Islay whiskies

History

Whisky has been distilled on Islay for centuries, with local barley and plenty of peat as fuel. Many of its current distilleries were licensed in the first decades of the 19th century, and Bowmore boasts of being one of the oldest, dated 1779. For much of the 20th century its whisky was used mainly to give smoke to blends. The single malt boom of the 1980s and 1990s turned the island into a place of pilgrimage, and new distilleries such as Kilchoman have opened in the 21st century.

What the law says

Islay is one of the five regions protected by the 2009 Scotch Whisky Regulations, alongside Speyside, the Highlands, the Lowlands and Campbeltown. A whisky may only state it on the label if it has been distilled entirely there. It is the only one made up of a single island: the other islands have no region of their own and are part of the Highlands.

Style and flavour

Islay’s smoke comes from drying the barley over a peat fire, and its intensity varies a lot from one house to another: Laphroaig is medicinal and iodine-laden; Lagavulin, deep and sweet; Ardbeg, intense and fruity; and Caol Ila, lighter and oily. Bowmore sits in the middle, with fruit and gentle smoke, and Bunnahabhain and Bruichladdich make unpeated versions. Almost all share a briny, maritime background.

Where to start

If you’re coming from smokeless whiskies, Bowmore 12 Year Old or Caol Ila 12 Year Old are a friendly way in. Laphroaig 10 Year Old and Lagavulin 16 Year Old are the classics that define the island, one medicinal and the other deep. And if you want to try Islay without peat, Bunnahabhain 12 Year Old shows the other side: fruit, sherry and salt.

• Bowmore 12 Year OldSingle malt · 40% ABV
• Lagavulin 16 Year OldSingle malt · 43% ABV
• Bunnahabhain 12 Year OldSingle malt · 46.3% ABV