Islands

As the name suggests, “The Islands” refers to a grouping of disparate islands located mainly off the western coast of Scotland, spanning the area from the Firth of Clyde all the way round to the Pentland Firth, off the coast of Wick. These islands are some of the most remote and barren islands in the British Isles, where the practicalities of living are still exceptionally difficult, even in our age of internet delivery services! There has been distilling on these islands for centuries – some licensed, but many illegal. Arran, for example, was one of the most prolific sites of illegal distillation for many years, primarily because of its particularly rugged landscape, and its proximity to the mainland. Over time, many of these distilleries have fallen into extinction. As you can imagine, it is an expensive business running a distillery in such remote locations, and with changing tastes throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth century, many just could not survive.

Once again, it is hard to generalise any stylistic traits given just how hugely different each distillery is. However, there is one characteristic that each share: the coastal influence that comes from being located on an islands. This is of course varies from distillery to distillery, with some choosing to accentuate this to the max, and other downplaying it in favour of other flavours. There are six main islands, working from north to south along the west coast: Orkeny Islands, Scapa, Isle of Skye, Isle of Mull, Jura and the Isle of Arran.