Islay – a few more photos

View on Saturday 6th August looking 

towards Bowmore Harbour

 

Bowmore: round church at top of the main street

 

 

Top of the Bowmore Distillery 

(above and below)

 

Port Ellen Maltings

Bay at Port Ellen

Islay – visits to Caol Ila and Kilchoman

Caol Ila distillery facing the sea

Although during our week on Islay we visited all of the eight working distilleries, we took our only distillery tour at Caol Ila. We made a good choice as we were impressed by the way Nigel, who runs the Caol Ila tours, explained the processes and at the same time coped very sympathetically with CRM's 92 year old mum and her restricted mobility. 

Nigel explained that the distillery was sited by the sea because when it was founded in 1846 boat was the only practical mode of transport. It is only since 1989 that Caol Ila has been sold as a single malt, previously all the whisky production here went into blends. Initially Caol Ila single malt accounted for just 5% of production. Now, with the growth in interest in single malts, it is up to 15%. Now part of Diageo Caol Ila gets its malted barley from the Port Ellen Maltings, also part of Diageo.  

Because space is limited here, Caol Ila is sited in a small bay backed by a steep descent down to the distillery, much of the spirit is sent to the mainland to Stirling for maturation. This rather suggests that the idea that it is the proximity to the sea and Islay's climate during maturation in cask that gives Islay whiskies their special character is a romantic notion. Rather whiskies character comes mostly from the malted barley, the amount (if any) of peat used in drying the fermented barley, the shape of the stills and decisions made during distillation as well as the choice of cask.  

On Monday we invested in a bottle of Caol Ila 12 YO and we have been enjoying a post-dinner dram of this gentle whisky, which still has some of the Islay characteristics but without being anything like as challenging and in your face as some. 

At the end of the tour we tasted the Caol Ila Distillers Edition, initially matured like the other Caol Ila whiskies in Bourbon casks and then finished in Moscatel casks. Moscatel being the Spanish for Muscat. This whisky is richer than the 12 YO with an oily texture.          

Nigel, who runs the tours at Caol Ila, 

in the warehouse at the end of the tour

talking about maturation and

 the three whiskies to choose from to taste

Annie's Café, Bruichladdich  

If you sprinkle when you tinkle be a sweetie and wipe the seatie

We had a snack lunch at Annie's Café in Bruichladdich – a partial shrine to cycling. 

Bernard Hinault and Eddy Merckx   

Kilchoman Farm Distillery

The Kilchoman Farm Distillery, on Islay's west coast, was our last visit. Kilchoman was established in 2005 and was the first distillery to be built on Islay for 124 years. The distillery is well set up with a modern visitors' centre including a café. 

Maltings floor

Visitors centre 

Islay – The Islay Show and Loch Gruinart

 A competitor limbering up for Islay's most famous sport 

– extracting cars from the mud

The Islay Show
Yesterday was the high point of the Islay social calendar – The Islay, Jura and Colonsay Fair at Bridgend. We spent about an hour there and were lucky that this was one of the rare intervals over the last few days when the rain briefly abated. It was clearly just taking a breather as it rained later yesterday and almost all of today – Friday.

 Upper part of show tent blown away by the persistent wind

Islay Wines tent

More like a refugee encampment than a show.....

Kilchoman  – Islay's sole farm distillery
(above and below)

 

Heavy going after days of rain....

Silverware 

Islay's persistent rain has some advantages – 
Over-sized prize onions 

More prize veg – above and low 
 

Twin llamas
 

Have a dram and enjoy the craic 

Lorry carrying various whisky barrels 

Kilnave ruined church and cemetery
– overlooking Loch Gruinart
(above and below)

 

Kilnave – standing stone by a house 

Like an Osborne Spanish bull
probably originally black but 
colour washed out by the rain 

 

 

The Bridgend Hotel (Islay) – an excellent dinner

The Bridgend Hotel, Bridgend, Islay

The weather on Islay is truly execrable. Fortunately, there are some good places to eat. Last evening we tried the Bridgend Hotel and were very favourably impressed starting with the warm welcome. We were settled in Strath Lounge for pre-dinner drinks and a look at the menu featuring locally sourced ingredients 

The dining room is attractively airy and the public areas of the hotel are well appointed as are doubtless the bedrooms. 

We were very happy with our menu choices. Only the wine list could do with improvement – no vintages, a rather limited choice and it would be good to see some more interesting wines included. The list plays safe. It would be nice to see more ambition to match the quality of the food. In contrast they have a comprehensive list of local whiskies.

Starters:     

 Langoustine salad with garlic mayonnaise 

 Warm langoustine tails with herb butter

 2014 38 Parcelles, Ventoux, Famile Quiot

Carignan, Cinsault, Grenache Noir, Syrah 
– attractive soft, spicy fruit, quite light colour

Grilled lemon sole with asparagus and fennel

Lamb cutlet and loin with pea mash, new potatoes 

Medallions of venison with beetroot, parsnip crisps, potato croquettes 
– the venison was nicely pink just as I had ordered 

Sliced pear, almond tart with honey ice cream 

Chocolate crème brulée with roasted marshmallows

Islay – Finlaggan + Caol Ila and Bunnahabhain

 Finlaggan – the ruins of the headquarters 

of the Lord of the Isles

Yesterday on a showery and still blustery day we visited Finlaggan before a fish and chip lunch at the Port Askaig Hotel. After that we moved on to visit Caol Ila and Bunnahabhain Distilleries.

 Part of the church on Finlaggan 

 Now an isolated and tranquil part of Islay but 

once busy during the time of the Lords of the Isles 

This was once a thriving township  

Port Askaig Hotel

Port Askaig

Caol Ila Distillery

 Caol Ila Distillery 

View from Caol Ila across to Jura 

Bunnahabhain Distillery 

 The most remote and slightly shabby Bunnahabhain Distillery

(above and below)

Tongue in cheek message on  
Bunnahabhain Distillery barrel at the exit