Islay tour: a dream come true

Hi guys,

My wife and I rounded off our three-week holiday to the U.K. with a four-day stay in Islay and, let me tell you, it was everything that I had hoped for. More, actually.

We ended up visiting every single distillery we could (we couldn't go into Caol Ila, since they're closed for renovations). And I don't think there was a dram I didn't like.

I did have my favourites, though, and discovered that I tended to like the younger, rougher ones over the older, fruitier ones.

Favourite distillery:

It's like picking a favourite child! I always thought I was an Ardbeg guy, but I have to give the nod to Bruichladdich. The sheer volume of quirky, memorable drams floored me, particularly:

Sherry Classic: I'm surprised that there aren't more places that use casks from the drier styles of Sherry (Fino, Palo Cortado and Manzanilla) like this one is. This had a great, salty, nutty bite to it that made me think of being by the sea. (Well, I guess I was by the sea, but that's immaterial.) Black Art 2: The story is that the head distiller hasn't told anybody how he makes the Black Art releases. And I went crazy for a while trying to figure out what was going on before I gave up and just enjoyed the ride. It's strawberry-coloured, and bursting with red fruit. Octomore 4.1: You read the spec sheet (5 year, 167ppm phenols, 62.5% ABV) and you think that it's going to be a hulking brute of a dram. But it's precisely balanced, especially once you add a dash of water and bring the sweetness out. Everything just seems right about it. Probably my favourite single malt of all time.

And they also make a kickass gin.

Favourite tour/tasting experience:

The tour at Lagavulin. We had an absolutely fantastic site tour with one of the front-of-house staff, Julia; and then went through the cask tasting with their warehouseman, Iain "Pinkie" McArthur. It was great fun. They both were totally personable and had great senses of humour.

Surprises:

The Kilchoman Spring 2011: I didn't expect such flavour and depth from a blend of 3- and 4-year whiskies. It was almost refreshing. Delicately salty and peaty. The Bunnahabhain 12-year: Full-bodied, floral, fruity, and with a nice finish. And so affordable!

Were there any fellow Connosrs there too? We kept seeing the same people at each distillery, although I'm not sure if we ever crossed paths with the 29 Swedes who were at Bowmore just before we were.