Islay

Islay - the land of smoke. From the un-peated whiskies of the north, to the intense smoky whiskies of the south, this is my favourite region of Scotland for whisky.

Which makes the fact that the distilleries are nearly all owned by corporate behemoths sadden me a bit as I can't get their malts at a price that I can sell competitively (they won't supply direct to me). So I focus on independent bottlers, which means that you'll never see the likes of Lagavulin (Diageo), Ardbeg (Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy), Bowmore & Laphroaig (Edrington-Beam-Suntory). Instead you'll find a range of wonderful independent bottlers, showing unique examples of this island's whisky.