taste to it , the nose is quite fruity with a hint of medicinalness , pear drops definitely shine through along with a slight sherry hint , The palate very medicinal again with the farmyard / nettles thing and green fruits . again a lovely long and warming finish . Mel liked this one too .

Laphroaig Cairdeas 2008 Feis ile 55%

Have a bottle (or two) of this one , an excellent Laphroaig , Very medicinal , seashore , peaty , ozone etc etc . Mel wasn’t too hot on this one probably because she knew what was coming next……

Laphroaig Cairdeas 30yo 43%

30 years in a sherry cask can make or break a spirit , thankfully this one was the former ! Where do you start ? A delightfully fruity nose , lots of red berries , not overly sherried . The palate is classic Christmas cake with loads of dried fruit and again red berries then in the finish there is a blast of Laphroaig medicinalness and a hint of peat , wonderful ! Mels favourite of the tasting , she always does like old things…..

Wednesday 14^th

We woke up to beautiful sunshine this morning , totally different to the previous 2 days , at least it gave us a chance to have a look at our surroundings and local fauna before heading off to todays festivities .

Our home sweet home this fortnight .

Geese flying over the bay (took handheld at full 300mm zoom)

Cormorant over the bay (took handheld at full 300mm zoom)

Butterfly

We headed off to the other side of the Island for the Afternoon Managers tour of Kilchoman . We went over early to have some lunch in their cafe beforehand . The tour was took by someone we’ve come to know quite well over the years during our frequent visits to the Isle , John Mac lellan , it was good to see him again and as always his tour was informative and humourous . This is the first real tour we’ve done of Kilchoman and it was good to see the different methods and approaches of the distillery . It ended with a tasting in the warehouse of New make and a 2006 cask sample and trying two of the recent releases in the visitors centre , the 2011 spring release and the 100% Islay release (50%abv) . It will be interesting to see how the single malt develops over the years .

On our way back to the cottage we stopped off in Port Ellen to see a good friend of ours Ella Edgar and find out how her retirement was going and how her recent rubbing shoulders with royalty went .

On our return to the cottage we got an answer to a question that had been bugging us….. We noticed some animal poo on the grass and we wondered what had deposited it…..it’s amazing the conversations you have in remote cottages when you’re on holiday…… as we pulled up to the cottage we seen the culprits on the lawn……. Deer ! The ran off straight away . The local Animals seemed to go wild after the recent storms tonight . We had bats flying over head , some strange sounds coming from the bay , what sounded like deer rutting coming over the fields and a ginger cat appeared from nowhere !

Like late last night , tonight we had a beautiful moon lit night , last night at about midnight i tried to take some photos but i cocked up the manual focusing , tonight i done a wee bit better , yes that is the full moon…….

Thursday 15^th

We were spoilt this morning to wake up to our second day of beautiful Islay sunshine ! Today we were booked into the afternoon Warehouse tour at Lagavulin with Pinkie . Now as followers of this blog will know from past visits it’s always a good idea to have a good meal before doing one of Iains Warehouse demonstrations (isn’t it Willie !) so we felt it was our duty to go to the Old Kiln again for lunch on the way along . Mel once again went for the Crab Chowder (she really likes it ) and had an old favourite to follow , Baked Tattie with Prawn Marie Rose . I went for the new edition to the menu , Venison Sausages in a 5 bean gravy with a mash which was very nice and also extremely filling ! I got a bit of a surprise at the Distillery when Janey appeared with a parcel that had been delivered there for me , addressed to ‘Gordon (Auld Yin) Homer’ , what was it and who was if from ? Well you’ll have to wait to find out……We then headed off in the direction of Lagavulin .

The one good thing about staying on the South Shore (apart from having 3 of the best distilleries in the world on your doorstep !) is the fantastic scenery as you walk between the aforementioned distilleries , you get some cracking views of the distilleries , remote bays , views across bays to the mainland and if you’re really lucky you see some of the fantastic wildlife Islay has to offer .

When you walk along from Ardbeg to Lagavulin you climb a small hill (if you can call it that ) where you get to see one of my favourite views of Ardbeg Distillery .

Upon reaching the top you get your first view of Lagavulin Village and Distillery .

It is a beautiful walk along the road , especially if you do the full 3 miles from Port Ellen to Ardbeg along the rugged coastline , breathe taking in places and it gives you a chance to drink in the landscape that has formed the 3 South Shore distilleries characters without speeding along past it in a car .

We eventually got to Lagavulin and went into the warehouse for Iains demonstration . Once again Iain was in top form , he never fails to deliver , the whiskies tried this time were……

10yo from a 2^nd fill cask
14yo from a 4^th fill cask
18yo from an ex-sherry cask
1994 Distillers edition
Distillery only bottling

On the way out we purchased one of the Distillery only Bottlings and also a Caol Ila Moch . We then had a pleasant walk back to the Cottage where we settled down for a relaxing evening with a few drams .

The Lagavulin Warehouse Tour Drams….

10yo from a 2^nd fill cask – Pale Gold in Colour , very young smelling initially , quite peaty . The palate is quite fiery and peppery with very peaty undertones . The Lagavulin character isn’t quite there yet but it is definitely an Islay .

14yo from a 4^th fill cask – Straw in colour , the nose is quite closed at first , then a soft peatiness emerges with a stronger smokiness . On the palate it is very peaty but with a more distinct Lagavulin taste than the nose , the finish is long and peaty . Hasn’t taken much from the cask still a touch spirity .

18yo from an ex-sherry cask – Burnished gold in the glass , this is more like it , a lovely sherried smokiness on the nose , The palate is classic Laga , sweet and smoky . This one was very popular on the tour .

Distillery Only Bottling – This is the same stuff that goes into the Distillers Edition , spirit that was left over and matured for an extra period and bottled at Cask Strength . A lovely smooth Lagavulin , very dark fruits and smokiness with a nice long finish . On the tour you were given the choice of this one or the DE , we went for 1 each to compare and quickly came to the conclusion that this was the better dram .

Friday 16^th

The last day of my 49^th year , a fairly quiet one , drive up to Bowmore for some supplies , lunch at a very busy Old Kiln Cafe and then back to the Cottage for a relaxing night of drams .

The Birthday Drams !

Seeing it’s a special Birthday i’ve been keeping back some special bottles for the occasion , i’ve opened some up as the weeks progressed but last night i went for the final three……..

Gordon and Macphails 1961 Glen Grant Bottled 2011 40%

A lovely Ruby Red colour in the glass , loads of red fruits on the nose , oaky spices and sherry trifle , a very relaxed nose . On the palate a lovely balance between the sherry , spirit and wood , again red berries , spices and what can only be described as the bottom of the sherry trifle (the jelly and sherry soaked sponge ) . The finish is medium with dry sherry and oak spices . A lovely dram for it’s age , very drinkable .

Bunnahabhain Auld Acquaintance

Distilled in 1968 , bottled in 2002 at 43.8% , 1 of 2002 bottles . Deep Amber in colour , a wonderful nose , the archetypical Christmas cake , cake dough , dried fruit , bags of sherry , there is also more than a hint of Bunnahabhain sweetness . A seriously superb sherry palate ! Beautiful mouthfeel , lots of dark fruits , sherry and cola cube sweets , very aromatic and spices . A lovely long sherry finish , with Christmas spices . This is possibly the most perfect sherried Bunnahabhain ever if not best sherried malt ever . Absolutely perfect , if i scored it would be in the very high 90’s…..

Old Malt Cask 1967 Ardbeg Bottled 2000 49%

Amber in colour , the nose is an un-mistakable Ardbeg , a lovely soft Ardbeg-dine mingles with a vanilla – spiceness , another gorgeous mouthfeel , still quite lively , again a mixture of Ardbeg-dine and spices , quite a classic Ardbeg taste Mmmmm….. The finish is medium , very pleasant and really Ardbegish . Another fabulous old Beg from the 60’s .

Very Old Ardbeg 30yo

Previous Notes……

Bruichladdich 1970 Valinch Cask #5085

Port Charlotte 4yo Cask R23

7.57 SMWS 25yo Longmorn ‘Hallelujah Dram’

Haven’t got around to writing up notes for this one but it is an Excellent Longmorn……

Saturday 17^th

The big 5-0 has been reached ! Woke up to another day of Sunshine and Showers , Didn’t really do a lot during the day except for a trip down to Port Ellen . After a pre-meal drink at the Cottage we headed off to the Bridgend Hotel with our guests for the night Ella , Mickey and Margaret and Jackie and Dugga . Unfortunately two others couldn’t make it for the night , Mary from Laddie and Ian Gray . The Menu for the meal was brand new due to the chef having just started for the Bridgend (it’s the chef who was going to be working at the New Islay Hotel and used to work in the Old Kiln but it’s a complicated Islay story how he ended up here…..but all i can say is The Islays loss is the Bridgends gain) . Once again we were made to feel very welcome by Lorna and her staff and to say the food was excellent is an understatement . After a few rounds of drinks from ourselves and Mickey we sat down for the meal . For starters Mel and Ella had the Crab chowder , Myself , Mickey and Dugga had the Rannoch Venison , Margaret and Jackie had the smoked Salmon . For mains Dugga and Ella had the Steak , Mel and Myself had the Duck – cherry jus and honey roasted vegetables , Jackie had the Chicken breast with Mango salsa and corn cake , Margaret went for the Goats cheese and Mickey went for the Halibut with sauted savoy cabbage and mash . Not everyone had a pudding , Mel , Mickey and Ella went for Lemon Posset with Cinnamon shortbread biscuits and i went for the Chocolate Tart ! Ella treat us to a cheese selection with a Port later on .

Like i said the food was superb , and the company was excellent , The wine courtesy of Jackie and Dugga and ourselves and the fine aged Islay Malts flowed all night , there was great craic around the table , we even got to hear lots of stories about Islay past , Ella should definitely sit down and write a book , They were just as good if not better than some of Islays legendary Storytellers . Many thanks to them all for a fantastic night and some splendid gifts , The Glass Painting and cask end from all at Ardbeg . The New Laddie 10yo (hot off the bottling line last Sunday ) off Mary and the Bunnahabhain 18yo from Ella .

Sunday 18^th

This Sunday we woke up to a total contrast to last Sunday , Beautiful sunshine , so good i got up early and went down to the shoreline to take some photos . After a brief visit back to bed , we finally got up , had some breakfast and went for our first proper walk of the holidays along the south shore as far as the old Hotel . Plenty of deer about , the odd seal and a Herd (?) of Peacocks . It was very Mediterranean as we went from bay to bay .

Bruichladdich 10yo 46%

Distilled 11/09/01 , Bottled 11/09/11 . The ‘Bruichladdich’ spirit has reached 10yo (They didn’t start distilling it till 4 months after the official opening) , a honey-gold in colour , the nose is quite young to start with then it becomes quite fruity , Green fruits initially (Apples , pears) then Melon , at the end fudge and malt come through . The palate feels more robust (if that’s the word , there’s more of it…..) than previous 10yo’s , rich and silky , it’s sweet at first , very honeyed , fudge , a touch of lemon and a hint of maltiness . The finish is medium with a nice warmness and sweetness . I must admit when i first tried this i wasn’t impressed with it . i think the initial nose of youthfulness put me off , but…… after the third try of it i’m liking it…..not as much as the 1970 tried earlier in the Holidays though .

7.57 SMWS Longmorn 25yo ‘Hallelujah dram’ 58.7%

From a refill hogshead , A beautiful polished gold in colour , an incredible fruitiness greets the nose , exotic fruits like mangos and pineapples , bags of vanilla , very fresh and satisfying . The palate carries on where the nose left off , a lovely sweet fruitness , quite honeyed as well , again vanilla . This one fair dances across the mouth , wonderful ! A lovely long honeyed finish with exotic fruits . You can see why Longmorn is much sought after for top dressing in blends , it is a top class malt , just a shame it’s not available more than the 16yo O.b. and the odd rare I.b.

Monday 19^th

We woke up to quite a nice day , we had lunch in The Lochside – which had recently changed hands – it’s the first time we had eaten in there for a good few years and to be honest we won’t be returning in a hurry……

We then drove down to Bunnahabhain to catch up with Lillian and pick up what was originally one bottle but soon turned into 2 ! After trying the 25yo i decided to treat myself to one for my birthday . It was good to catch up with the happenings at one of my favourite distillery and find out everythings going well and they’d been very busy .

The Bunnahabhain 25yo and the 2011 Feis Ile bottling

It was a nice drive out and back to Bunnahabhain and it made us realise how much we were missing the Cottages down there but life goes on….. We continued on what turned out to be an afternoon of catching up , we headed to the Islay House square to pick up some beer at the Islay Brewery and see how Paul and Steve were getting on . 6 bottles of Angus Og later and we called in on Mark Unsworth and his wife at the Islay Studios and admire his amazing work while having a natter .

We then headed back to Bowmore to buy a few supplies and have an early meal in the Golden Dragon . It was our first visit to Islays only Chinese Restaurant and it won’t be our last ! The food is excellent , we struggled with the size of portion to be honest , We started with a shared plate of appetisers (ribs , prawn toast etc) then i had a Chicken Kubo and Mel had Chilli Chicken . Full and satisfied we headed back to Maol Buidhe .

Tuesday 20^th

We had a well laid out plan for today . Lunch at Ardbeg (damn , that Crab Chowder is so good…..) then head off to Bridgend for a walk through the woods , Bridgend is where it fell apart , while filling the car up with petrol it started chucking it down with rain ! So instead we went for a drive down the Rhinns to Portnahaven . It’s a nice circular drive down the Loch Indaal shore then back up the Atlantic coast . The sea was a bit rough especially down at Portnahaven …..

We do like this drive and ended the way we usually do…..with a drink in the Bar of the Port Charlotte Hotel ! So then it was back to Bowmore again for a meal , this time an Indian (we’re on Holiday so we can eat out a lot !) , i went for a Lamb Passanda and Mel for a Garlic Chicken . After last nights excellent Chinese this meal was a little disappointing .

Then it was back to the Cottage…….

Purchases , Pick ups and gifts…..so far……

Wednesday 21st

A long lie in this morning , probably the best thing to do giving the wind and rain we woke up to . When we did get up we headed up to Bowmore to get some provisions and pop in to see Ailsa at Spirited Soaps to get a good supply of her Bunnahabhain Seafarers soap . We then drove back down the Isle and popped in to Ardbeg for a cup of tea and a dessert , i had the Irish Cream Cheesecake and Mel had the Apple Crumble . Mickey gave us a try of a rather interesting 5yo from a 1^st Fill Cask , very nice for such a young whisky . Mel picked up a green hooded jacket while we were there , she looks very nice in it…..

For tea we had an excellent Sirloin Steak from Billys in Bowmore , there’s just something totally different about locally reared beef from the stuff you get in supermarkets , so much more tastier ! The rest of the evening was spent along at Port Ellen doing a bit of surfing on the internet and back at the cottage enjoying a few Lagavulins…..

Lagavulin 1993 Jazz Festival 2011Bottling 55.4%

From a Bodega Sherry Cask #355 filled 08/02/1993 , bottled 2011 . Specially selected by Iain MacArthur , the colour of Autumn russet leaves , the initial nose is of dying embers in a fire , then peated sherry and finally peat smoke . The palate is quite sweet at first , then the Lagavulin smoke emerges . The sherry and the spirit are very well balanced , neither over-powering , it does actually remind me more of it’s easterly next door neighbour than a Lagavulin . The finish is medium , sweet and smoky . A very nice and unusual Laga (i can’t remember ever having a straight sherry matured Laga – apart from in a warehouse tasting ).

Thursday 22nd

Another lazy day (don’t you just love them on Holidays !) after a quick call into Bowmore for one last supplies pick up , we called in to see Paul and Joan at An Taigh Osda to say hello and catch up with the going ons at Islays only Boutique Hotel . The Evening was spent at the Bridgend Hotel enjoying another fine meal . We just went for mains this time , Melanie went for the Sirloin Steak and i had the Poached Halibut with a Seafood Bisque , Prawn Mousseline and savoy cabbage . Once again Kevin came up trumps with the food . We also bumped into Mickey and Margaret who’d also made a return visit for a meal . Afterwards we went for a drive along to Kildalton in the dark to try and spot any nocturnal wildlife , i think they’d all gone to bed early…….

Friday 23rd

Our last full days of the Holiday and once more we headed to Ardbeg for lunch at the Old Kiln . I started with the Cullen Skink and then had the Islay Steak and Ale Pie , Melanie just went for the Bolognese and pasta . After lunch and a few drams we went for a little walk , Earlier in the holiday we’d spotted another pier from the Jetty of the Cottage (photo left , below) that i’d never seen before , i’d asked Mickey whos it was and he said the distilleries ! It’s where the supply ships (puffers) used to dock . We walked along to the pier and got a view towards Maol Buidhe (Photo right , below) .

The View back at the distillery from the Pier Road…..

Afterwards we returned to the Cottage to Pack and had a beautiful Venison Burger from Billys in Bowmore .

Saturday 24th

We departed from the Isle on the 9.45am ferry in beautiful Sunshine (typical !) , Another Great holiday at a special time for me .

You can see more photos at Gordon_H’s Islay Autumn 2011 Photoshop Album

Thought i’d end with a few photos of the cottages interiors…….

It’s very nice inside (and the Kitchen has tiles from Ardbeg malt flooring on the floor !) , the sun room is fantastic with a nice view down to the bay . If you want more details go to http://www.go-selfcatering.co.uk/maolbuidhecottage/ , we’ll be returning in the future !

Many Thanks to the good folks of Ardbeg , Laphroaig , Lagavulin , Kilchoman and Bunnahabhain for making our visits extra special . To Ella , Mickey , Margaret , Jackie , Dugga , Melanie and Lorna and her staff at The Bridgend Hotel for giving me a wonderful time on the night of my 50th Birthday . And to Mary , Paul and Joan for their special gifts .

Easter 2011

Posted on May 28, 2011

Saturday 23rd April

It’s time for our annual Spring week visit to Islay…… Once again we left at the early hour of 4.30am , the journey up was in a mixture of misty and rain weather wise , it wasn’t until we got close to Kennacraig it became lovely and sunny but windy . The journey over was smooth and sunny….but windy….. Arriving at Carraig Cottages we were in the perfect weather , Clear skys , sun and no wind ! We settled in , freshened up and then went off to the Port Charlotte Hotel for Tea and a drink . Mel had the Thai Red Curry , i had the Braised Lamb Shank . A pint of Angus Og and a couple of drams later ( a PC8 and a Bunnahabhain Cruach Mhona , both good drams but the Bunna definitely shades it ) we headed back to the Cottage to enjoy the evening sunshine and a few drams of Airigh Nam Beist , well i did , Mel had her usual wine .

(click on photos to see full size versions)

Sunday 24th

Our first full day on Islay , we awoke to an overcast morning , we were going to drive down to Ardbeg and have lunch at the Old Kiln but unfortunately it was shut so instead we went to the Bridgend Hotel and had Sunday lunch there . The Bridgend Hotel is one place that seems to have been getting it’s act together over the past couple of years , The Lunch was fantastic , i had the venison and Mel had the Beef , we both had the Strawberry cheesecake for pudding . We returned to the cottage in beautiful sunshine and sat outside in the lovely weather admiring the view .

Just as we were packing up to go for a short walk i finally got to meet another local who i’ve read in words on the internet , Carl Reavey , after a wee bit of a natter he continued his walk with his wife and i set off on ours with mine……

We walked along to the lighthouse , back again , along the sands to the Pier , around the bottom of the village then returned to via the Port Charlotte Hotel , not far but a nice early evening walk , we even managed to miss the otter playing in front of our cottages !!!! We decided to pop into the hotel for a bit of light refreshment , there was a band playing that night and Grahame seeing a camera asked me to take a few photos for him……

You may well see some of these photos on the walls of the Hotel in the not to distant future…….

Graham doing his finest superman impersonation……or he lost his rolls of wallpaper…… He actually gave us a song !

Drams tonight included G&M 1996 Cask Strength Caol Ila , Kilchoman Summer 2010 , QOTM Peated Bunnahabhain (82 bottles) , And an Ardbeg Uigeadail .

Monday 25th

Woke up to another sunny day on the Isle , we decided just to potter around today so headed down to Ardbeg for lunch , i had a Crab chowder soup followed by a Haggis baked potato with Clootie dumpling , Mel had a Prawn Marie Rose Baked Tattie followed by Tangy Lemon Tarte . Not often you here me complain about the food at the Old Kiln but mine could have done with a sauce rather than the Onion Marmalade , it was a tad too dry……. After catching up with Emma , Margaret and Janey we popped along to Lagavulin to book up the warehouse tour for thursday . We had a wee natter with Marjory before she headed off with a tour .

Next we popped into Laddie to see our good friend Mary , as usual she was in fine form , We even got to try the gin (Mmmmmm….) , the current valinch and the Black Arts 2 .

Tonights drams included a Laphroaig 10 , Macphails 1991 Bunnahabhain , Caol Ila 10yo Unpeated and Laphroaig 10yo CS Batch 001 .

Tuesday 26th

Yet another Glorious day on Islay , after a late breakfast we headed to the south shore to do a short walk up to Loch Iarnan , the last time we went up here we got drenched ( See here ) so it was nice to do it in lovely sunshine with a nice breeze to keep us cool .

There was a nice display of wildflowers on the way to the loch , including primroses , once at the Loch the ground under foot was wet and we only made it slightly around the back of the loch .
We headed back to the cottage afterwards and enjoyed an afternoon and early evening in the sunshine , even receiving a visit from a local cat ‘ before heading off to the Port Charlotte Hotel for a meal .

Wednesday 27th

Woke up to a beautiful clear sky this morning so we decided to head off for a late morning walk to one of our favourite places , Bridgend Woods ! There was still a bit of a chill in the breeze but once in the woods we didn’t notice it , The place was awash with bluebells , almost a carpet in places but there were still a lot to come out so it’ll be a riot of Blue when they do !

As well as the Bluebells there was also a fair smattering of Primroses and it looked like some of the Rhododendrons are about to spring into life .

We spotted quite a few butterflies around , the usual suspects and the one on the end photo which we haven’t a clue what it is .

As we were removing our boots an old friend pulled up in the car park , Ed Bates ( formerly of BBR) , we caught up and then headed off our separate ways . He was heading to Bowmore Distillery , we were going to Ardbeg for a late lunch . On arrival we bumped into Georgie Crawford the new Manageress of Lagavulin Distillery and a friend of old , hopefully we can catch up properly tomorrow on our visit . Once again it was a very nice lunch We both went for Crab Chowder , Smoked Haddock , leek and parmesan Quiche with a white chocolate and vanilla cheesecake as pudding . After a natter with Margaret , we headed off to Bowmore to pick up some supplies before returning to the cottage for a lazy evening .

Thursday 28th

An early start to the day to catch a bus down to Port Ellen , the reason ? The Lagavulin Warehouse Tour with Pinkie ! We caught the bus just outside the cottage and after a change at Bowmore got down to Port Ellen about 9.20am and set off to walk along the South Shore road . It’s a beautiful walk especially on a really nice day like today . We got along to Laphroaig when a kindly soul offered us a lift the rest of the way . Arriving too early we took a little walk further up the road and ended up at the back of the Distillery .

Once again the warehouse tour was fantastic again , Pinkie was in fine form with his usual sense of humour but i do wonder if the foreign visitors get all his jokes ? The drams were once again great and included….

New Make
10yo 2nd Refill
Mystery Cask 14yo 4th Refill
1993 Refill Sherry
1966 45yo
Lagavulin Distillery Only Bottling

After a bit of a natter with Georgie on the way out we walked along to Ardbeg for Lunch , Todays lunch was Cullen Skink soup and Baked potato for Mel , Cullen Skink , Crab Fishcakes and Clottie Dumpling for me . Superb as usual . We headed off for the bus after a catch up with Mickey and returned to the cottage . After a freshen up and a bit sun worshiping we went off to the PCH for a bite to eat (Mels usual Thai Red Curry and i had Lagavulin Scallops….)

Friday 29th

Our last official full day on the Isle and a quiet one and another beautiful day ! After a late breakfast it was a drive down to Ardbeg for lunch stopping at Bridgend to buy the only whisky purchase of this holiday , a 10yo Unpeated Caol Ila , i think i’ve been very good this holiday with Purchases !

You don’t really want to know what we had at The Old Kiln do you ?

Oh alright then , Mel had the Salmon and Tomato Chowder , the crab Fish cakes and a Scone and cream to finish with . I went for the Peking Duck wrap followed by a Chocolate and marshmallow Cheesecake . After spending an hour or so sunning ourselves on the tables outside we headed back to the Cottage , stopping off at An Taigh Osda to drop in and say hello to Paul and Joan . We’ll be spending a quiet night in the cottage with a meal , wine and whisky and a lovely real fire !

Saturday 30th

The day of departure…… we couldn’t get on the usual morning ferry this morning so we ended up with another half day on Islay . An early start to load the car , we bid our farewells to Carraig and headed north , well north west to Kilchoman , Mel wanted to have a look at the shop seeing we had a bit of spare time . Needless to say i drove carefully up to the distillery……..

We then headed to Bridgend to get some petrol (£1.50.5 a litre……) and i succumbed to another 10yo Unpeated Caol Ila , then we had a drive along to Bowmore where i completely collapsed and went for the 12yo Unpeated Caol Ila . We then went back to the Bridgend Hotel for lunch , we both had a Prawn Cocktail for starters and the Venison Burger for the main , The meal was excellent again , well recommended for somewhere to eat and not too costly either ! We then headed to Port Askaig for the ferry and a meeting up with someone i’ve spoken too loads on the web but never seen in the flesh , Ron from Islayinfo.com . We had a good natter about things Islay past and present then we bid our farewell to him and the Isle and boarded the Hebridean Isles . Enjoy your 3 week stay Ron ! The crossing wasn’t too bad given the windy conditions .

So that’s another Islay adventure over , looking forward already to the next one……

Roll on September !!!!

The Panoramas !

Even though one of our favourite spots is Bunnahabhain i think deep down in our hearts the South shore of Islay wins all the time as our favourite part of the Isle . Once you get past the 3 famous distilleries i think it’s the sheer ruggedness of the place and the Fantastic scenery .

(Click on photos to see a larger version)

Taken from the road as we walked along from Lagavulin , Ardbeg is definitely the most Picturesque of the Distilleries in the most beautiful of surroundings .

This one was taken part of the way up the farm track as you walk up from Ardbeg to Loch Iarnan looking over the south shore towards Kintyre.

Taken higher up from the rear of Loch Iarnan again looking across to Kintyre .

A Compendium of Old Islay Visit Photos that don’t fit in anywhere else….. Part 2

Posted on April 18, 2011

So onto 2002 , our first Islay Show……

(click on photo to see full size version)

Little did we know that in later years we would stop at the cottage on the left hand side of the Port Charlotte photo !

2003 was our last stay in the Lochside hotel , after this summer we went self catering .

Caol Ila Distillery from the Jura Ferry

Hebridean Isles from the Jura Ferry .

Sound of Islay viewed from Jura

An Otter in the Sound of Islay

Mel fights her way through the crowds on the Big Strand…..

2004 was a special year for us , it was our 10th Wedding Anniversary and we spent it on Islay at the Old School in Ardbeg .

Stopping just up the road from the distillery meant we spent a lot of time in the Old Kiln . Which also meant we picked up the special release 1990 for the Japanese market…… We also did our first walk on Islay , through Bridgend Woods . It was a great stay on Islay , the weather was gorgeous and we had a great wedding anniversary !

A Compendium of Old Islay Visit Photos that don’t fit in anywhere else…..

Posted on April 18, 2011

Rummaging through old photographs i found some that may (or may not) be of interest from early visits to Islay .

The first two small but perfectly formed offerings are from our very first visit in 1999 i think , i must have the originals of these somewhere……. Taken on a lovely summer day at the Back of the Lochside hotel , it was a great place to sit with a dram looking over Loch Indaal taking in the Rays !

Love the Aerosmith Tour T-shirt !

On to 2000 , this time a few views around Islay……

(Click on photos to see full size)

Bruichladdich in the summer before re-opening

Port Ellen Distillery , Warehousing and Maltings

The remains of the old Loch Indaal Distillery

Lagavulin Distillery

Me at Lagavulin , still got that top…….

So onto 2001 , first visit to the re-opened Laddie , first visit to Lagavulin and another visit to Ardbeg…….

The filling of my first valinch , the original way , by hand with a….eh….Valinch !

My first go at Islay Wildlife Photography……

Haven’t a clue what it was , Buzzard ?

Autumn 2003 Visit

Posted on April 12, 2011

After 7 trips to Islay during the spring and summer at the end of November we took the bold decision to visit Islay in the late Autumn , mainly to see what the Isle looked like in a different season ! So on the 28th November we headed off in our trusty Red Peugeot 2005 for 2 nights in the Machrie Hotel……..

Arriving on the Isle off the 1pm ferry ( well on the isle at 3pm…..) like all good people we drove straight past the hotel and headed for Ardbeg to see The Thomsons ! (it was our only chance to visit any of the distilleries as nowhere was open at that time of the year ) Before we even had a chance to sit down and order a Cuppa Jackie had pounced with the Brand new Committee Bottling , The Very Young…..For Discussion

Boy was it good ! It was incredible and it just fitted in so well with sitting in The Old Kiln . One of those moments happened next that you wished you took the person up on , now bearing in mind this was the time when e-bay hadn’t infected anybody and bottle chasers were the thing of the future and Ardbeg Committee bottlings were £25 a shot , Jackie came over and asked “How many do you want then ?” . “Three please ” i replied , “Cases ?” she said…….. I did take 3 on the day and eventually got 3 more , bottles that is not cases……..

We did eventually get to the Hotel and checked in . Now i never really took notes on this trip , we did eat both nights at the Machrie , the food was very good , as were the rooms……..

We were slightly shocked by the “Room” , we’d gotten a deal for the weekend and ended up in a Suite with a sitting room and changing room ! The view out of the window was very nice . Staying here also gave us our first sight and sound of the wintering Geese on the Saturday morning , flying over the hotel on their way to the fields . Now neither of us are interested in golf so needless to say we didn’t take advantage of the attached Golf Course , We did however drive around the Isle admiring the Autumn scenery in what turned out to be a very warm weekend . T-shirts only on the Sunday !

This was also the first time we had a good sighting of deer on the Isle , mainly due to the fact that they had come down off the hills and were grazing on the low peat bogs along the way to Kildalton . We had a great weekend , eventually departing the Isle on the 3.30pm ferry ( The only ferry on a Sunday then….) . Everyone should visit the Isle in the Autumn , the colours are outstanding !

Winter 2010 Visit

Posted on April 9, 2011

After a gap of 3 years we decided to make another Winter visit to Islay , we had no idea of the way it was going to end……

Thursday 25th November

We awoke to a sight we didn’t particularly didn’t want to see at 4am in the morning , snow ! Maybe at this point we should have thought about not going…….

(click on photos to see full size version)

It was slow going at first on virtually ungritted roads but by the time we reached Hexham the roads were clear and we had a beautiful sunny drive up to Kennacraig .

At Kennacraig we bumped into a good friend who was also heading over to Islay , that well known Scottish artist Ian Gray . We both had to reverse onto the ferry (for reasons best known to Calmac….) , somewhat easier for me than Ian , but even harder for a large item of Electrical equipment on a lowloader that was also heading over ! We ended up catching up on quite a bit of gossip on the ferry over before heading our own ways once arriving on the Isle . After a stop off to pick up a few bits and pieces we eventually arrived at our accommodation in Port Charlotte , the Lorgba cottages . After a freshen up we headed off to the Port Charlotte Hotel for something to eat and an evening of drinking and gossip . We met up with Ian again , a couple of his friends Andrew and Barbara and later on Mark Usworth . After a couple of pints of Angus Og (this is my Fav Islay Ale , superb) , a Black Bottle 10yo (woo-hoo) and the new PC (the multivintage one….) Ian produced some Springbank samples , his own bottling , a rather nice 12yo i think and a 1999 ‘Local Barley’ . A good night was had by all !

Friday 26th November

This morning we decided to forgo the motor and took the bus to Ardbeg , it was a cold but sunny morn and a lovely journey across the Isle .It’s always nice to let someone else do the driving……it also means i can have a drink !

We’re Back !

After a cup of tea we were joined by Mickey and enjoyed a good natter and a few drams . All is well in the distillery…..
We had lunch , which as usual was excellent , the Islay Crab Chowder and Homemade Raspberry trifle were to die for !
After succumbing to the current Ardbeg Single Cask (which is actually a superb Beg ) we got the bus back to PC , having to change at Bowmore so a quick visit to Duffies was fitted in .
Tonight we just relaxed in the cottage with a coal fire and a handful of CS Begs ( the new O.b. SC , 33.91 , 33.96 and Renaissance) .
Another full day to go tomorrow !!!

Saturday 27th November

Bit of a shock when we got up this morning , Snow ! Not a lot but a sprinkling .

We went for a bit of a drive down the bottom end of the Rhinns , a gorgeous drive in the Clear , sunny winter sunshine .

On the way back we popped into Bruchladdich to see Mary but she’s stopped working Saturdays , we then went over to Bowmore to pick up a few bits and bobs (including a new Bunnahabhain 12 at the Spar shop , on offer at £28.99) and returned for a relaxing afternoon in the cottage in front of the fire with a few drams . We decided to go over to the PC hotel for a meal and a few drinks and bumped into Andrew and Barbara again , amongst the drams tried was the new Laddie Organic , not as good as the 2003 imo , we then returned to the cottage to see out the rest of the evening and pack up our belongings .

Sunday 28th November

Woke up to a cold , crisp , frosty morning on Islay . We packed the Car and headed to Port Ellen for the morning ferry , all was well on Islay , unfortunately the same couldn’t be said on the mainland……

We arrived in West Loch Tarbert to horizontal , driving snow ! It was slow going along the A83 and just as we got to Rest and be thankful….the police shut it . So we turned around , drove back to Inveraray and then headed up to Crainlarich only to get there and find the A82 was shut down Loch Lomond ! So we headed off down the A84 and A85 to Stirling in some of the worst conditions i’ve ever drove in . We got off the Ferry at 12.05pm , it was 8pm by the time we got to Stirling…….We gave up , found a room and settled down for the night with a hearty meal and a bit of booze !

Monday 29th November

The Roads were still pretty bad but usable , there was about 6 inches of snow on the car when we went out . After Breakfast and phonecalls to respective employers we headed off homeward the long way…..The A1 was closed so we headed over to Glasgow , down to Carlisle and then back across to Newcastle , eventually getting home mid-afternoon .

Feis Ile 2009

Posted on April 9, 2011

For the Eighth Year we’re back at Festival time !

We’ve decided to make this he last visit to the Festival for a while as we seem to have been gradually attending less and less events over the years . Given the extra cost involved in accommodation we will be moving our Spring Holiday to another week . So to what we got up to……….

Saturday 23rd May

Due to the 1pm being full by the time we got around to booking up , it was the 7am one for us which meant an overnight journey . A fairly uneventful journey apart from an accident on the M74 , the M8 being shut , getting pulled over by the police on the M8 Diversion ( apparently they were worried about the amount of breaking i was doing , wondered if something was wrong …..Yeah i didn’t have an Ffing clue where i was !) , 2 Stags , 1 Barn Owl and a Fox !

The Weather turned just before the ferry Left and it was a bit choppy and foggy by the time we got to Port Ellen . Once on the Isle it was straight to Ardbeg where the Festival bottles were flying off the shelves ……

(Click on Photos to see full size version)

After a Supernova (first dram on the Isle of this visit…) , purchasing 2 of each , Tea and Scones and a chat with Mickey and Jackie we headed off to Lagavulin for a Tour with Marjory . As usual it was a pleasure doing a tour with Marjory , at the end we got a dram of a 1993 , 16yo at Cask Strength . Very nice it was too ! Eventually after a plate of Scallops , a trip to the Co-op , chat with old friends we went to Our place of residence for this Holiday ,The Garden Cottage at Tigh Cargaman . We started the Evening with a Fish Supper from the Legendary “Nippy Chippy” , Superb as usual ! Then it was Time to try todays Purchases…..

Sunday 24th May

This Morning i had the great pleasure of Accompanying Mickey Heads up to Loch Uigeadail . As many of you know the wall holding the water in has been leaking for over a year and they started doing repairs on it a few weeks ago , he had to go up and have a look at the building work and kindly agreed to let me tag along . Having never been up to Uigeadail i didn’t realise what i’d let my self in for ! The first bit isn’t too bad up to Loch Iarnan (the Closest of the two water sources to the distillery ) , this loch will also be getting some attention in the near future .

The next stage included Peat Bogs , climbing a deer fence , spotting deer and following the line of the water course , the climb up to Loch Uigeadail was very hard on the legs but worth it to get the views from the top . You could see clear across to the Mull of Kintyre and Northern Ireland .

The water in the Loch was fairly low , mainly due to the problem with the leaking wall and the repair work going on…..

So after a break we headed back down to the distillery , avoiding herds of deer amongst other things!

We decided to hit the bright lights of Bowmore for our meal this evening , having a curry at the Taj Mahal . It was excellent ! We even managed to have a drink in the Lochside beforehand , tried the Bunnahabhain Moine (festival Bottling ) , wasn’t the best peated Bunnahabhain i’ve had so will probably give it a miss.

Monday 25th May

Mickeys Tastings (Part 1)

An Early start at Ardbeg this morning for the First of todays two tastings , this one was the Committee and Special botllings one . Mickey gave us a quick tour first as there were a few who hadn’t been at the distillery before . The tasing took place in the gallery on the top floor of the Old Kiln , the Malts tasted were ……

Corryvreckan (Committee Bottling)
Supernova
1992 Cask 772
1998 Toasted Cask 1189
1998 Toasted Cask 1190

Not a bad line up ! Tasting notes for the 772 are as follows….

1992 16yo Cask 772
Year – 1992	Age – 16yo	ABV – 55.7%
Colour – Bright Gold .
Nose – Creamy Fudge , Slight Smoke , Lemon , pine nuts , the lemon is the most dominant one of the lot and when water is added seems to increase .
Taste – Menthol and Strong Coffee .
Finish – Long and Menthol .
Comments – Dist 30th April 1992 , Bottled 10th December 2008 , 184 bottles from a 1st Fill Ex Bourbon Cask . not a bad Ardbeg but not what i would say was one of my favourite and certainly , imo , not worth £192 a bottle…..

On tasting the two Festival together for the first time i would say the 1190 is my favourite .

Lunch was had at the Old Kiln , in the company of the LWS and also managed to say hello to Christine Logan and Gallus . Also Bobby appeared for the Afternoon “Birth to Bottle” tasting in Warehouse 3 . An interesting tasting Not at least because the tasting menu was handed out wrapped around a Babies Bottle……
3 years were chosen ( 2000 – 9yo , 2003 – 6yo , 2006 – 3yo ) and then we were given the chance to try 3 samples from each one , one from a Bourbon 1st fill , one from a Bourbon Refill and one from a sherry cask . The full details are….. (in order Tasted)

2006 Refill Bourbon Cask 2185 61.8%
2006 1st Fill Bourbon Cask 1721 61.4%
2003 Refill Bourbon Cask 897 60.6%
2003 1st Fill Bourbon Cask 1312 60.3%
2000 Refill Bourbon Cask 2771 57.1%
2000 1st Fill Bourbon Cask 368 58.4%
2006 Refill Sherry Cask 3354 61.4%
2003 Refill Sherry Cask 2815 2815 58.1%
2000 1st Fill Sherry Cask 3090 58.7%

It was great seeing the difference between fresh and refilled Casks and it was very noticable , needless to say the spirit also improved with age , the 9yo 1st fill was cracking stuff , very Renaissance like . The older sherry one was also the best of the sherried ones .

As it was Monday it was Nosing Competition night and once again we managed to fail Gloriously ! Met up with Willie for the first time this week as well and bumped into Tim from the Whisky Exchange and the Caskstrength .net boys .

Tuesday 26th May

Who says Ardbegs are too Deer ?

A bit of a quiet day today for us , had to go down and pick up the car just before lunch , it’s nice to go down to Ardbeg by bus , gives me a chance to view the Scenery for once . When we got off the bus at the top of the road we spotted something going on down at the distilley , a small group of deer (what constitutes a Herd ?) wandering around…..

They must have “herd” how good the Whisky is…..

After the excitement we managed to “Stag”ger into the Old Kiln for a pot of tea and some Scones , now there are Scones and there are Old Kiln Scones , the lightest i’ve ever had , in fact they nearly blew away when someone opened the door ! We also managed to catch up with some old friends , Charles and June , Charles some of you may know as he ‘s a regular at the festival and makes some fantastic walking sticks . After a few purchases we headed off for a nice drive along the South Shore .

In the evening we headed over to Bruichladdich for a meal at An Taigh Osda . What can i say about this place ? If you haven’t read about our visit last August and our stay at Easter then all i can say is Joan and Paul have the best place to eat on Islay , full stop ! We had another fantastic meal , as usual the hardest part was choosing what to have ! Mel went for the Lochindaal Crab and Lobster Fish cake for starters followed by the Gressingham Duck , i went for Crispy Haggis dumpling with a truly outstanding Bruichladdich Whisky Sauce followed by a melt in the mouth Aberdeen Angus Sirloin Steak ! No doubt about the fact we’ll be back there on our next visit…..

Wednesday 27th May

Quiet Day….

Another quiet day on Islay for us , a bitof a lie in before hitting the bright lights of Bowmore for a bit shopping . Mel got a few things from Ailsa’s Spirited Soap shop then we kept bumping into people from various forums ( Ruby , Longroad , and Willie amongst others ) . We then went for a drive down to Portnahaven stopping for a bite to eat at An Tigh Seinnse . We came back via the west route from Portnahaven and a little bit of taking in the scenery eventually ended up at The Port Charlotte Hotel for Tea .

The evening was spent back at the Cottage enjoying a few drams on the weekly SOI Chat .

Thursday 28th May

Mickeys Tastings (Part 2)

Arrived at Ardbeg this morning for todays tastings to find strange going ons…..

All will be revealed in the not too distant future…..

Once again both tastings were superb again, met Anthony Louis at the morning one , the afternoon one had a few different casks in it , a 10yo 1st fill Bourbon and a 10yo refill Sherry which was better than the original 9yo one , not a hint of sulphur ! The Evening was spent relaxing in the cottage again.

Friday 29th May

Last Full day…..

The Last full day on Islay , A bit of a bit’s and pieces day , first off it was a trip to Ardbeg on the bus to pick up our car . While there we run into Christine (Logan , The Lady of the Isles ) and we sat down to have a catch up over a cup of tea and some Scones (can’t leave them Ardbeg Scones alone…..) , it’s always nice to see the lovely people of Islay that we’ve befriended over the years and it’s always a joy to see Christine ! Over the conversation we found she’s to be on a Scottish TV programme shortly ( The teatime show at 5pm ) discussing her favourite places on Islay . We were talking about places and she told us to visit a couple around Port Ellen we’d never been to , Swans Pool and the Standing Stone . So we paid them a Visit before returning to Ardbeg for Lunch……

View of Swan Pool , just behind The Ard .

View of Swan Pool

Swan Painting originally by Sean O’Leary , which has been touched up over the years by the locals . He also done paintings in the Islay Hotel , The Bowmore Hotel , The Jura Hotel amongst others….

Laphroaig Distillery From Swan Pool

The Calmac Ferry entering Port Ellen , Viewed from atop of The Ard

We returned to the Cottage to wrap up our stuff as we were heading out for the night . We headed over to Port Charlotte to have a meal at the hotel then went to Bowmore to meet up with Willie , Malcolm and a few fellow whisky forumers at the Lochside . After a few drinks My self , Mel , Willie and Malcolm moved up to the Bowmore Hotel to see North Sea Gas . We managed to last until the Witching Hour when we departed back to Port Ellen . The Bowmore Hotel had a bottle of one of the “Scottish Wildlife” Whiskies , the Mortlach 10yo , which i have to say was a lot better than the Port Ellen one i’ve got and it was only £3.85 a dram !

Standing Stone just outside of Port Ellen

Saturday 30th May

Ardbeg Day and Home….

Woke up to Glorious Sunshine this morning ! After Loading up the car we headed along to Ardbeg for their festivities , It seemed even sunnier when we got down there ! We weren’t taking part in any of the tastings but reports were very good about them ! After soaking up some rays at the Pier and on the hillock we retired to the Old Kiln for Lunch , as usual an amazing menu ! I had the Stovie and Mel had the Homemade Ardbeg Beefburger , we both finished off with the Raspberry and Drambuie Tart . I even managed a 1975 Ardbeg from cask 1375 !

An Ardbeg Fan contemplates the View…..

After catching up with more Friends and bidding our farewells, it was time to leave Ardbeg for the Ferry .

Mel enjoying the Day !

We may not have done as much this year but we’ve thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and it’s been great to finally meet a load of people off the old SOI Forum and look forward to seeing them again on Islay ! Only 9 weeks till we once again set foot on The Queen of The Hebrides !

Feis Ile 2008

Posted on April 8, 2011

For the Seventh Time in a Row we hit Islay For Festival Week !

Saturday 24th May

Once again it was an Early start to get the 1pm ferry from Kennacraig , met up with Martin and his Family on board and also one of Chris’s (adogranonthepitch) friends . The journey over was fantastic , smooth as a babies bottom and nice and sunny . Once on the Isle we dropped our stuff off at Tigh Cargaman and dashed off to Ardbeg where we were greeted by Jackie and Mickey ! After a pot of tea , some lovely puddings and a natter with the main man himself we headed back to PE .

The Weekend supplies……

After a visit to get the non-essential supplies (you’ve gotta have something to soak the whisky up !) , we hit the Nippy chippy , which was rather conveniently parked opposite The Ramsey Hall , we soaked up some of the rays while eating our Fish and chips then returned to the cottage to enjoy a drink or two…..

The Evening Sun of Port Ellen

Dram of the Day ! – The Renaissance , WOW ! Yummy…..

Sunday 25th May

Once again we hit Laddie day with Beautiful weather , The sun is shining , the Skies are blue . There was a good turnout as usual with a mixture of both Visitors and Locals . There wasn’t much time between opening and Jims Masterclass but we did manage to grab a burger from the World Famous James Brown .

So to Jims Masterclass in Warehouse 12 , once again it was sold out ages ago , We met up with Martin( Hughes from the SOI chat and forum) when we got to the venue .As well as Jim we had Music from amongst others Robin Laing . So to the whisky……. we had 6 drams , all never tasted before , they were……

Waves 2nd Edition 46% A youngster containing 2001 Bruichladdich , 2001 Port Charlotte and 2002 Octomore , from a mixture of ex-bourbon , sherry and wine casks . Had a red hue to it , Ozone ,dark fruits and smoke on the nose . Oaky , coastal and peaty on the palate with fudge . A long peaty finish with Dark fruits . Not one of my Favourites .
PC 7 Unity 61.7% The next step ! Bright Gold in colour , a more balanced PC , heading the right way !
Laddie 16yo 46% A 1991 Laddie finished for a year in Margot Casks , Bright Rose in Colour , Laddie Cream fudge on the nose with Red fruits on the Palate . Mel really liked this one .
Laddie 1988 50.7 A “traditional” Laddie (yeehaa !) from ex-bourbon , Pale Straw in Colour , Laddie Fudge , green Fruits and Digestive Biscuits on the nose . Malty and green fruits on the palate . Basically everything on a long finish . This would have been my Favourite of the day but for this…….
Laddie 18yo 55% From Jims Secret stash (his words) From one of 4 casks left over from a previous acing , so it’s 15 years in Bourbon and 3 years in chateau Yquem , now i didn’t like last years 18yo O.b. that had been aced but this was absolutely stunning !!!! Both Martin and Mel agreed with me on the fact that this was the best of the day .
? Didn’t get to know what this was as time was running out and it was used for the Highland toast and it got slung back in one !

After the Masterclass we headed back to the courtyard , for a bite more to eat , Catch up with old friends , buy a couple of X4 Valinches and met Bobby from the WM forum . It was an absolutely wonderful day , good company , good Whisky and good weather !

Monday 26th May

Once again we rise to bright sunshine ! Todays events are just a short walk from the Cottage , the first is Literally down the drive and along the road for a few hundred metres . Once again i’m doing the Monday Morning Tour of the Maltings , it’s just a shame that last year some plonker ruined it for everyone and they aren’t doing the usual food and a dram at the end . It was another interesting tour which i think any Malt fan should do to see how the Barley is malted on an industrial scale . It was nice to meet up with Patrick again , i even got to look at his newly purchased Limited Edition Port Ellen !

After picking up Mel , we headed along to The Old Kiln for lunch , as usual it was busy and while waiting for a table i relucantly had a dram of the 2008 Beist (need to find out if this is acually a 18yo now…..) . Once again the food was superb ( pan fried chicken in a creamy sauce with boiled rice) . At some point i had a 1975 from sherry cask 1375 thrust into my hand ( it’s magical where these drams keep coming from…….) , which was very , very good . Iwould go a bottle of this but for the price ! On par with the 76′s i think . It was nice putting another face to a name when Lee ( Newbie from the WM forum) introduced himself .

Every now and then i like to take a bottle “home” and try it at it’s birth place , this year i took a Sigbeg 1967 30yo Cask 1140 , the 1967′s are exceptional casks and this one is no different . I poured a dram on the pier (my favourite place for having one at the distillery ) and it was fantastic ! Picked up one thing here that i’ve never gotten at home and that was Dark Chocolate , after a while we moved to catch the Rays at the Barrel Chairs and by this time the dram was well down and it was incredibly smoky . Always been one to share drams with friends i gave Angus , Charles and June and of course the main man Mickey a try . No complaints from any of them…..infact Angus was still going on about it at the Nosing Ceilidh ! Charles and June were anazed and i think Mickey was shocked…….

In the Evening i left Mel in the Cottage and headed along to the Nosing Ceilidh , Had a beer with Ian Gray before entering in to battle to once again fail Miserably ! The usual candidate won , Anders , but it’s a good chance to have a natter with the distillery people and catch up with old friends . Actually got to meet Willie (from the WM forum) at last who was at the festival with his brother in Law Malcolm .

Dram of the Day – A close thing today but the Sigbeg 67 just edged it from the 1975

Tuesday 27th May

Today was a quiet day for us , sort of , nothing was booked so it was Mels choice what we did……

The morning was spent driving along to the Kildalton Cross , not much sign of wildlife though , must be sunning themselves up on the mountains…….. We then drove over to Bruichladdich to pick up a “Some Utter Fake” Valinch , after trying a wee sample and Mels eyes lighting up ( a good or bad sign depending which way you look at it……) we purchased another one , a really nice Aced Laddie ! We had a good natter to Mary , she even signed our copy of “The Whisky Dream” book . We also had a wee natter to Ella and The Main Man himself Jim !

Departing from Laddie we went for a drive down to Portnahaven stopping at the pub for a wee bite to eat , then after a drive back up the Atlantic coast of the Rhinns we went to the Port Charlotte Hotel for a bar meal . The food as usual was wonderful , lovely piece of local Lamb. We also had our first bit of rain today since we arrived , bummer !

It’s back to the Cottage now for a few drams of Ardbeg…..

4 Ardbegs , Head to Head , The Still Young , The Almost There , The Renaissance and The Mor . It’s interesting to see the development of the whisky thru the first 3 , it’s a bit unfair to compare them as they’ve all got their own little quirks . Comparing the Ren and Mor was a better idea……

Nose wise the AR is more prickly (a fresher bottle?) , seems fruitier as well , the Mor is a smoother peat nose . On the palate the Mor is really creamy whereas the AR seems more of a traditional peated whisky . The finishes are superbly long . Conclusion the Mor is better balanced at the moment but i’ll do another comparison after a few weeks of being open . God i’m spoilt at the moment all this Stunning Ardbeg ! Just Remember Homer’s Hypothesis……

Wednesday 28th May

Two Warehouses , Two different ends of the Isle , Two different styles…..

First off was an early Visit of the Lagavulin Warehouses with Manager Graham Logie and the wonderful Iain McArthur. This was the first time i’d been in any of their warehouses and the tasting was a something little different from the Norm . The whiskies we had were……

2000 8yo
1993 15yo
1966 42yo
New Make

For the 8 and 15yo they actually took the ABV in front of us , didn’t make a note of them so can’t tell you what they were but i can tell you the 8yo was stunning with a drop of water in it but a bit harsh without . The 15yo was a very good example from a sherry cask and the 1966 was a grand dram , i didn’t think it was too woody though others did , the New Make was pretty good stuff as well . After the Visit Willie JJ kindly gave me a try of some 1951 Glen Grant which was pretty good too !

After a bite of lunch at the chateau , Mel and myself headed off for what in past couple of years has been the highlight of the Festival , Johns Warehouse and Maturation Tour at Bunnahabhain and this years didn’t disappoint ! Once again he cracked some exceedingly excellent casks …

2002 6yo Fresh Oloroso Butt ( the full dried fruits , Christmas cake sherry cask…..Superb !)
1977 31yo Refill Sherry Butt (Again Liquid Christmas cake with Edinburgh Rock /confectioners sugar)
1971 37yo Bourbon Hogshead ( Lime citric , full Bunnie taste……Wow!)
26/8/1997 Refill Sherry Hogshead Heavily peated Bunnie! ( good god this stuff could give a few of the other Islays sleepless nights , Beautiful !)

Another thoroughly wonderful afternoon , John is the perfect host , great wit , great knowledge !

For our Evening meal we tried somewhere different , we had a wonderful meal at The Bridgend Hotel , We can recommend the Loin of Islay Roe Deer and the Caramelised Duck Breast . Then it was back to The Cottage for a few Drams ……

Gordons’ Dram of the Day – 1971 37yo Bunnahabhain

Mels’ Dram of he Day – 2002 6yo Bunnahabhain

Thursday 29th May

An un-official Ardbeg Day…..Sort of…..

Seeing that we usually miss most of Ardbeg Day having to get the 3.30pm ferry to drive home (note to Feis Ile Committee ……Rotate distillery days , Laddies ok on the Sunday and Bunnie on the friday but it would be nice to have Ardbeg during the week so i can attend the day of my favourite Distillery !!!!!!) , ok rant over , where was i….. Oh yes this was our sort of un-official Ardbeg Distillery Day but Jackie and Mickey didn’t know……

So we headed off on the bus to Ardbeg on a glorious sunny day , for the first bit of the morning we sat on top of the hillock and in the Barrel chairs watching the good lads of Ardbeg filling 1st fill Oloroso Butts , Mickey did say which region they came from but i didn’t write it down . After baking for an hour we went into the Old Kiln for lunch and a bottle of Islay Ale , Boyd came in and asked me if the whisky was off……..

So at 2.30pm we gathered for Mickeys Managers Tour , slightly faster than usual through the production areas but longer in the warehouses…..My kind of tour ! We went in to warehouse Ten to start with , looking at the racking system and then went to Warehouse Three , letting us have a wander at first to see what we could find , i found the cask of 2002 i filled at that years festival , unfortunately it wasn’t in a good place to try……..

Instead we went for the Following……

2006 Madeira Cask (SFTC)
The Renaissance
10yo Oloroso (cask sample)
1990 4th Refill Cask (SFTC)
1975 bottling (from cask 1378 , sister bottling to the 1375 i had on Monday)
2002 6yo (cask sample)

The 2006 Madeira was a little immature but had a nice colour and the fruitiness was there , the 10yo Oloroso was amazing , lovely colour , dryness and taste to it, the Sherry and peatiness intermixing nicely. The 1990 was different due to the cask , strange finish , like tunes sweets , the 1975 was very nice but not as nice as the 1375 i had on Monday . Again the 2002 was slightly immature but had a nice lemon and Melon nose . A good line up and a good way to look at how different Ardbeg can be through different ages and casks .

Gordons’ Dram of the Day - The 10yo Oloroso

Mels’ Dram of the Day – 1975 Cask 1378

Friday 30th May

Nearly the end of the week and it’s Bunnahabhain Day , once again it’s a scorcher and Bunnahabhain Bay looked as good as ever ! The only event i was doing was Kirstie McCallum’s Blending Class , this was the first one i’d attended since John Ramsey done one may moons ago in the same place . We were given 5 malts ( Bunnahabhain , Other Islay Vatting , Speyside Glenlivet Vatting , Speyside other Vatting and Highland Vatting ) and a Vatting of Grains , then asked to make a blend of 70% Grain/30% Malt . The winner got a Bottle of XVIII , unfortunately it wasn’t me but congrats to the Swiss guy with the lovely cheese ! Kirstie gave a very informative class but was fun with it . We got to keep the 200ml of blend we made .

After the class i had a chat and a dram with Robert van Hal from the Whisky Society Skane , nice to meet you ! Actually had a chat with a few people that day……Willie and Malcolm , Charles and June , Ian Gray and managed to get to chat with Alison from BSD Marketing . Also managed to get a try of the Festival bunnie bottling , Very good , not as nice as the 1990 but definitely not worth £200+ . After a wonderful tub of Scallops pan fried in Bunnahabhain Whisky i headed back to the Cottage…….

In the evening we went to The Midges , Music and Malt night at Bunnahabhain . We had a few drams at Charles and Junes beforehand including a Jura “Earth” , not bad for a Jura (i’m not a big fan of this malt) from a Sherry cask , it done what it said on the Bottle .

After previous years when this was the managers night (none tonight except the host) , this was a bit of a disappointment , Johns hostings was as good as ever and the Isle of Islay Pipe band were great , they had everyone stamping and clapping but the night seemed to get off to a bad start with Norma Monro and her friend . There seemed to be a lot of extremely bored people sitting around us . Don’t get me wrong Normas music is good in the right place but really to get the crowd going there should have been some foot stomping stuff to kick off with . The usual excellent Clootie Dumplings (cooked by Lillians Mother) was also missing , they served a tasty Cullen Skink in it’s place . We left when the Dancing started as we had an early start in the morning to vacate the cottage .

Saturday 31st May

It’s Ardbeg Day and again it’s hot , hot , hot ! After Vacating the Chateau Spiritofislay for another year , we went for a drive along to The Kildalton Cross before returning to the Distillery . As on every other Ardbeg Day there was lots going on , most of which we couldn’t take part in due to us getting the afternoon Ferry off the Isle .

A quiz , 2 managers tastings , lots of staff members tasting , Walks to the water source , a band and of course the famous Old Kiln food . We managed half the quiz and a meal (Fishtastic seafood Salad for me and a stunning Cheesey, Cheesey Macaroni for Mel ) . We managed to pick up a few of the special T-shirts before bidding farewell to another festival .

I think weather wise this has been one of the best , all of the special events we’ve been to have been great . Thanks to all concerned and we’ll see you again next year !

Our visits to the Hebridean Isle of Islay

A record of our visits to the Isle of Islay in Words and Pictures….