Tom and Patty met Rosemary and Donald Fletcher on a previous visit to Islay and struck up a friendship. When we knew we were returning, we booked a self-catering cottage at Persabus Farm. We were invited to spend time with the Fletcher family our first night there, then again on our last evening. In between, Donald shared some whisky from his barrel at Bruichladdich.
Tom and Patty met Jim McEwan, Bruichladdich Master Distiller at Whiskies of the World in San Francisco circa 2001. In the ensuing years a friendship developed, which was cemented in 2005 when Tom attended The Academy. We were told that the recently retired Jim wasn’t going to be on Islay during our stay, so we were pleasantly surprized when we saw him in his garden. We dropped in and shared tea with him and Barbara. Tom and Marlee also had a taste of The Botanist, a gin that Jim developed.
