The islands

Surrounding Scotland’s rugged coastline are the even more rugged Islands.  The whisky producing islands run from the southwest to the northeast.  Just off the coast of Campbell town – once a large whisky producing town - is Islay, home to eight distilleries all with a taste of their own.  To the north is Jura, then Mull and farther north is Skye home of the Talisker, the smokiest of all whiskies.  Around the top and to the east one finds the Orkney’s home of the northern most whisky distillery in the world and one of my favorites, Highland Park.  Each and every one of these islands has it’s own unique flavour due to the water, peat and some say the most important of all is the ocean air.  It is the salty, sea weedy air that permeates the casks from the outside, meeting the whisky seeping out from the inside creating incredible flavours.  In the world of whisky Mother Nature gets to play her part, and play it well she does!