"Go ahead, try it,” says my tour guide at the Lagavulin distillery on the isle of Islay, part of Scotland's craggy west coast. He holds a long, snake-like hose that drops down from a pipe in the ceiling in a drab concrete room. Tapping the valve, he spurts a shot of clear liquid into a large copper ewer. He then ladles a little into my cupped hands. I bring it to my mouth. It is harsh, vibrant, crystalline, and redolent of the smoky-oily aroma of peat.
This is whisky, the raw stuff fresh from the still. The water of life – pure and unadulterated.
There are bars that have amazing selections on their top shelf; there are restaurants with cellars full of the most exquisite vintages. But you're not going to get this anywhere else.
No one is sure whether it was the alchemists or the monks who first started calling the amazing liquid they distilled from wine aqua vitae, or "water of life." Either way, it was clear to the creators that the brew had some sort of animating spirit. When touched with a candle it burned with an angelic light, and when imbibed, oh my, it made men feel like little less than angels.
The Scots, who set up shop as distillers, became particularly skilled at making the spirit – they translated "water of life" into Gaelic and called it uisge beatha. Shortened to uisge, it became “whisky” – a name prized all over the world.
Islay and the Elements of Whisky
Paying a visit to Scotland is a perfect way to both refine an appreciation for whisky lovers and make fans out of those experiencing it for the first time. And a visit to Islay (pronounced "eye-luh") is ground zero. There are three main whisky-producing regions, each with its own character: Speyside, the main region along the river Spey with dozens of distilleries; Highland, scattered across the Scottish hill country; and Islay. On this tiny, heather-covered granite rock in the ocean, there are 4,000 inhabitants and seven distinctly world-class distilleries.
I start my pilgrimage on the south side of the island, with three distilleries that put out some of the most intensely flavorful whiskies in the world: Lagavulin, Ardbeg and Laphroaig.
There are five elements that determine a whisky's flavor and must be carefully controlled by the master distiller. The first step is selecting the finest locally grown barley and malting it. This involves sprouting the grain to convert the starches to sugars, making it sweet and intensely flavorful. Next, the malted grains are dried over a slow fire of peat, which adds the first level of smoky peatiness to the blend.
Peat is ubiquitous in Scotland, and particularly on Islay. This moss cousin grows thick on the ground in the damp atmosphere, building up over the years into a deep cushion, springy in some places and squelchy in others. In a land with few trees, peat has been harvested as fuel for centuries, cut with a spade into brick-sized blocks, dried, and then burned.
Peat also adds its distinctive smoky-rich flavor to the second element: the water. Here on the southern part of the island, the distilleries get their water from the lochs and streams (or burns) that pick up the warm, rich aroma of the peat as they flow through it. The hot water is added to the malted barley to dissolve off the sugars then transferred to great oaken or steel vessels called tuns, where it ferments over several days. The fermenting rooms reek of alcohol, and it will take a few steps to arrive at something more pleasant, since the fermenting only takes you to about eight percent alcohol.
Next it's time for distillation, a process that was probably first developed by the Greeks of classical times, perfected by Middle Eastern experimenters in the middle ages, and then spread through Europe by alchemists and monks. On the European continent, the monks kept the secrets to themselves. In Scotland and Ireland, Henry VIII busted up the monasteries, and the monks who were skilled distillers set up shop on their own.
The stills at each establishment are completely unique, the result of two or three centuries of experimentation, trial and error, and careful attention to the tiniest detail. The masters tell us that even such prosaic details as dents and dings in the smooth copper sheathing of the still have an effect on the flavor and are carefully reproduced when individual copper plates have to be replaced. It's hard to believe, but then, it's also hard to argue with the results they get.
The fermented liquid, called "The Wash," is fed into the base of the pot still and heated. The vapors of the alcohol rise up into the neck, where most of them are pulled off to condense via water-cooling. Then the distilled spirit is run through a second still in a complex process. The first stage spirit, "The Foreshot," is too harsh and fed back into the still, while the late-stage spirit is considered too weak. It's only the stuff from the middle phase of the process that is suitable. Part of the job of the master distiller is to monitor this process closely and know exactly which spirit should be re-distilled and which should be fed into a pipe that leads out into the filling room.
The fourth element is the casks. Most use sherry casks, although others use Kentucky bourbon. After aging in the oak for three years (or much longer) the whiskey acquires its distinctive golden color, as well as picking up mellow flavors from the barrels and the vicinity.
The final element is location. Laphroaig, Lagavulin and Ardbeg are all right on the sea (for ease of transport back in the early days), and it does seem that the whisky absorbs some of the salty, iodine character of the sea air. Laphroaig also has a special program called Friends of Laphroaig. If you are a true fan, they will endow you with lifetime ownership of a square foot of Islay. When you arrive for a visit, you're treated not just as a customer or guest, but as part-owner, and your rent will be paid promptly with a dram of their finest spirit. (Not to worry, the other establishments will let you sample their wares as well, although not with quite the same flare.)
The distilleries on the north end of the island – Bruichladdich, Bowmore, Caol Ila and Bunnahabhain – use spring water rather than the highly-peated waters of the south, to produce a gentler spirit. Even so, the flavor is distinctive, and to many palates, more intense than the whiskies produced on the mainland. And Bruichladdich, which was recently resurrected by a small group of private investors, is doing some experimentation, including offering a highly-peated variety that out-smokes any other brand on the market, and a fully-organic whisky made from some of the finest barley grown anywhere.
All that sea air and traipsing over the moors is bound to bring on an appetite. Fortunately, the Scots have much more to offer on the culinary side than haggis. The Port Charlotte Hotel is the finest spot on the island for both room and board; nearly all accommodations look out over the ocean, and the dining room offers a delightful assortment of beef and lamb from local farms and locally caught seafood. My suggestion: try the venison, the big Loch Gruinart oysters with lemon and lime, or the Loch Etive mussels. And make sure to reserve your table, as it fills early. After dinner, you can sample more whisky; the bar carries more than 100 varieties to enjoy with some local music by the log fire.
There's more to Islay than food and drink, of course. The ubiquitous sheep yield a fine wool that the locals weave into beautiful blankets and, of course, kilts. There's a fine golf course if you dream of teeing off on Scotland green. And there are several ancient castles, from the day when the head of Clan MacDonald was known as the Lord of Isles and ruled all of western Scotland from his seat at Finlaggen.
Highland Fling
Islay boasts the most intense whiskies, but there are hundreds of other distilleries in Scotland, many worthy of a visit. Dalwhinnie is both the finest and highest of the Highland group, perched in a mountain pass on the confluence of old cattle trails. The two most popular whiskies in the world, Glenfiddich and Glenlivet, each offer tours and tastings. And Highland Park is a unique, wild, isolated outpost on the far-north Orkney Islands.
One advantage to a Scotland visit: the country is tiny! So you can, if you want, stay in the heart of Edinburgh at the luxurious Balmoral Hotel, do the distilleries as a series of day trips, and be back in time for afternoon tea at the Palm Court or a session at the Balmoral Spa. The Speyside distilleries are easily reached by car (just a couple of hours north), and Islay or the Orkneys are an even shorter "puddle-jumper" flight; you can also arrange for tours through the hotel.
The suites at the Balmoral are extraordinary, the best being the Scone & Crombie. This impressive 140-square-meter suite is named after Scone Palace, located in Perthshire in central Scotland and home to the Earls of Mansfield. Available in one or two bedrooms, it offers breathtaking views of historic Old Town Edinburgh. Additionally it is furnished with antique and modern furniture, luxurious fabrics, a living-flame fire in both the lounge and main bedroom, and a commissioned mosaic and marble bathroom.
If you prefer, you can take your time in the grand old peripatetic style. The Minmore Hotel is conveniently located right on the Glenlivet Estate and hosts an eatery named "The Most Spirited Restaurant" in Saveur magazine's top 100 list this year. They're renowned for such intensely Scottish dishes as red venison topped with duck liver foie gras and red wine sauce with chocolate.
The countryside is dotted with castles, many of which have been transformed into first-class hostelries. Inverlochy Castle was voted Best Hotel in Europe by Travel + Leisure magazine last year; the Loch Torridon Hotel was once a grand shooting lodge for the first Earl of Lovelace. If you choose to stay at the Kinnaird Estate – set within 7,000 acres on the banks of the Tay in Pershire – you may not want to leave and go anywhere else! In addition to first-class accommodations, they offer salmon fishing, partridge shoots and a full restaurant and spa.
The departure is sadly the hardest segment of a Scottish vacation. But at least you can take a couple of bottles of the country's signature spirit home with you, to sip by your own fire and relive the memories.
