Whisky smagning hos World of Wine

Så er der igen smaning hos World of Wine. Christian Piepgrass fra AWA fortæller.

Fredag d. 6. marts 2009 kl. 18:30 afholder World of Wine igen whisky smagning.

Denne gang er menuen således:

Green Sport 40%, Irland
Arran 12 yo 46%, Isle of Arran
Bunnahabhein Flying Pirate 46,3%, Islay
Two Bobs 13 yo 64%, Bourbon USA
AR1 Elements of Islay (Ardbeg) 58,7%, Islay

Christian Piepgrass fra AWA fortæller om de forskellige whiskies.

Pris for deltagelse kr. 75,00 – book direkte på World of Wines hjemmeside: http://worldofwine.dk/shop/whiskysmagning-982p.html

All Aboard for a Taste of Islay & Jura!

All Aboard for a Taste of Islay & Jura! 29.09.08 The Whisky Coast in conjunction with CalMac Ferries Ltd., adds a little dram(a) to Thursday sailings to and from Islay onboard M.V Hebridean Isles.
 Taste of Islay & Jura is giving passengers the opportunity to get up close and personal with some of the world’s most famous single malts.  Each week, in The Still Bar onboard the vessel, a different distillery offers complimentary tastings and nosings along with an interesting insight into the whisky’s history and heritage. From The Still Bar’s complete range, passengers are able to sample the finest drams that the islands are so famous for, and the drivers in any group will be offered a miniature to savour later!  There is also the chance to indulge tastebuds further with a selection of tablet from An Gleann Cottage Produce whose range of tablet creations are laced with butter, chocolate and, of course – Islay whisky!  The Taste of Islay & Jura promotion kicked off with Bruichladdich, with more to come from Lagavullin, Bunnahabhain, Caol Ila, Ardbeg, Bowmore, Isle of Jura, Kilchoman and Laphroaig over the course of the 9 week promotion. This unique tasting opportunity is free to all passengers who have the added advantage of being able to purchase any of the whiskies and tablet on board from Shop@Calmac, at a 10% discount.  The Taste of Islay & Jura promotion takes place every Thursday until November 6th, on the 1530 sailing to Kennacraig from Port Askaig and on the 1800 crossing from Kennacraig to Port Ellen.  Fay Harris, Regional Manager for CalMac Ferries, Islay said “We are delighted to be collaborating with The Whisky Coast’s Taste of Islay & Jura promotion.  It is a great opportunity to showcase the island’s cultural & historical produce to passengers & visitors and it is an excellent way for CalMac to support the island's community & local businesses. It is hoped that this event can be used as a foundation for further promotional activities of its kind across the fleet in the future.”   The Whisky Coast, Scotland’s west coast whisky trail is a collaboration of all 16 distilleries on the west coast, along with more than 20 first class hotels, restaurants and visitor attractions, who have joined forces to promote the west coast of Scotland as an unforgettable holiday destination.  For more information please visit www.whiskycoast.co.uk …ends… For more information please contact:Pauline Foster Pure Shores PR – ObanTel:          01631 569 651 Mob:        07791573247  Email:       pauline_foster@btconnect.com Nicola PorterRetail Promotion and Merchandising ManagerCalMac Ferries Ltd, Ferry Terminal Gourock PA19 1QPTel: 01475 650 310Email: nicola.porter@calmac.co.uk Note to Editors:·          Press trips to the Whisky Coast are available.  Please contact Pauline Foster on 01631 569 651 if you would like to visit members of the Whisky Coast along this spectacular coastline.  ·          The 16 distilleries that form The Whisky Coast include: ·          Springbank Distillery, Campbeltown·          Glengyle Distillery, Campbeltown·          Isle of Arran Distillery, Arran·          Ardbeg Distillery, Islay·          Bowmore Distillery, Islay·          Bruichladdich Distillery, Islay·          Bunnahabhain Distillery, Islay·          Caol Ila Distillery, Islay·          Kilchoman Distillery, Islay·          Lagavulin Distillery, Islay·          Laphroaig Distillery, Islay·          Isle of Jura Distillery, Islay·          Oban Distillery, Oban·          Tobermory Distillery, Mull·          Ben Nevis Distillery, Fort William·          Talisker Distillery, Skye  ·          The Whisky Coast tour operators are:·          Perry Golf, Helensburgh/U.S.·          Scotsell, Glasgow·          Rabbies, Edinburgh  ·          Associate members of The Whisky Coast are:·          Westin Turnberry Resort, Turnberry·          Balinakill Hotel, Campbeltown·          Loch Fyne Hotel, Inveraray·          Inveraray Castle ·          Auchrannie Resort, Arran·          Port Charlotte Hotel, Islay·          Harbour Inn, Islay ·          Machrie Hotel & Golf, Islay ·          Crinan Hotel, Lochgilphead·          Isle of Eriska Hotel, Oban·          Oban Bay Hotel, Oban ·          Hotel Eilean Iarmain, Skye·          Culloden House Hotel, Inverness·          Loch Fyne Oyster Bar, Inveraray·          Crannog Restaurant & Sea Island Cruises, Fort William·          Three Chimneys, Skye·          Loch Fyne Whiskies, Inveraray·          Isle of Mull Hotel, Mull ·          Torosay Castle & Gardens, Mull·          Golf Kintyre ·          The Whisky Coast is supported by:·          Highlands and Islands Enterprise ·          VisitScotland·          North Ayrshire Council·          Caledonian MacBrayne·          Loganair  

The Whisky Coast encourages responsible drinking and supports the Drinkaware Trust which campaigns and educates to reduce alcohol misuse and minimise alcohol related harm.

Visit Islay May 2009

Scotland’s Whisky Coast Invites the World to Come Home for Spirit of the West

Announcement of Event at Inveraray Castle May 2009 

 

09.09.08

 

The Whisky Coast, Scotland’s west coast whisky trail, will present “Spirit of the West”, a spectacular weekend event on Saturday 16th & Sunday 17th May 2009 at Inveraray Castle, Argyllshire.  Spirit of the West is part of the year long Homecoming Scotland 2009 celebrations and is a key feature of its “Whisky Month” in May.  The ticketed two day event will be a celebration of Scotland’s west coast whisky and the rich culture and dramatic scenery in which it is created. 

 

Spirit of the West aims to attract up to 6,000 visitors over the two days, inviting those from the UK and all over the world to take part.  The event is a must for lovers of Scotland’s single malts, food & drink, golf and Scottish ancestry.  It is also perfect for those who simply love and want to experience Scotland’s vibrancy, historic traditions and rugged scenery.  Spirit of the West will cater for little ones too, with fun and educational entertainment making it a perfect family event.

 

Inspired by the historic community cultures, tales, mysteries and theatrical scenery that lie behind every single malt, the event, which will run from 11am to 6pm each day, will be a showcase for whisky culture.  Whisky tasting, food sampling and cookery demonstrations will run alongside historical trails, fashion shows, music, arts & crafts and golfing activities.  This will bring all that surrounds Whisky in the west coast of Scotland to one location – the stunning grounds of Inveraray Castle. 

 

On the Saturday evening, a traditional Scottish ceilidh will be held at the castle, giving patrons the chance to Strip the Willow, have a few glasses of gold and keep the celebrations going when the night draws in.  Tickets for the ceilidh will be sold separately.  

 

Preparations for the event are now underway and ticket, entertainment line ups and activity announcements are expected to be made in early autumn. 

 

Nicky Murphy, Project Manager for Whisky Coast said: “We are delighted to announce Spirit of the West for the year of Homecoming Scotland 2009.  Preparations for the event have commenced and we are very much looking forward to working with our members, partners, local producers and communities in bringing Spirit of the West to life.  We look forward to sharing our passion for Whisky and celebrating the very fabric of the west coast next May with people from all over the UK and the world.”

 

Councillor Douglas Philand, Argyll and Bute Council's Arts and Culture spokesperson, said: "Spirit of the West looks set to be a wonderful event. Not only will it showcase the excellent food and produce we have in this area but it will also help promote our unique culture and heritage. I wish the organisers every success."

 

Paul Bush, Chief Operating Officer for EventScotland said: “Homecoming Scotland 2009 is a country wide programme of events and activities that will celebrate some of Scotland’s contributions to the world: Burns, Whisky, Golf, Great Scottish Minds and Innovations and Scotland’s culture and heritage.  Spirit of the West is a key feature of Homecoming Scotland’s Whisky Month in May 2009 and we look forward to working with the organisers to make it a great success “

 

Spirit of the West is organised by the team behind The Whisky Coast, a collaboration of 16 whisky distilleries, 20 first class hotels, restaurants that boast some of Scotland’s finest produce and picturesque golf courses.  Inspired by the blend of whisky, rugged coastlines and the dramatic atmosphere of Scotland’s west coast, The Whisky Coast runs from Arran to Skye, covering both mainland locations and islands.

 

Please visit the Dram Room at www.whiskycoast.co.uk for further details and updates on Spirit of the West.

 

…ends…

 

For more information please contact:

Pauline Foster

PR & Events Executive

Pure Shores PR – Oban

Tel:      01631 569 651

Mob:    07791573247 

Email:  pauline_foster@btconnect.com

 

Note to Editors:

·         Spirit of the West has applied for funding from the following bodies:

–          Argyll & Bute Council (Homecoming 2009 Programme)

–          EventScotland (Homecoming Scotland 2009)

–          Highlands & Islands Enterprise

·         Inveraray Castle lies on the beautiful banks of Loch Fyne in the old town of Inveraray in Argyll, 60 miles north of Glasgow with road links north and south. 

·         West Coast Motors are the transport partners for the event. 

·         Press trips to the Whisky Coast are available.  Please contact Pauline Foster on 01631 569 651 if you would like to visit members of the Whisky Coast along this spectacular coastline.

 

·         The 16 distilleries that form The Whisky Coast include:

Springbank Distillery, Campbeltown
Glengyle Distillery, Campbeltown
Isle of Arran Distillery, Arran
Ardbeg Distillery, Islay
Bowmore Distillery, Islay
Bruichladdich Distillery, Islay
Bunnahabhain Distillery, Islay
Caol Ila Distillery, Islay
Kilchoman Distillery, Islay
Lagavulin Distillery, Islay
Laphroaig Distillery, Islay
Isle of Jura Distillery, Islay
Oban Distillery, Oban
Tobermory Distillery, Mull
Ben Nevis Distillery, Fort William
Talisker Distillery, Skye
 

 

The Whisky Coast tour operators are:
Perry Golf, Helensburgh/U.S.
Scotsell, Glasgow
Rabbies, Edinburgh
 

 

Associate members of The Whisky Coast are:
·         Westin Turnberry Resort, Turnberry

·         Balinakill Hotel, Campbeltown

·         Loch Fyne Hotel, Inveraray

·         Inveraray Castle

·         Auchrannie Resort, Arran

·         Port Charlotte Hotel, Islay

·         Harbour Inn, Islay

·         Machrie Hotel & Golf, Islay

·         Crinan Hotel, Lochgilphead

·         Isle of Eriska Hotel, Oban

·         Oban Bay Hotel, Oban

·         Hotel Eilean Iarmain, Skye

·         Culloden House Hotel, Inverness

·         Loch Fyne Oyster Bar, Inveraray

·         Crannog Restaurant & Sea Island Cruises, Fort William

·         Three Chimneys, Skye

·         Loch Fyne Whiskies, Inveraray

·         Isle of Mull Hotel, Mull

·         Torosay Castle & Gardens, Mull

·         Golf Kintyre

 

Whisky Coast is supported by:
·         Highlands and Islands Enterprise

·         VisitScotland

·         North Ayrshire Council

·         Caledonian MacBrayne

·         Loganair

 

 

The Whisky Coast & Spirit of the West encourages responsible drinking and supports the Drinkaware Trust which campaigns and educates to reduce alcohol misuse and minimise alcohol related harm.
 

Homecoming Scotland 2009
–          Homecoming Scotland 2009 is funded by Scottish Government and is managed by EventScotland, the national events agency in partnership with VisitScotland, the country’s national tourism agency.

–          Homecoming Scotland 2009 aims to engage Scots at home as well as motivate people of Scottish descent and those who simply love Scotland, to take part in an inspirational celebration of our culture, heritage and some of the many great contributions Scotland has given to the world.

–          2009 marks the 250th anniversary of the birth of Scotland’s national poet, Robert Burns, with the programme’s design guided by Scotland’s unique position as the home of Burns himself, Golf, Whisky, Great Minds and Innovations and Scotland’s culture and heritage which lives on at home and through Scotland’s global family.

–          The budget for Homecoming is £5 million and the target is for an 8 to 1 return on investment i.e £40million revenue additionality.

–          For more information on Homecoming Scotland please visit www.homecomingscotland2009.com

Islay (Saturday th 6th Sep 2008) Leaving :-(

Well, it was time to say goodbye to Islay after 6 days in whisky-heaven. We had an excellent dinner Thursday night both enjoying a fantastic Islay-steak fillet. After getting an early bedtime we were picked up by Christine just after 8:00 am. No day on Islay without its special distillery so on the way to the airport we went by the defunct and demolished Tallant distillery. There was really nothing to see but again we documented the site and you can look forward to pictures right here on www.awa.dk from there as well.We got to the airport on time an although we both had suitcases that were too heavy the never ending service on Islay made sure we had no extra charge on the wee plane that took us to Glasgow. Catching our connecting flight in Glasgow was not a problem and when we arrived in Heathrow our connecting BA flight to Copenhagen had left London as expected. Since we knew this beforehand we had purchased tickets with SAS home from London and we tried to get our booking changed to the earlier flight.
Unfortunately that was full and it would have been enormously expensive to switch flights so we checked in our luggage with SAS and CP was told he hand been “naughty” with his shopping by the absolutely lovely girl at check-in because of the overweight of his luggage. Again we were not charged anything for our excessive luggage and could now look forward to about 3½ hours in Heathrow.
Unfortunately the flight to Copenhagen was delayed about 1½ hour so we ended up spending too much time in Heathrow. We did pull through though and finally arrived back in Kastrup Airport. We were both tired and full of impressions from a wonderful week on Islay. It is definitely not the last time we visit to absolutely stunning island and its inhabitants. We miss Islay and the people and would like to send greetings and thanks to the people of Islay who made our stay simply fantastic.  From Copenhagen, this is GI and CP signing off..  

AWA reporting LIVE from Islay

Map of Islay

Look under latest news for blog-updates from Whisky-heaven on Islay

Also check out the specific pages for the distilleries visited for updates.

Check our week news here…

Islay (Sunday 31-08-2008) Arrival at Islay

Map of Islay

Islay (Monday the 1.st of September 2008) Bunnahabhain and Caol-Ila , Lossit , Finlaggen and Scarrabus

Islay (Tuesday the 2nd of September 2008) Lagavulin and Ardbeg, Bowmore…

Lagavulin
Ginoue at the Ardbeg distillery

Islay (Wednesday the 3rd of September 2008) Laphroaig and Bowmore …

laphoraig visitor centre entrance
Bowmore

Islay (Thursday the 4th of September 2008) Bruichladdich, Port Charlotte, some lost stills and Portnahaven.

The Bruichladdich whisky distillery (Photo by www.awa.dk)

 

Islay (Friday the 5th of September 2008) Lagavulin and Ardbeg , Port Ellen …

Port Ellen

Islay (Saturday the 6th of September 2008) Very short passby Tallant and leaving Islay  …

The journey ends… 🙁

Read our summary in order to get some travel hints when taking a tour to Islay – Scotland

Islay (Friday 5th of September 2008)

Lagavulin distillery

Friday:

 

For once we didn’t really have anything we HAD to see or anyplace we HAD to go. So we decided, after an excellent breakfast, to head for Lagavulin and see if we could get some of the pictures we weren’t able to get at our first visit. The only slight catch was that we would have to spend over 3 hours at Lagavulin where we had been before.

We boarded the bus heading to Ardbeg in Bridgend without any problems whatsoever and had a good trip all 16 miles to Lagavulin.

We entered the visitors centre and were again greeted by Hazel who kindly gave us permission to wander around the distillery without a guide and take all the photos we wanted. There was just one condition: we weren’t allowed into any of the buildings. So we started off wandering and soon found a lot of good shoots and GI also took a small hike up the beach to get a different angle on the distillery.

Lagavulin Distillery

When we were standing outside the Still House a worker was kind enough to allow us to enter the building so we could get decent shots of the stills operating.

Mashtun at Lagavulin

A very RARE picture of the spiritstill at Lagavulin

After finishing the photo-shooting we went back to the visitors centre and purchased the now mandatory water jug and pins and sat down for a wee moment to decide what to do next. We had spent about an hour at Lagavulin and had no intentions of staying for another 2 before catching the bus back to Port Ellen. After a quick chat we settled on walking the 1,5 kms to Ardbeg and maybe catch lunch there.

The walk was nice and not too long. Without really being surprised we met The Silver Bullet and Christine on the road to Ardbeg and she stopped her bus to have a wee chat with us and introduced us to her Japanese guests. You can spot Christine miles away by the enthusiastic way she waves at everyone and her never ending good mood seams to spread wherever she goes.

Arriving back at Ardbeg felt a little bit like returning home in some weird way. The wonderful staff at Ardbeg immediately recognized us and asked whether we were having a good time and getting all the information for our website we needed.

We sat down and had an excellent lunch at the Kilm Café at Ardbeg and were treated to a wee dram courtesy of Ardbeg.

Catching the bus back to Port Ellen where we decided to get off was easy and we walked back along the beach to Port Ellen Harbour from the Port Ellen maltings after thoroughly documenting the old still. We quickly discovered a local pub and in we went for a pint and a wee dram. It was nice to see a really local place where all the town’s workers gathered to have a pint after getting the day off.

Port Ellen

We caught the bus back to Bridgend (with a wee layover in Bowmore) and had the best dinner on our tour: two fantastically tender Islay fillet steaks recommended to us by the Estate Manager, Willis who is now also a very good contact point for Peter at Merlot Tours. Bridgend Hotel can easily be recommended  but do note that there is not really anything to do at Bridgend.

Such ended Friday and we are not looking forward to leaving Islay. We have been so well received and everyone has been so friendly that we would like to stay longer. For sure this is not the last time we visit Islay.

 

From Islay, this is GI and CP signing off.

Islay (Thursday 4th of September 2008)

Mark Rainar from Bruichladdich whisky distillery

fEven though last night ended with a few drams together with a new whisky-friend, Olaf, from Germany at the Duffies bar during the Jam Session, we were both eager to get up and going this morning. Today we changed hotel from Harbour Inn, where everyone has been SO nice and helpful, to Bridgend Hotel in Bridgend – right on the most important crossroads where the road either leads to Port Askaig, Portnahaven or Bowmore/Islay Airport/Port Ellen/Ardbeg.
Christine picked us up at 9:00 and we had booked her the entire day. She had very kindly changed our arrangements with Kilchoman and Bruichladdich distilleries so we had plenty of time for both.
On the way to our first stop of the day, Kilchoman, we ran into Bryan Palmer of The Ileach, who is a bike fanatic. In keeping with our mission for Merlot Tours we stopped and had a wee chat with Bryan leaving him Peter Kobbernagel’s business card. He seamed very enthusiastic and would himself write an email to Peter. So it looks as if your bike-fact-finding-mission is completed successfully.
Trough narrow and twisty roads not all of them with a decent surface we made it to Kilchoman Distillery. The manager/owner, Malcolm Rennie, showed us around the smallest distillery we have ever seen. He was passionate about this business and we had a sample of the fresh spirit and another that had matured for two years. The first distillation took place at Kilchoman in 2005 so later this year the first real Scotch’s Whisky will be released from Kilchoman. We can only say that we look forward to that because the fresh spirit was very tasty indeed and not at all “Feinty” in any way. Malcolm operates the distillery with his family and the site also features an excellent café where we would have stayed for lunch if we didn’t have an appointment at Bruichladdich to keep. The entire experience at Kilchoman was very interesting and we saw the complete process from Barley to maturation. The only thing missing was bottling but that was coming according to Malcolm. Kilchoman gets our highest and best recommendation. Do go visit him if you ever find yourself on Islay and also you can look forward, as always, to pictures and updates on the Kilchoman pages and on our special Islay section coming shortly.
From Kilchoman Christine took us to Bruichladdich where we had a special appointment with CEO Mark Rainier.

Mark Rainier Bruichladdich Mark Rainar and www.awa.dk

Let me start right off by stating that the visit to Bruichladdich topped ALL our other distillery visits during our stay at Islay. Mark is a guy who is passionate about everything whisky: whisky history, whisky making, whisky maturation… You name it; Mark will know everything about it. He gave us the almost complete history of the lost still Octomore where he had researched everything himself. It is a fascinating story which you will soon be able to read right here on the whisky pages.

Bruichladdich Whisky barrels

Mark was practically unstoppable in his passionate retelling of the story of Octomore. He did end the story though and then took us himself on a very special guided tour of Bruichladdich distillery. We saw EVERYTHING! We went through all the steps as at all the other distilleries but this time no explanation about the steps but a continuous involved narrative about the special-ness of Bruichladdich and the way they do things there. Nothing has been changed in the production process since the distillery started in 1881. All the equipment is the same and only a few things have been changed/updated. No high-tech gadgets was found anywhere and we were shown the logs of all the distillations dating back several months to prove Mark’s point about the ever changing way the spirit behaves.

The Bruichladdich whisky distillery (Photo by www.awa.dk)

At Bruichladdich there’s no set cut-off point for the Head to Middle Cut and from Middle Cut to Feints. All is done by eye by the experienced people working at the distillery and careful logs are kept at how long the middle run lasted and at what alcohol percentage the cut started and ended. Of course we saw the mill, the stills, the wash, the wort and Mark also took us to Bruichladdich’s experimental warehouse where they to trials with different types of wood and finishes. If there ever was a man passionate about wood it’s Mark. Some of the thing he told us about the way the whisky industry as a whole “misinforms” it’s customers about the maturation and labelling of their products was eye-opening. We have a score of pictures from the 2½ hours we spent with Mark who was so kind, information and friendly that everything else palled. The only slight problem was his rather annoying dog, Badger, who was very playful and had a nasty habit of biting your hand if you played with him.
Well – just as we said goodbye to Mark and had just been given a wee dram at the Visitors Centre Jim McEwen showed up. He was another of the directors at Bruichladdich and he took us to the Still Manager, Duncan’s, office where we were shown the plans for resurrecting the Port Charlotte distillery. We were told that the fate of the project was to be decided next week on a board meeting and that all was ready to go. The only doubt was the name of the “new” distillery but the only suggestion so far is “Port Charlotte”.
With that an incredible visit to Bruichladdich ended and Christine took us to a small café next to the distillery where we had lunch and coffee.
The trip continued after lunch to the site of the old Octomore distillery. We drove up there and met Jim who now owns the farm where the distillery used to be. (It closed in 1841). Some of the buildings were still there and pictures of those will be available soon. Jim showed us around his home, his unbelievable filing cabinet full of whisky and also served us a wee dram on his balcony overlooking the bay and Bowmore on the other side of said bay. Again the friendliness and openness of the people of Islay was astonishing. Of course it helps when you are driving around by a well-connected Lady of the Isles but still… Next stop was Port Charlotte where we couldn’t get in. We did mange to get a  lot of pictures from the outside. From there Christine wanted us to see Portnahaven. And were we in for a pleasant surprise. At the end of everything we came across this incredible picturesque little village situated right on the rocky coast of Islay with a splendid view to Ireland. We spent about an hour’s time there enjoying a pint in the beautiful sunshine. Thank you so much Christine for showing us this little warm wonderful spot on this earth.
It was getting late and we still had our entire luggage in the Silver Bullet (Christine’s car). We headed off to Bridgend but stopped at Newton and Daill where there also were buildings to photograph that used to be distilleries. At Newton we were again lucky enough to meet the current resident who was ever so friendly and gave us plenty of information about where things used to be 100 or some years ago.
Finally we reached Bridgend where we checked into the very nice and cozy hotel Bridgend. Coincidentally the current B&B right across the road was also a distillery once and you can be sure you will soon be able to find pictures of everything here at AWA.dk.
For now the hour is late. We have had dinner and is now sitting writing in the Cocktail Bar and are soon off to bed.

From Islay: it’s GI and CP signing off.

Islay (Wednesday 3rd of September 2008)

laphoraig visitor centre entrance

Last night ended again without us closing Duffies bar so we had a wonderful morning, again enjoying breakfast at our great hotel Harbour Inn.
GI asked the hotel the night before if they could arrange transport for us by taxi to Laphroaig since the bus-schedule was uncoordinated with the distillery tour at 10:15 we were booked into. So after breakfast we went to the reception and asked how they were doing with taxi. Nothing was available but the service level and hospitality of the Harbour Inn knows no boundaries: up came the Hotel Manager and took us in his private car so we could make our appointment at Laphroaig. We cannot thank Harbour Inn enough for all their kindness and hospitality. The hotel is a true gem and we can only give it our highest praise and recommend it to everyone traveling to Islay. Great food, excellent service and a warm, welcoming atmosphere with an out-of-this-world hospitality unmatched by any other hotel I’ve ever stayed at.
Back to the whisky ?

laphoraig visitor centre entrance
We arrived on time for our tour at Laphroaig and the tour was the best yet. Laphroaig’s standard tour lasts 1½ hours where almost all the other still’s tours last about 1 hour.

 Laphroaig floormalting drying

Finally FLOOT MALTING in progress and a kelm operating. Look forward to a lot of great pictures on the Laphroaig pages and in the special Islay section to come. Out tour guide, David Adams, was an experienced guy that had worked at the distillery since 1977. He could tell us practically everything and we enjoyed the tour tremendously. After asking both David and the girl at the visitors centre (whose name we never did catch) GI managed to charm the girl with his “big brown puppy-dog eyes” to allow us a wee look into warehouse #1. And again: getting into the warehouses around the different distilleries is something not to be missed. Unfortunately it is not really allowed due to Customs & Excise regulations (no duty has been paid on the spirit yet) but that is the true way of ending a tour of a distillery. We had a quick peek and took some more pictures that you can look forward to. We saw HRH Price Charles’s very own cask of Laphroaig and that is documented as well. The dram at the end of the tour was the Quarter Cask and we enjoyed it at the Friends of Laphroaig Lounge at the distillery.

Freinds of Laphroaig Lounge

At the same time as the dram we were presented with our certificate and a wee miniature of Laphroaig that we, as FOL, had picked up our rent due. We also got to sample a special “only at the distillery” bottling and needles to say that found its way into both of our suitcases. CP also purchased GI’s birthday present at the shop together with rugby shirts, pins, cups, jugs and a lot more merchandise. We had an absolutely fantastic time and whether this visit to Laphroaig is now the highlight of the tour or whether Ardbeg remains as champ is yet to be decided. Certainly the hospitality and friendliness of Ardbeg was more than matched by Laphroaig.
After having planted the Danish flag at our very own Friends of Laphroaig “Square foot of Islay” it was time to catch the bus back Bowmore where we had booked at tour at the Bowmore distillery at 15:00. There was perfect timing with the bus schedule and out appointment so we had time to put all our shopping at the room before we went to Bowmore.

 Bowmore shop at Bowmore distillery
We had low expectations for Bowmore since we were unsuccessful at booking at Master Craft tour but all our expectations were put to shame! Our very charming and friendly guide, Heather, only had the two of us on the tour and she soon realized that we knew the whisky-making process and could avoid giving us information we already had. She concentrated on all the nerdy information we wanted such as size of the different stills, wash and so on, and GI and CP got to try our grading at the Floor Malting. So in 12 years time look for Bowmore whisky that was partially made by www.awa.dk. We were not allowed to use flash photography at Bowmore but lovely Heather was kindly blind a few times as you will be able to tell from some of the pictures coming to the Bowmore pages and to the special Islay section. At Bowmore distillery they know that all tours should include a warehouse-visit so it’s a standard part of their tour. Unfortunately all the casks maturing were behind glass so we didn’t have the chance to wonder around and look for ourselves. But Heather had one another ace up her sleeve: someone had left freshly distilled un-matured sprit at the warehouse so we got to sample that and it was frankly quite good! Such ended the tour at Bowmore and we went for a wee dram and a taste of the standard (heart) of Bowmore bottling – the 12 yo. But Heather had not run out of aces. She asked whether there were any other of the Bowmore expressions we wanted to sample and we both agreed that the “Distillery Only 8 yo” bottling was interesting. She couldn’t find that particular bottle so we ended up with a 12 yo, a 15 yo Darkest, a 16 yo Port finish and an 18 yo. Oh, and of course an 8 yo too because Heather just went downstairs and picked up another fresh bottle for us to try. So suddenly we had a wee tasting at Bowmore – THANK YOU HEATHER. GI liked the 16 yo Port best and CP fell for the 15 yo Darkest. After having finished the tasting we went and spend some money at the Bowmore visitors centre and we shall not tell all here. Just that CP is looking forward to coming back to work and showing off his brand new Bowmore Distillery pc carrying bag.
Tonight we are again eating at the Lochside Hotel. Last night they disappointed us with a mediocre meal but we already have a table booked and tonight is “Jam Session” night at the Lochside so we shall enjoy music after the dinner.
Tomorrow we are switching hotel to the BridEnd Hotel trying that out for Merlot Tours too. Christine Logan is picking us up and then the trip will continue to Bruichladdich, Kilchoman and Port Charlotte distilleries.

This is GI and CP signing off from Islay…

Islay (Tuesday the 2nd of September 2008)

TUESDAY
Since monday did not end like sunday both CP and GI were fresh of the mark tuesday morning. We did meet our South African friends monday evening but decided (visely?) not to close any bars with them monday night.

As you might have noticed we spend quite a lot of time writing and updateing pictures and information on AWA so hopefully you are enjoying that.

We got a nice breakfast again and Christine picked us up and drove us straight to Lagavulin. We had been looking forward to Lagavulin and Ardbeg since those, with Laphroig, are our favorites. Christine was working fratically to get our “special” appointment at Ardbeg confirmed so we started with Lagavulin.

Lagavulin
Two giddy schoolboys started the tour at Lagavulin with high hopes. Unfortunately Lagavulin is not very visitor-friendly and we were not allowed to take pictures anywhere inside the buildings anywhere.

We were SOOO disappointed and only broke the rule once to take a picture of the Spirit Safe. Look for that at the Lagavulin pages soon. (but since it was done 007-like with CP’s camera-phone without any flash it is most likely not the best quality!). The dram was, of course, excellent at Lagavulin but could not make up for the disappointment of not being allowed any photography inside. As soon as we re-entered the visitors-centre, Christine was shouting at us and telling us to get a move on quick as possible: she had made arrangements with Ardbeg that we were to go on the next tour and they were holding that tour for us – for 15 mins it turned out to be.

 Ginoue at the Ardbeg distillery
ARDBEG was everything Lagavulin was not. Ardbeg was without a doubt the HIGHLIGHT so far of the whisky tour of Heaven. We were met by Margareth who was out tour guide. We did not even get a chance to pay for the tour but just went right along with a rather large group of people. Of course photography was allowed throughout the tour – only at the spirit safe were we asked not to use flash. No problem, we just used GI’s tremendous camera-phone to take excellent videos of freshly distilled Ardbeg running through the Spirit Safe. CP even got some ok photos using a higher ISO-setting so those will also soon be available at the Ardbeg pages. Also – look forward to a special Islay section coming soon right here on AWA.dk.

Ardbeg left a lasting impression on us. We were allowed a look into the Warehouses and discovered that there are only 3 (three) casks left of older Ardbeg at the distillery. All were 1975 casks and we wanted to take them all home. Sadly though, perhaps the only thing we weren’t really allowed to do at Ardbeg was take home those casks. We probably wouldn’t have been able to pay for them anyway but we did ask.
Douglas showed us around and he was also sad that there was no more of the good-old stuff left.
Marareth also arranged for us to have a look at the old Floor Malting areas that have been disused since
the 70’s. They have recently been done over by some of the staff, particularely Yogi (who’s not a baseball player nor a bear!), and he was kind enough to show us around.

The old Ardbeg floormalting area...

Standing in the loft at the old Floor Maltings was standing in the middle of History and although we asked and begged Yogi told us that there are no immediate plans of starting floor maltings again at Ardbeg. Yogi also showed us on old disused Kelm and sure enough: there was still peat left as fuel inside the old Kelm.

The old Ardbeg Kelm

It was in a sorry state but Yogi had plans of cleaning it up and making it a part of the tour of Ardbeg. He was – as practically everyone else we’ve met on Islay – fastastically open and welcomming and there was only a time limit on what he was willing to show us. We had a really inspiring talk with Yogi and we were so sad when it was time to leave. (we also had a couple of Coca-Colas – we had to have something else than a dram – and when CP went to pay for them they would not accept payment).

We’re bringing home two bottles of Ardbeg – and one is the NEW 10 yo – the first finished bottling after the reopening when Glenmorangie took over. Also a bottle only available to the Ardbeg Committee or at the distillery is coming home,  together with a lot of t-shirts, books, water jugs and other whisky-related trikets.

At this moment (6pm GMT) we are writing this blog and updating the site with pictures and information. We have made reservations at the Lochside Hotel’s restaurant and are looking forward to eating there again.’

Last night we met a couple of other Danes who were travelleing with English friends. They are also eating at Lochside tonight so we might get together for a wee dram and/or a pint or two. They are travelleing with their own airplane so we have asked them to take pictures from the air of the different distilleries when they fly over tomorrow. We hope to be able to present those pictures for you later.

We have also been able to perform some Research for Merlot Tours who have been very helpful getting hotel reservations here on Islay. Merlot Tours are specialists regarding Bicyckle travels and Islay offers a lot of different possibillities for travellers using bicyckles. We hope Peter Kobbernagel from Merlot Tours will find all the information usefull and we “might” also have a wee gift for him picked up at the Ardbeg Distillery 🙂

Tomorrow the plan is for us to go to Laphroig and later take a tour of Bowmore. We have tried unsuccessfully to book a “Craftsman” tour at Bowmore but that was sadly unavailable. We used to bus today to get back to Bowmore from Ardbeg and we are doing the same tomorrow. There are not that many buslines operating here and they are not very frequent but they are cheap(er than taxis) and just a fast.

For now, this is GI and CP signing off from Islay…

Islay (Monday the 1.st of September 2008)

After a full and satisfying breakfast our fantastic guide Christine picked us up right outside the hotel at just after 9:00 am. We were joined by Joe and Marko from the group of very nice South Africans we met Sunday night since they were not too keen on playing golf as was Greg’s and Mark’s plans.

The journey took us straight to Caol Ila distillery where we joined a 9:30 tour that was rather late because of us. But Mark (the guide at Coal Ila) were an excellent host and had no problem waiting for us while we met the Managing Director (Billy) and took some pictures of him.

Caol_Ila Distillery Manager

The tour started and whisky-production being whisky-production we knew all about the different things Mark was showing us. We might not have been listening too much but we had a great time and took a lot of pictures. We were shown round the stills production stages and they were running full-speed production while we were there. (look forward to pictures).

Mark from Caol Ila

The tour ended wihtout us seeing the Maturation Warehouses but a kind request was almost immediately approved and after having tasted the new 8 yo unpeated malt and the “only available at the distillery” bottlings, Mark took us to the maturation warehouse. A little disappointingly there was almost no Caol Ila cask matureing since the warehouse was almost full of Lagavulin Casks slowly maturing to perfection. But we succeeded in finding at least one cask of Caol Ila and we have the photografic documentation to proove it 🙂

Cask with Caol Ila

Shopping at Caol Ila was a must and we’re bringing home the “only available at the distillery” bottling (of course) and an assortment of glasware and polo-shirts.
Having had the extra and not-part-of-the-tour tour of the warehouse we were late going to our next destination:

Bunnahabhain Distillery. Hence we missed the guided tour but we still managed to take som were good pictures and we met Managing Director John who graciously also modelled for pictures.

Bunnahabhain Manager John

Of course we shopped at Bunnahabhain too although we did not this time buy a complete bottle. None were not commercially available elsewhere so we settled for a wee miniature bottle of Black Bottle (Bunnahabhain’s excellent blend) and another shirt and water jug.

Christine took us to the Bunnahabhain’s Visitor Centre where we had coffee and a few minutes to relax. GI took the time to walk around a got some fantastic shots of the Still and surrounding area.

You can se some of the pictures on the Bunnahabhain pages

Finished at Bunnahabhain, Christine drove us to Finlaggan.

Unlike what most people would think,  at least in Scandinavia, Finalaggan is NOT another distillery. It was the seat of government for all of western Scotland from at least the middle ages and up to about the 16th century. It  was very different from whisky-touring but not the least bit less interesseting.
From Finlaggan the trip continued to Lossit where GI knew there had been a distillery once. We managed to find the site at Lossit Kennels and we were extremely lucky, that the current resident Donald James was in. Christine knew him, of course, at after introductions he told us all he knew about the lost distillery of Lossit. He had done a fair amount of research and could show us a drawing of what the site used to be like.

alt

He showed us some of the things still left from that time and was ever so kind to a bunch of people suddenly and unexpectantly showing up in his courtyard.


From there we tried to find the lost Scarrebus distillery but there our luch had run out. We managed to find Scarrebus Farm but wheter that was the actual site of the still or not we had no way of finding out. We did take a picture of Scarrebus Farm and will of course present that as the actual distillery 🙂

Scarrebus
From there we went back to Bowmore and crashed at the hotel, walked around town, shopped at the supermarket, gathered information for Merlot Tours. We need to thank Peter Kobbernagel from Merlot Tours for making the Hotel reservations and we will bring him a score of information about Islay and about cykling here.
The evening is not over by far, and we have just met up with our South African friends again who are celebrating Marko’s 35th birthday today. How the night will end we do not know, but tune in again tomorrow and find out.

From Islay, it’s GI and CP signing off.