We headed to the Isle of Islay to visit the seven working distilleries—Tom’s favorite part of the trip, since we came home with well over the allotted duty-free amount. See a map and descriptions of the distilleries at the Islay Whiskey Society site.
Bruichladdich warrants extra mention because Tom had the good fortune to meet and chat with Jim McEwan at the Whiskies of the World Expo. He was on holiday when we visited, but we were taken on a special tour by bottling manager, David, in addition to the regular tour. In 2004, Bruichladdich began the The Academy which allows guests to participate in distillery processes. In 2005, Tom will be a student at The Academy.
There is more than just distilleries on the island. We also visited the Islay Woolen Mill, (where we got to meet the owner’s dog and puppy – to Patty’s delight) and received a brief tour. We also visited Elizabeth Sykes gallery of batik art.
