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Laphroaig divides people like few others — you love the medicinal peat or you stay well clear. The standard 10 has converted thousands; this cask-strength version cranks everything up. Expect a wall of bonfire smoke, TCP, iodine, seaweed and tar at a hefty 58.5%, with a long, gloriously smoky finish. The classic turned up to maximum volume — brave or foolish?
Special releases come thick and fast these days, but Fèis Ìle bottlings still pull me in. This 2024 Bunnahabhain is a 14 year old port-cask release from Islay's annual festival. The port shows gloriously: raspberry, strawberry and dark chocolate, jammy and rich at a hefty 58.7%, with that signature coastal salt lingering through a long finish. Something a little special — and absolutely stunning.
Ardbeg commands real respect among Islay devotees, and Uigeadail — named after the loch that feeds the distillery — is often called one of the finest in the core range. It's a powerhouse: earthy, medicinal peat smoke at a warming 54.2%, lifted by a layer of sherry-cask richness, with a long, gloriously smoky finish. Big boots to fill — does it live up to the hype?
There's something quietly rebellious about Bunnahabhain. While the rest of Islay shouts about peat, this remote distillery lets sherry and coastal character lead. The unpeated 12, their flagship, is rich and inviting: nutty dried fruit — raisins and figs — Christmas-cake spice and a whisper of coastal salt, all remarkably smooth at 46.3%. Proof Islay can do far more than peat bombs.
That striking turquoise bottle is one of the most recognisable on any shelf. A nudge to watch a certain film sent me back to The Classic Laddie — Bruichladdich's unpeated Islay flagship, bottled at a punchy 50%. Inside: orchard fruits, honey and a floral lift of heather. As much a statement of the distillery's transparency and ethos as it is a dram. Worth the hype?
All of Scotland's distilleries (around 140 and growing) are organised into traditional whisky-producing regions. The five classic regions are Highlands, Speyside, Islay, Lowlands, and Campbeltown, though many people split the Highlands into two — Highlands and Islands — which is the classification I use here.
If you enjoy peated whisky is there a better place to start than the classic ten year old from Ardbeg? Personally I prefer unpeated whisky but there is so much to love about this whisky from the south coast of Islay. The Ardbeg distillery shares just two miles of this coastline with the Lagavulin and Laphroaig distilleries and stands as one of these three peat powerhouses renowned around the world.
Bunnahabhain Stiùireadair (roughly 'stew-rah-dur') is a captivating, unpeated Islay malt whose dark glass gives nothing away. Inside is real maritime character: a briny, coastal nose smoothed by vanilla, caramel and dried fruit, a palate of salted caramel turning creamy and nutty, and a warming, sea-spray finish. Widely available at £30–40, it's distinctive, delicious and genuinely great value — a personal favourite.
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