
Islay single malts are the
single malt Scotch whiskies made on
Islay
Islay ( ; , ) is the southernmost island of the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. Known as "The Queen of the Hebrides", it lies in Argyll and Bute just south west of Jura, Scotland, Jura and around north of the Northern Irish coast. The island's cap ...
( ) or ''Ìle'' in
Gaelic, one of the southernmost of the
Inner Hebridean Islands located off the west coast of
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
. Islay is one of five
whisky
Whisky or whiskey is a type of liquor made from Fermentation in food processing, fermented grain mashing, mash. Various grains (which may be Malting, malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, Maize, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky ...
distilling localities and regions in Scotland whose identity is protected by law.
The region is characterised by whiskies with a peat smoke aroma, such as
Laphroaig,
Lagavulin and
Ardbeg.
In total, there are nine active distilleries on this island which measures only , and the industry is Islay's second largest employer after agriculture. Islay is a centre of "whisky tourism", and hosts a "Festival of Malt and Music" known as ''Fèis Ìle'' each year on the last week of May, with events and tastings celebrating the cultural heritage of the island.
History
Some sources indicate that Irish monks may have been the first to distill whisky on the island in the early 1300s. According to ''Visit Scotland'', "most of Islay's original distilleries
ome no longer in businessstarted as farm distilleries and retreated to secluded glens and caves during the 17th century when the
excise
file:Lincoln Beer Stamp 1871.JPG, upright=1.2, 1871 U.S. Revenue stamp for 1/6 barrel of beer. Brewers would receive the stamp sheets, cut them into individual stamps, cancel them, and paste them over the Bunghole, bung of the beer barrel so when ...
man came calling."
Another source is more specific: "Islay’s past is pervaded by innumerable tales of home distilling, smuggling and illegal whisky production" and adds that the eight older distilleries all began as small, illicit producers. All were built near water since grain was shipped on boats and the finished whisky was transported via water. For centuries, the whisky was usually aged in sherry casks but bourbon casks from the U.S. are now also frequently used.
In 1806, the Right Hon.
Allan Maconochie, Lord Meadowbank at the Circuit Court at Inverary heard the case against Donald, Duncan and Neil, sons of Dugald Mackiachan, ''all residing in the island of Islay, accused of
breaking into a room or cellar possessed by Benjamin Campbell, activing supervisor in said island, and stealing from thence 125 gallons of whisky, and they failing to appear to stand trial, sentence of
fugitation was pronounced against them''.
Styles of whisky

The whiskies of the distilleries along the southeastern coast of the island,
Laphroaig,
Lagavulin, and
Ardbeg, have a smoky character derived from
peat
Peat is an accumulation of partially Decomposition, decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, Moorland, moors, or muskegs. ''Sphagnum'' moss, also called peat moss, is one of the most ...
, considered a central characteristic of the Islay malts, and ascribed both to the water from which the whisky is made and to the peating levels of the barley. Many describe this as a "medicinal" flavour. They also possess notes of
iodine
Iodine is a chemical element; it has symbol I and atomic number 53. The heaviest of the stable halogens, it exists at standard conditions as a semi-lustrous, non-metallic solid that melts to form a deep violet liquid at , and boils to a vi ...
,
seaweed
Seaweed, or macroalgae, refers to thousands of species of macroscopic, multicellular, marine algae. The term includes some types of ''Rhodophyta'' (red), '' Phaeophyta'' (brown) and ''Chlorophyta'' (green) macroalgae. Seaweed species such as ...
and
salt
In common usage, salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl). When used in food, especially in granulated form, it is more formally called table salt. In the form of a natural crystalline mineral, salt is also known as r ...
.
Caol Ila, on the northern side of the island, across from
Jura, also produces a strongly peated whisky. Trees, other than plantations, on these islands are scattered and the peat is free of rotting wood. (Normal peat bogs are invaded by trees and periodic fires kill the encroaching tree line.) Islay peat is reputedly the best flavoured for scotch production.

The other distilleries on the island make whisky in a variety of styles.
Bunnahabhain makes much lighter whiskies which are generally lightly peated.
Bowmore, which started business in 1779, produces a whisky which is well balanced, using a medium-strong peating level (25 ppm) but also using
sherry
Sherry ( ) is a fortified wine produced from white grapes grown around the city of Jerez de la Frontera in Andalusia, Spain. Sherry is a drink produced in a variety of styles made primarily from the Palomino grape, ranging from light versio ...
-cask maturation. The
Kilchoman distillery started production in late 2005; in location it is unlike the other distilleries, which are all by the sea. The newest distillery is
Ardnahoe, the island's ninth, which opened in 2019.

In general however, the whiskies from this island are known for a "pungent peaty, smoky and oily flavours, with just a hint of salty sea air and seaweed" because of the use of peat and the maritime climate.
The Island's own web site is more specific. Distilleries in the south make whisky which is "medium-bodied ... saturated with peat-smoke, brine and iodine" because they use malt that is heavy with peat as well as peaty water. Whisky from the northern area is milder because it is made using spring water for a "lighter flavoured, mossy (rather than peaty), with some seaweed, some nuts..." characteristic.
In future however, the whisky industry on this island may be moving to a broader range of products, some less peaty than the current majority as well as new types of whisky.
Distilleries
Active distilleries
† ''These reflect what are often anglicised
Anglicisation or anglicization is a form of cultural assimilation whereby something non-English becomes assimilated into or influenced by the culture of England. It can be sociocultural, in which a non-English place adopts the English language ...
re-spellings of Scottish Gaelic. Pronunciation of the Scottish Gaelic from which they are derived may be different.''
†† ''The Scottish Gaelic from which the distillery's name was anglicised if applicable, according to Ainmean-Àite na h-Alba
Ainmean-Àite na h-Alba (; "Gaelic Place-Names of Scotland") is the national advisory partnership for Gaelic place names in Scotland. Ainmean-Àite na h-Alba are based at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig on Skye.
History
Ainmean-Àite na h-Alba began as the ...
.'' ''Not necessarily an official name of the distillery.''
New distilleries
Hunter Laing's Ardnahoe Distillery, located between
Port Askaig and
Bunnahabhain, opened in April 2019, becoming Islay's ninth distillery.
A new distillery at Gartbreck Farm, just south of Bowmore, was planned in 2014 by Jean Donnay of Glann ar Mor Distillery in
Brittany, France, as a joint venture with Hunter Laing of Glasgow but as of December 2018 the project was stalled over a land and management dispute.
In 2020 Elixir Distillers broke ground on a new distillery, which is to be known as Portintruan, on the road between Port Ellen and Laphroaig.
Closed distilleries
The oldest record of a legal distillery on the island of Islay refers to Bowmore in 1779 and at one time there were up to 23 distilleries in operation.
[Newton (1995) p. 33] For example,
Port Charlotte distillery operated from 1829 to 1929
["Port Charlotte Distillery"]
. IslayInfo. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
In March 2007 Bruichladdich Distillery announced the reopening of the distillery at
Port Charlotte (''Port Sgioba'' in Gaelic), which was closed in 1929, and was also known as the
Lochindaal distillery.
*Ardenistle (1837–1849) / Kildalton (1849–1852) / Islay (1852–1852), subsumed by Laphroaig 1853
*Ardmore (1817–1835), taken over by Lagavulin 1837
*Daill (1814–1830), ruins on road between Port Askaig & Bridgend
*Freeport (1847–1847), location unknown
*Kildalton (1817–1837), merged with Lagavulin
*Killarow (c.1760–1818) /
Bridgend
Bridgend (; or just , meaning "the end of the bridge on the Ogmore") is a town in the Bridgend County Borough of Wales, west of Cardiff and east of Swansea. The town is named after the Old Bridge, Bridgend, medieval bridge over the River Og ...
(1818–1822), ruins in village
*Lochindaal/
Port Charlotte/Rhinns (1829–1929), near Bruichladdich
*Lossit (1821) /
Ballygrant (1826–1860), ruins south of the village A846
*Malt Mill (1908–1962), now part of Lagavulin
["Islay's "lost" Whisky Distilleries"]
Islayinfo.com. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
*Mulindry (1826–1827), at the junction of the Neriby Burn and the River Laggan, now in ruins
[
*Newton (1819–1837), ruins immediately south of A846 between Port Askaig & Bridgend][
*Octomore (1816–1852), ruins near Port Charlotte
*]Port Ellen
Port Ellen () is a small town on the island of Islay, in Argyll, Scotland. The town is named after the wife of its founder, Walter Frederick Campbell. Its previous name, ''Leòdamas'', is derived from Old Norse meaning "Leòd's Harbour".
Port E ...
(1825–1929, 1967–1983), large port village of Islay, converted to a malting.[ Reopened in 2024]
*Scarabus (1817–1818), no evidence of production
*Tallant (1821–1852), Tallant farm south of Bowmore
See also
* Outline of whisky
References
Sources
* Newton, Norman (1995) ''Islay''. Devon. David & Charles PLC.
External links
Islay Whisky Society
Argyll Tourist Board
{{DEFAULTSORT:Islay Whisky
Islay