Day 7 -- Friday, the 17th October
Once again, we start early. Today, we will focus on the northeast of the island, which we have ignored so far. The weather forecast is not exciting, and the hike we had earmarked for that part, four lochs and three distilleries, is too ambitious for today, so we will drive instead.
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| Also, this |
Our first stop is Finlaggan, where the visitor centre is closed for the season, but the site is open. They painted the bridge an odd red-and-green scheme; that is possibly the only difference JS and I notice, on this third visit. The site is still as pretty, if smaller than adc imagined it. It is damp and windy, though.
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| The horns on that ram! |
As we get ready to depart, a carful of Dutchmen stops by. Phew! We managed to enjoy the seat of the Lord of the Isles before anyone else could impact our experience.
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| Let me make a quick phone call |
From there, we drive to Caol Ila. We arrive there half-an-hour before it opens, and take a quick nap in the car. Once we make our way to the visitor centre (yes, it has one, now, being the Johnnie Walker embassy to the island), we notice that the seafront is inaccessible. JS and I spent a long while there with dom666, in 2008, marvelling at the view. Today, one cannot go outside without a booked tour; all visitors are funnelled through the visitor centre, in the old warehouse.
From the boardwalk, we see a Forsyth escort car, and a lorry-mounted crane hauling stills into the open stillhouse. Yup, silent season means maintenance, and Caol Ila's take on it this year is to change the stills -- or parts thereof, at least.
The visitor centre is the main attraction. It has a shop, a bar stocked up with Diageo bottlings, and a tasting room with a spectacular view on the Sound of Islay (it is overcast today, and the excitement is limited as a result). It all feels corporate AF, however. The shop has a wide selection, but on the pricy side (same owners as Lagavulin, after all).
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| A ship manoeuvres to crash into the distillery |
The guy at reception offers us a dram of Caol Ila 14yo b.2022 (53%, OB Four Corners of Scotland Collection distillery exclusive, Refill and freshly charred hogsheads, 3000b), which is very good (I take away a sample, since I am driving). Well, he gives us a choice between that and Johnnie Walker 12yo Black Label Islay Origin (42%, John Walker & Sons, b.2024), which we had recently. Easy choice.
The Dutchmen from Finlaggan enter shortly after we do.
Dutchmen: "No. We came on foot."
Of course, you did. Finlaggan to Caol Ila on foot in less than thirty minutes. Clearly unaware that driver samples are provided.
They also have the Caol Ila b.2018 (57.4%, OB Distillery Exclusive Bottling, Refill + 1st Fill Bourbon, Red Wine Casks, 6000b) that we tried last night -- for a decent price. Not a very popular bottling, obviously. It is easy to imagine amateurs being put off by the wine maturation, if they have not tried it.
The whole place is welcoming enough, yet it has a new-school feel that does not resonate with me. Some of the bottlings, especially in the 2024 Special Releases, clearly target a different demographic, with colours and imagery that I have a hard time associating with whisky. Whatever works from a commercial point of view, I guess. We leave after thirty minutes of loitering.
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| Really!? |
Bunnahabhain is our next port of call.
In 2008, the tour guide had broken her arm, so her husband, distillery manager John McLelland, led our tour. He made a point that Bunnahabhain was, "a distillery that accepts visitors, rather than a visitor centre that happens to make whisky." How things have changed!
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| Fuckin'ell! |
The shop has a large selection of bottlings, distillery exclusive, Fèis Ìle releases etc., amongst which many wine maturations that do not appeal to us. Perhaps a mistake, as we saw with the Caol Ila 15yo from last night, but if one cannot buy everything, one tries to reduce risks of being disappointed. The prices are generally decent, and we end up taking a few samples.
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| Generally decent prices |
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| Some of it is pure piss-take |
There is also a bar. Not everything is available, but it is well stocked. Having said that, JS is mightily annoyed when she asks to try a 27-year-old that she has spotted on the bar shelf, only to be told such rare single casks are not available at the bar. Even though it is right there, at the very bar they are supposedly not at. We leave.
We drive back south to Ardnahoe to try their renowned café. Lunchtime is looming, and we are peckish, see? It turns out to be another corporate joke, yet another visitor centre that makes a bit of hooch on the side. The shop, I hoped the most interesting on the island, has a selection of Hunter Laing bottlings (they own the distillery), some of which are tempting. The prices put us off.
Around the corner, the famous cafeteria serves hot drinks and a few pastries. There goes our plan to have lunch here. At least, there is the bar. We decide to stick with the local produce and try a flight of three.
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| Ardnahoe Infinite Loch (50%, OB, Bourbon and Oloroso Sherry, b.2024) 7/10 |
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| Ardnahoe 5yo b.2024 (59.3%, OB for Fèis Ìle 2024, 1st Fill & Refill Bourbon Barrel, 931b) 7/10 |
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| Ardnahoe 5yo b.2024 Inaugural Release (50%, OB, ex-Bourbon and ex-Oloroso sherry, 70000b) 6/10 |
They are not bad, if still young. We also get to try the Jura bottled for the visitor centre (labelled as "fill-your-own", but actually pre-bottled, and with a bottling date in 2023). It is very decent. Jura is consistently convincing, on this trip!
Now really hungry, we drive to the Bridgend Hotel in the hope to find lunch. The landlord takes about seven minutes to tell us they are fully booked ("Or you'll have to wait." "Sure, we can wait. How long are we talking, do you think?" "Oh, it'll be a LOOOOOOONG time!") Looking around, at the two or three tables that actually have people sitting, it is hard to imagine this place being called "fully booked" in a city, but one has to accept that this is not London.
Not-slightly disappointed with our bad luck, we drive back to Bowmore, stop for petrol, and head for Peatzeria… where are told they are fully booked. Again, it is hard for a city-dweller to accept, when only two tables are occupied, but hey! We book a table for "tonight" (also known as 17:00), and cross the street to Labels for takeout pastries. The one pastry we are most interested in happens to be one that has fallen over and is upside down at the bottom of the display case; once the lady turns it around, it becomes the least appealing piece. Ha! Ha!
We buy a Rocky Road and a Biscoff/Speculoos Fudge-thing. Once we try them home, we are unanimously disappointed. Bah.
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| Rocky Road |
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| Biscoff/Speculoos Fudge-thing |
We then have a dram of Caol Ila 35yo 1984/2020 (47.5%, The House of Macduff The Golden Cask Reserve, C#CM260, 204b, b#128) before heading out in the rain. We need postcards and stamps. We find the former at a knock-off price at The Celtic House on the corner (25p a pop, which takes us back to 2006). At the post office, the lady freezes when I ask her for twenty international stamps: "You may want to sit down..." £56 is the verdict. Here is an industry actively working to precipitate its inevitable death.
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| On the same premises is a fill-your-own-container shop full of unlikely spices and pulses |
We have a few hours to write them (and have more drams), then hit the Islay Whisky Shop (in vain), then Peatzeria. We have starters too. All dishes are excellent.
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| Fried Lasagna to share |
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| Breaded Squid to share |
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| Scallops Pizza (adc) |
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| Glasraith Pizza (JS) |
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| Peatzeria Pizza (me) |
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| JS has a naughty beer |
The place is half empty for the duration of our dinner. "I have one table at 17:00, due to a cancellation," she said. It really is a different rhythm of life.
Outside, the sky over the harbour is as pretty as can be.
We climb up the hill to the cemetery for pictures from a different viewpoint, but we do not linger: we have to pack, shower, and empty some drams (Bunnahabhain 27yo 1978/2006 (55.6%, Signatory Vintage Cask Strength Collection, Sherry Butt, C#2542, 509b, b#84, 6/0098) for adc and me, Caol Ila 29yo d.1991 (48.9%, Cask Sample, Bourbon Hogshead) and Bowmore 43yo 1973/2016 (43.2%, OB, 6 x Bourbon Hogsheads, C#3883-3888) for JS).
At that time, the PhD students of Bowmore start revving their engines outside. One in a red Golf is particularly irritating in his misplaced testosterone-fuelled driving, as noisy as it is environmentally detrimental.
We call it an early night for this last sleep in Bowmore.
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