![]() ![]() Despite being a new player, it prides itself on the revival of traditional farm distilling methods. In 2021, Kilchoman produced more than 600,000 liters of alcohol and 90% of this was exported to more than 60 markets, according to Wills. ‘People thought I was crazy:’ The Sicilian man upending panettone tradition ![]() It was followed by Ardnahoe in 2018, and this year or next, Portintruan and Port Ellen distillery, both currently under construction, are expected to open. Kilchoman, founded in 2005, was the first distillery to be built on Islay in 124 years. This new dawn of whisky distilling has also brought some new contenders. But these days the industry is thriving, with multinational companies such as Diageo and Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy (LVMH) buying up some of Islay’s historic brands. In the 20th century, world wars, US prohibition and the 1929 Wall Street Crash took their toll and a global economic recession in the 1980s resulted in over-supply against demand, which led to a number of distilleries closing down – including Ardbeg for almost a decade. Jackie Thomson, visitor center manager at Ardbeg Distillery It’s a liquid that runs through people’s veins.” Once whisky making became a legal activity in the early 1800s, distilleries were built near the coast so that they could export their wares – hence the tradition of the white walls facing out to sea with the distillery’s name painted in black. Its early history is steeped in stories of illicit home distilling and smuggling from dark coves. Islay’s whisky industry has not always been a boon for the island. Pictured here, circa 1912, are workers hand-cutting peat that is burned in the kilns to dry the barley. Islay’s tradition of whisky-making goes back generations. Whisky tourism has also rocketed, with distilleries receiving more than 2 million visits annually, making them collectively the country’s third most popular attraction. More than £6 billion-worth ($7.5 billion) of Scotch whisky was sold across 174 markets last year, according to the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA), accounting for three quarters of the country’s food and drink exports and almost a quarter of Britain’s. “It’s very much part of the lifeblood and the real beating heart of Islay – you just have to go to the pub on a Friday or Saturday night and you’ll feel that very strongly.”Īs well as being central to the island’s identity, whisky also underpins its economy – and represents a significant portion of Scotland’s international exports. “It’s a liquid that runs through people’s veins,” says Thompson. The salty breeze that blows in from sweeping white sand beaches settles in ancient peat bogs, which are harvested to fuel the kilns that dry the barley, giving the whisky its smoky, earthy flavor. Part of the reason is that when it comes to an Islay single malt, the place and the taste are so deeply intertwined. She recalls arriving at the distillery one morning to find a man from the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra playing his violin by the waterfront other fans from overseas have chosen to get married there. Jackie Thomson, who has worked in Ardbeg’s visitor center for more than 25 years, describes these visits as “pilgrimages” – as if there is a spiritual connection between the people and the whisky. ![]()
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