best islay tours

• X (Twitter)

7 Distilleries on the Best Islay Tour with Highland Explorers

I’ve always wanted to do an Isle of Islay tour, and attending the Whisky and Music Festival with Highland Explorer Tours was easily the best option. As I’ve stated before, I don’t drink a lot of alcohol, but I was really happy to sample different whiskies from seven of the nine distilleries on Islay, not to mention all the other attractions, food, and stories on the tour.

As good as the whisky and the island were, the 4-day Islay Whisky and Music Tour with Highland Explorer was so much more.

Table of Contents

Visiting the Isle of Islay from Edinburgh

As a quick geography lesson, the Isle of Islay is one of the southwesternmost islands of Scotland, only about 30 miles from Northern Ireland. In a nutshell, off the west coast of Scotland are the Hebrides, which are divided into the Outer Hebrides and the Inner Hebrides. The Outer Hebrides have the Isle of Lewis and Harris at the top and several more small islands extending to the south. The main island in the Inner Hebrides is the Isle of Skye, but there are plenty of more beautiful islands.

Some examples of prominent islands in the Inner Hebrides are the Isle of Mull, Isle of Iona, Isle of Jura, and Staffa Isle where you can find Fingal’s Cave. These islands can be reached by ferry leaving from Oban. The Isle of Arran is sheltered in a bay with a ferry from Ardrossan, just a bit west of Glasgow. And then there’s the Isle of Islay (pronounced eye-luh ), which you can get to with a ferry from Kennacraig.

It certainly is possible to rent your own car and get out to Islay, but expenses will quickly mount up. The car rental, fuel, ferry costs, accommodations, etc. aren’t cheap these days. As such, a much better option would be to take a bus tour. And I think the best Islay tour is with Highland Explorer.

If you’d like to book your tour , you can use booking code SKYETRAVELS10 to get a 10% discount.

Islay Whisky Distilleries

Currently, there are nine Islay distilleries – ten if you count Port Ellen which closed in 1983 but will re-open later in 2023. There are also two more distilleries scheduled to open in the near future, bringing the total up to twelve.

As part of our Islay Whisky and Music Festival Tour, we visited seven of the nine distilleries. For Fèis Ìle, or Islay Festival, each of the nine distilleries has an open day over nine days. As we were only on the island for three nights and two full days, we only made it to two of the open days (we missed the Bowmore open day by minutes), but we visited another five distilleries to see how they compared.

The only two distilleries we missed were Ardnahoe – Islay’s newest distillery (I don’t think they have any bottles for sale yet) and Caol Ila (pronounced cull-eeluh) – Islay’s largest distillery. After all, there’s only so much you can do in two days.

The first distillery we visited was Ardbeg, at the end of the Three Distilleries Walk. That’s a path from Port Ellen which passes through Laphroig, Lagavulin, and Ardbeg. At the distillery, we received a full tour of the operations and got to sample three different Ardbeg whiskies. Annoyingly, I didn’t get the names of all three, but the last was called Uigeadail, which won best whisky in 2021. All three were quite smooth and a little sweet, which was rather different than others we tried on the tour.

We learned some interesting facts on the tour about how Ardbeg stands out from other distilleries. After all, as of this writing, there are 143 whisky distilleries in Scotland, all trying to do something different, but also working together with blended whiskies. One thing that’s unique about Ardbeg is that it’s owned by Glenmorangie, which in turn is owned by LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy). In other words, the owners of Louis Vuitton also own this distillery.

I was particularly interested in visiting Ardbeg, as one of the stops I go to on the food tour I give in Edinburgh – The Whiski Rooms – is an Ardbeg Embassy. So I finally got a bit of reality on the distillery and its whiskies.

Lagavulin has been around since 1816, and now is part of Diageo. Diageo has 132 sites around the world, including Caol Ila on Islay, Talisker on the Isle of Skye, Johnnie Walker, and, of course, Guinness beer in Ireland.

As the distillation process is basically the same from one distillery to the next, we didn’t do a tour of the facilities. Instead, we went into the beautiful tasting room where and learned about their different expressions. This was the only distillery that didn’t provide a free sample, although a couple guests on the tour purchased a sample of a rare bottle.

This is the southernmost distillery on Islay, at least until the Port Ellen distillery reopens later this year. Laphroaig is a bit different from the other distilleries in the way it smokes peat over the malted barley to create a heavily peated whisky. Oddly, I found many distilleries are a bit secretive about how long they smoke peat over the barley, but Laphroaig says it’s over 17 hours per batch.

Kilchoman (pronounced kil-ho-man ) is the only independent distillery on Islay. We arrived for their open day full of activities. With a bagpipe rock band playing in the background, we toured around the distillery sampling three different bottles, all of which were surprisingly nice. There was a large room with barley on the ground we could practice raking and evening out, and a photo spot with Cask #1 from 2005 when they opened.

My one regret was the regular cafe with their world-famous Cullen skink was closed and they had a separate food stand set up, which ran out of food just before we arrived. But the showroom was also really nice (bigger than any other distillery), and I liked learning how they keep their entire production on Islay, using barley from the nearby farms.

We just missed the Bowmore open day the evening we arrived, but I’m glad we returned later on for a quick visit. The Bowmore 12 turned out to be one of my favorite whiskies on Islay. It was super smooth and had virtually no burn at the back of the throat. All the flavor was at the tip of my tongue, which is my favorite kind of whisky.

The tasting room at Bowmore was also beautiful, with a fantastic view overlooking the bay. Technically every distillery on Islay (except for Kilchoman) overlooks a bay, but the open floor plan, historical information displays about the distillery, and great samples really stood out.

Bruichladdich

Bruichladdich (pronounced  brew-ick-la-dee ) was our first distillery stop on day two after we went to the American Monument. This distillery has four main brands – Bruichladdich, Port Charlotte and Octomore whiskies, and The Botanist gin. Each brand is quite different. Bruichladdich is one of the only non-peated whiskies from Islay, and Octomore is one of the most peated.

The Botanist is an incredible gin (more to my liking than the whisky) with over 30 botanicals added, more than 20 of which are locally foraged on Islay. Vanesa also loved the Octomore 13.4, a whisky only available at the distillery and with a peat level of 180 parts per million. We got a little of both to take home with us, but the £200 bottle was slightly out of our budget.

Bunnahabhain

Our final distillery was Bunnahabhain (pronounced bu-na-ha-vin ) for their open day. This is the northernmost distillery on Islay, located across the straight from the Isle of Jura. There were several activities, most of which had to be purchased. We missed out on the whisky workshop and chose not to go on a boat tour, exploring the distillery instead.

The Bunnahabhain Distillery is unique on Islay in that it isn’t peated (like the one brand at Bruichladdich). The flavor was surprisingly smooth. Unfortunately, after a couple dozen samples in two days, I was getting a little full of whisky. But I would have still loved to do that whisky workshop.

Other Attractions on the Islay Whisky Tour

While our Islay tour was focused on the distilleries, we had several other stops, particularly on the drive out to Islay and then on the way back. Many of the stops were places I’d never seen in all my other trips and tours around Scotland. As I keep saying, there’s just so much to see and do in this country.

Our first stop was the quaint village of Luss on the bonnie banks of Loch Lomond. I’ve passed by on the highway countless times but never actually stopped in the village, which only has a population of about 450. It’s your quintessential Scottish village with beautiful little cottages, an ancient church, a pier for boat trips, and a handful of cafes and a pub for snacks or a meal.

Inveraray feels more like a small town than a village, even though population-wise it’s almost as small as Luss. The difference is the establishments set up for tourists, and the stunning castle built on the outskirts of the town. This was the lunch stop of the tour. We’d heard about the world-famous Loch Fyne oysters served at the pubs, but we chose a traditional Scottish Breakfast for lunch at Brambles of Inveraray instead.

I would have loved to visit the castle, but we were in a rush to catch the ferry as the later departure had been canceled and we had to catch the earlier sailing. At least I had time to get a bit of drone footage.

American Monument

This is quite a unique site on Islay. In 1918, over 500 US servicemen lost their lives when two military vessels sank at sea, one from a German torpedo and the other from a collision with another ship in a thick fog. The monument is like a windmill without sails, looking out to sea. These were just two of the countless ships that sank around the perilous Western Isles of Scotland over the centuries.

After visiting Kilchoman on the second day, we went to the end of the single-track road to Machir Bay, a beautiful beach on the Atlantic Ocean. Everyone else went for the view, but I couldn’t help myself. I stripped down to my small clothes to go for a plunge in the waves. At least I had a towel with me.

Dunadd Fort

After a quick breakfast stop at Lochgilphead on the fourth and final day of our tour, we had a stop at Dunadd Fort. A fort was built at this site 2,000 years ago and was used until the mid-16th century by Gaelic kings. Historic Environment Scotland did a great job setting up information displays across the site, which is open year-round and free to visit.

Nether Largie Standing Stones

These standing stones make Dunadd Fort seem new. They were erected around 5,000 years ago, although the purpose of them is still hotly contested. I loved feeling the millennia of history here. If you’re an Outlander fan (as Vanesa is) or a lover of history, this is a great stop.

This is one of the best towns in western Scotland, and our lunch stop on the last day. There are plenty of places to go for lunch, but I think the best is the Oban Seafood Hut across from the ferry terminal. Some of the freshest seafood and also really good prices (the best combination). Just be prepared for a long line when you go.

If you have more time, you can climb to the top of the hill to see McCaig’s Tower, which looks like a mini Colosseum. My 5-Day Highlands Tour with Haggis Adventures also stopped in Oban and I have a full description of the town in that article.

Our final stop on our tour was in Glencoe, one of the most beautiful valleys in the UK. Nearly every tour passes through Glencoe and for good reason. The scenery is stunning. As usual, we only stopped for a few minutes for some photos. Someday I need to visit there for a few hours and hike up to the top of the trails.

Meals and Accommodations on the Islay Tour

The highlight of our Islay tour was certainly the distilleries, followed by the other attractions and sites, but room and board are also important. We had some great meals on our trip, plus all three nights at the same hotel in Port Ellen on Islay.

No. 1 Charlotte Street

Unlike any other tour I’ve had in Scotland, every night of our tour of Islay was spent at the same hotel – No. 1 Charlotte in Port Ellen. This is where the ferry should have arrived and departed from, but the fleet was minimized on our tour and we had to use Port Askaig at the top of the island instead.

The room was small but very comfortable. We slept like babes in the bed (or maybe that was the whisky). As with many old buildings in Scotland, the thick stone walls made our room completely soundproof, even with a bar downstairs. We had a lovely view of the bay, but the best part was the breakfast in the morning. A nice continental breakfast was laid out for us, and we had a form to fill out for a hot Scottish breakfast as well. In short, we were well fed before our whisky tastings.

On our first night, we went to Bowmore for dinner. We had a dinner booked at the Bowmore Hotel the following night so we searched for another option. That was the same day that Bowmore Distillery had its open day and the village was packed, but we managed to get some takeaway pizzas from Peatzeria to eat out on the pier. The pizzas were surprisingly good – more American style than Italian – and quite large. If you’re looking for some comfort food on Islay, this is your stop.

Bowmore Hotel

The following night, we had a very nice, three-course dinner at the Bowmore Hotel. I had a proper Scottish burger topped with black pudding and caramelized onions. But the highlight of the Bowmore Hotel was the whisky selection. The menu was several dozen pages long! If there’s any rare whisky you’ll looking to try, you’ll probably be able to find it at the Bowmore Hotel.

Bridgend Hotel

Our final meal on Islay was at the Bridgend Hotel, a finalist as Scotland’s Best Country Hotel in 2023. The meal was certainly on par with the award. You can usually get the best seafood in the coastal towns and islands in Scotland, and the fish and chips here were perfect. Yet still no Cullen skink. That’s for the next time I’m at Kilchoman.

Why Highland Explorer Has the Best Islay Tour

Renting a car to get to the Isle of Islay is always an option. It gives you the freedom of going where you want, when you want. On the other hand, having a tour guide makes all the difference, and Rich was incredible as a guide. He was a wealth of information, both historical facts and personal anecdotes, and made our Islay tour so much more fun.

Taking a tour with Highland Explorer is also far more economical. Except in a few circumstances, you will always get a better deal on a tour than paying for everything separately. The car rental, fuel, ferry tickets, accommodations, and some entrance fees really start to add up. Lastly, taking a tour takes the headache out of the planning, and you can just sit back and enjoy the experience.

While my tour was special for Fèis Ìle , the Islay Whisky Festival, Highland Explorer has other Islay tour packages . In 2023, there is a tour coming up on September 15th. The tours include everything I’ve detailed above, barring some change in circumstances if something isn’t available. The Islay tour price is variable, so check the website for the current information.

Further Reading

Looking for another tour of Scotland? Here are some other tours to consider with Haggis Adventures:

• My Amazing Week on the Hebridean Hopper with Haggis Adventures
• The Perfect 5-Day Highlands Tour with Haggis Adventures
• An Honest Review of the Whisky, Warriors and Waterfalls Tour with Haggis Adventures

Hi, I'm Skye. Writer, photographer, adventurer, foodie, teacher, masseur, friend, dreamer, etc. I think "normal" sucks. Let's aim for extraordinary. SkyeTravels seeks to find the good around the world, focusing on adventures, food and wellness. Be inspired. Be yourself.

Is the Florence Food Tour a Great Value? – An Honest Review

5 best thai restaurants in edinburgh that taste like thailand, related posts, 5 reasons why gdas is one of the best resorts in bali – an honest review, the best singapore food tour: discovering singaporean cuisine, 25+ best coffee shops and cafes in edinburgh, write a comment cancel reply.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Sign me up for the newsletter!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Welcome to Epic Travel Plans!

Epic Travel Plans

Destinations that will leave you Breathless. Plans to make it happen

ISLAY Whisky Distillery Tours + Map: Visit ALL 9

Interested in Islay whisky distillery tours? With 9 working distilleries – all with unique seasons, hours and tours – it’s a bit tricky to plan an efficient trip to tour them all. Here’s everything you need in one place: a helpful table with 2020 visitor information, distillery summaries and suggested itineraries to plan that amazing trip.

Interested in visiting other scotch whisky distilleries? Check out SPEYSIDE Whisky Distilleries: 16 to Visit and Why .

Islay is certainly well known for its smoky peated whisky. Many of its single malts are sought-after around the world, and many are prominent in famous blends like Johnny Walker. Islay also has experimental whiskies, a farm-to-scotch distillery, and a brand-new modern distillery. It’s a fun time for Islay whisky distillery tours!

Now, visiting Islay was my husband’s pick. But Islay stole my heart. Its rugged hills, covered in sheep and shaggy highland cows. Achingly beautiful shorelines lined with proud white-washed warehouses. 

And that peated whisky. Just like the locals, Islay’s scotch whisky warms you through and through, right to your soul. (I suggest sipping it. Slowly.)

• MAP: Islay Whisky Distilleries, Sights and Accommodations  
• TABLE: Islay Whisky Distillery Tours & Visitor Information
• SOUTH Islay Whisky Distilleries: Laphroaig, Lagavulin and Ardbeg

CENTRAL Islay Whisky Distillery: Bowmore

• NORTH Islay Whisky Distilleries: Coal Ila, Ardnahoe and Bunnahabhain

WEST Islay Whisky Distilleries: Bruichladdich and Kilchoman

• BONUS: Isle of Jura Distillery and Port Ellen Re-Opening

Summary and Resources

But first … 

This post may contain affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support!

TIPS to tour all 9 Islay whisky distilleries:

• Book tours/tastings in advance . All Islay (and Jura) whisky distilleries have interesting special tours. Pick your favorites and plan your trip around them. Note: children aren’t allowed into production areas, and some distilleries don’t allow them on tours at all. 
• Best time to visit Islay is May to early July, during the week. In spring/early summer, Islay whisky distilleries are open more days and offer more variety of tours. Plus, the weather is sunniest and warmest. From mid-July to mid-August, some Islay distilleries close for maintenance and have reduced tour options. Also, many special tours are only offered on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
• Feis Ile/Islay Festival (last week of May): D istillery tours will change during this annual festival . If visiting during this week, check schedules in late March.
• Flights from Glasgow to Islay (via Loganair): You typically have two daily options during weekdays (arriving by 9am or 6pm) and one daily on the weekend (arriving by 9am on Saturday or 4pm on Sunday). Flights depart shortly after these arrive.
• Islay is a small island. No two distilleries are more than a 45-minute drive from each other. Bowmore is central, and the airport is about 10 minutes south of Bowmore.
• Designate a driver. Scotland has lower legal blood alcohol levels for drivers compared to other areas of the UK and the US (at .05%). So, designate a driver, use Islay’s bus system, or hire a friendly taxi to take you around. Visitor centers often give DDs a 50mL miniature to enjoy later.

MAP: Islay Whisky Distilleries, Sights and Recommended Accommodations

Get a sense of where everything is with this Islay whisky distilleries map. It includes key tourist sights and accommodations to check out.

TABLE: Islay Whisky Distillery Tours – Visitor Information

*Note: Children are generally not allowed in production areas; check details before you book.

SOUTH Islay Whisky Distilleries: Laphroaig, Lagavulin & Ardbeg  

Let’s start in south Islay, as these Islay whisky distilleries are closest to the airport and likely among your must-do tours.

The Laphroaig, Lagavulin and Ardbeg distilleries are collectively known as the Kildalton Distilleries and within 5 minutes of each other. From April through October, these three Islay whisky distilleries are open 7 days a week. They also offer some very interesting tours, like a bog walk, chocolate pairing, and a hike and picnic to their water source.

About 15 minutes up the road from Ardbeg is the pretty Claggain Bay. Along the way, stop at the Kildalton Church and Cross (the oldest Celtic cross in all of Scotland).

On your way back to central Islay, stop at Mull of Oa. Drive the rugged road to the end (don’t be deterred by the single-track road that leads to the car park!). Then, make the easy 15-minute hike to the American Monument tribute to WWI sailors. Breathe in the fresh salty air and rugged cliff views.  

Suggested itinerary for South Islay whisky distillery tours:

• 10am distillers wares tour at Laphroaig (2hrs)
• Lunch and 2pm table tasting at Ardbeg
• 3pm sister whisky and chocolate tasting at Lagavulin (1hr)
• Tour Claggain Bay, Kildalton Church and Cross, and Mull of Oa

Laphroaig Distillery

Founded in 1815, Laphroaig Distillery (pronounced laFROIG) is now Islay’s best-selling scotch whisky. Its style has evolved over the years from fruity to tobacco. 

Laphroaig Distillery has a small but welcoming visitor’s center, tasting bar and museum. Its website is laphroaig.com .

Interesting special tours at Laphroaig Distillery include:

• 4.5-hour malt, maturation and memories tour (maximum 8 people; distillery tour, tasting, bottling, hike and picnic lunch; £130), offered at 11:30am.

Lagavulin Distillery

Lagavulin Distillery (pronounced lagaVOOlin) was founded in 1816 as a direct rival to its neighbor, Laphroaig. Lagavulin’s distillation process makes a “rich and meaty” spirit, by running its stills very full (reducing contact with the copper) and with a slow distillation.

Check out Lagavulin Distillery’s virtual tour by Google Street View, below! Just imagine sipping a dram in one of their comfy lounge chairs (located behind the storefront; it’s truly as cozy as it looks). Explore the grounds, still house and one of the warehouses (it’s a treasure hunt looking for open doors). For more information on touring Lagavulin Distillery, visit malts.com .

Interesting special tours at Lagavulin Distillery include:

• 1-hour sister whisky and chocolate tasting, offered Monday-Saturday at 3pm.
• 1-hour sensory experience with tasting kit (5 whisky samples and 7 aromas/flavours), offered Tuesdays/Thursdays at 1:30pm and Saturdays at 10:30am.

Ardbeg Distillery

Ardbeg Distillery opened in 1815 and is famed for being one of Islay’s most heavily peated whiskies. After closures in the 1980s-90s, The Glenmorangie Company bought Ardbeg in 1997. Ardbeg continues to produce the heavily peated whisky it’s famous for.

Ardbeg Distillery provides a very personal-style of tour with many options, depending on the season. Its cafe is a great place to grab a bite to eat, and we really enjoyed the table tastings, available between 10am-noon/2-4pm.

Now you can stay right at Ardbeg! Formerly the manager’s house, up to 6 adults can stay in this renovated Seaview Cottage on Ardbeg grounds. 

Shut-down for scheduled maintenance is in December and January ; if coming during this time, check in advance on what’s available. Details are on ardbeg.com .

Interesting special tours at Ardbeg Distillery include:

• 3-hour bog walk (includes picnic lunch; £65), offered Wednesdays at 11am.
• 1.5-hour bus top tour (bus, tastings and chocolate; £65), offered Fridays at 5:30pm.
• 1-hour C6H5OH smokin’ tasting (to learn about smoke; £35), offered Monday-Friday at 11:30am (spring/fall only).
• Table tastings at the cafe, offered 10-noon and 2-4pm.

Bowmore Distillery is the only distillery in central Islay and is located right in Bowmore. Founded in 1779, Bowmore is Islay’s first recorded distillery and second best-selling whisky.

Bowmore Distillery is one of the few distilleries in Scotland that malts some of its own barley and matures a lot of its whisky on Islay … including in the famous No. 1 Vaults that are below sea level. Its whiskies have a fruity character with light smokiness, plus a 1980s expression that’s floral.

Chances are, you’ll have to compromise one of the other suggested itineraries to tour Bowmore. This popular distillery’s 1-hour main tour and 3-hour vaults tour (weekdays only) are offered mid-morning and mid-afternoon, so you could start or end another itinerary at Bowmore. 

You can stay right on the Bowmore grounds in their very comfortable cabins. Once home to distillery workers, these cottages are now spacious and cozy 1-bedroom to 4-bedroom accommodations.

Shut-down for regular maintenance at Bowmore Distillery is mid-July to mid-August , but special tours are still available. For details, visit bowmore.com .

Interesting special tours of Bowmore Distillery include:

• 5-hour laggan, lade and legendary no.1 vaults tour (hike to water source, lunch and in-depth tour; £130), offered on specific Wednesdays/Fridays from March to September at 10:30am.

NORTH Islay Whisky Distilleries: Coal Ila, Ardnahoe & Bunnahabhain  

North Islay’s whisky distilleries are right along the Sound of Islay, with a rough rocky coastline and fantastic views of Jura. Be prepared to stop along the windy scenic road up to Bunnahabhain. On your way back to central Islay, take a 5-minute detour to visit the ruins along Loch Finlaggan, which was the seat of power for the Lords of the Isles. 

Suggested itinerary for North Islay whisky distillery tours:

• 9:30am express tour and 10am blending experience at Ardnahoe (2.5hrs), plus lunch
• 2pm maturation warehouse tasting at Bunnahabhain (1.5hrs)
• Coal Ila: Contact distillery for tour times of chocolate and whisky tasting (1hr)
• Jura: Consider the 3pm Wood, Casks and Whisky on Mon/Wed/Fri or 4pm Wee Look; give yourself about 30 minutes to get there
• Stop at Loch Finlaggan on your way back to central Islay

Coal Ila Distillery

Coal Ila Distillery (pronounced COOL-eelah) was founded in 1846 but has literally rebuilt itself a few times since then. Its “light and flinty style” comes from low fills in the stills. The distillery is located down a steep bank from the road, with very pretty views of the Sound of Islay towards the Isle of Jura.

Coal Ila is the largest producing distillery on Islay. It produces both peated and unpeated single malts, and is a key ingredient in Diageo’s blends (i.e. Johnnie Walker). But, if you’ve had a chance to taste a Coal Ila whisky, you know its single malts stand strong all on their own.

After being closed for construction over winter, Coal Ila is re-opening to visitors in 2020. Find more information at  malts.com .

Interesting special tours at Coal Ila Distillery include:

• 60-minute luxury chocolate and whisky tasting (5 expressions, including unpeated; £23); contact the distillery to reserve. 
• 90-minute cask strength tour (2 exclusive distillery-only releases and 3 from cask; £27); contact the distillery to reserve. 

Ardnahoe Distillery

The newest of Islay’s distilleries is Ardnahoe Distillery, which opened to the public in April 2019. By November 2019, Ardnahoe already welcomed 24,000 visitors and received Visit Scotland’s five-star grading (one of only two distilleries on Islay). First runs of distillation began in October 2018 and the first cask was filled in November 2018. 

Its restaurant, The Illicit Still, is open every day, but with reduced afternoon hours on Sunday. This distillery is fully accessible, and various tours and tastings are available depending on the season and day. For more details, visit ardnahoedistillery.com .

Interesting special tours at Ardnahoe Distillery include:

• 2-hour manager’s tour (in-depth tour with the distillery manager; £70), offered Tuesdays at 10am.
• 2-hour blending experience (tutored session on how to blend whisky; £95), offered weekdays at 10am.
• Tastings of whiskies from different regions, including a 1-hour (Monday-Saturday at 3pm; £70) and 90-minute (minimum 4 people, by appointment; £150).

Bunnahabhain Distillery

Bunnahabhain Distillery (pronounced boonaHAAven) is Islay’s most remote distillery. But, it’s at the end of a windy scenic road. This Islay whisky distillery was established in 1881, along with the nearby village of Bunnahabhain that was created for distillery workers. 

Bunnahabhain is best known for its unpeated whisky, but now has a well-received smoky whisky named Margadale. Learn more at bunnahabhain.com .

Interesting special tours of Bunnahabhain Distillery include:

• 90-minute maturation warehouse tour (New Make Spirit, then 3yo, 7yo, 12yo and 20yo tastings; £75), offered daily at 2pm.
• 90-minute ultimate Bunnahabhain tour (older whiskies, special releases and Warehouse 9 drams; £250), offered Tuesdays/Thursdays at 4:30pm or by appointment.
• Fill your own bottle from the cask at the visitor’s center.

From Bowmore, Bruichladdich is a 15-minute drive and Kilchoman a 25-minute drive. It’s about 15 minutes between Bruichladdich and Kilchoman distilleries. Kilchoman is tucked away on the west coast near Machir Bay, which is considered one of Britain’s best beaches and a fantastic spot to watch the sun set. But swimming isn’t advised because of the strong undercurrents.

South of Bruichladdich is Port Charlotte and Portnahaven, right at Islay’s southwest tip. It takes about 45 minutes to drive the loop back up to Port Charlotte. Give yourself time to stop at Portahaven’s An Tigh Seinnse (11 Queen St) and to watch the fishing boats. Another treat is making friends with the neighborhood sheep, horses and highland cows!

Suggested itinerary for West Islay whisky distillery tours:

• 11am in-depth tour at Kilchoman (2.5hrs), plus a quick bite at the cafe
• 2pm tour and 3pm tasting at Bruichladdich (1hr each)
• Port Charlotte loop with dinner at Portnahaven, and sunset at Machir Bay

Bruichladdich Distillery

Since it was founded in 1881, Bruichladdich Distillery (pronounced BROOìch-LADDich) has changed owners many times and has been closed many times. In 2000, it was reborn as a fiercely local and independent operation. Local barley is used when possible; all of its whisky matures on Islay; and, bottling is done on Islay. Bruichladdich uses the original 1881 mash tun, longer fermentation and slow distillation.

Considering how peaty a lot of Islay’s whiskies are, it’s kinda hilarious to read a Bruichladdich scotch described as “ridiculously smoky” and “testing the limits of the barley-peating process.” If this is what you’re looking for, it’s called Octomore! Details are at bruichladdich.com .

Interesting special tours of Bruichladdich Distillery include:

• 45-minute botanist tour (reclaimed whisky still to create Islay’s first dry gin), offered daily at 1pm. Combine this with a 1-hour cocktail-making class on Wednesdays/Saturdays at 2pm.

Kilchoman Distillery

Kilchoman Distillery was established in 2005 at Rockside Farm, and has a unique concept. Kilchoman grows its grain, malts it, uses it to make whisky, and even bottles much of it, too … Islay’s only farm-to-scotch distillery. Its farm doesn’t produce enough grain, so outside malt is used, too. BUT, unique to Kilchoman is its 100% Islay whisky.

Because of Kilchoman’s unique farm-to-scotch operation, it’s a terrific tour to take in. Consider the more in-depth 2-hour daily distillery tour at 11am (£35) or the special tour on Thursdays (details below). Its website is kilchomandistillery.com .

• 2.5-hour whisky and wilderness tour (farm and distillery tour; £35), offered April to September on Thursdays at 11am.

BONUS: Isle of Jura Distillery and Port Ellen Re-opening

Isle of jura distillery .

Isle of Jura Distillery originally opened in 1810 but, like so many Islay distilleries, closed for quite some time. It reopened in 1963 and produces a style similar to Highland scotches, with some experimental peated scotches from the 1990s. Jura is a rugged island, with 200 locals and plenty of roaming deer.

It’s easy to combine a trek up to Isle of Jura Distillery with your visit to North Islay’s distilleries. Catch the ferry from Port Askaig (just south of Coal Ila Distillery) over to Jura, then head over to Isle of Jura Distillery in Craighouse. It’s a 5-minute ferry ride (less than £30 return for car and 4 passengers) and a 15-minute drive up to Craighouse.

Visitor information for Isle of Jura Distillery:

• High season (Apr-Oct): Open Monday to Saturday from 10am to 5pm; closed Sunday
• Low season (Nov-Mar): Open Monday to Friday from 10am to 4pm; closed Saturday and Sunday; daily and tasting tours only
• Tours: Daily at 11am, 2pm and 4pm (in winter, no 4pm); each day features either a tasting (10am) or special tour (3pm)

Note: Isle of Jura Distillery shuts down for summer maintenance from mid-July to mid-August ; if visiting during this time, connect with them on what’s available. Visit jurawhisky.com for details.

Port Ellen Distillery Re-opening

When this 1824 distillery closed its doors in 1983, its increasingly rare scotch whiskies became the most sought after in the world. And pricey. On thewhiskyexchange.com , the Port Ellen 1981 33 year old fetches and handsome £7000!

Port Ellen Distillery’s young spirits were rough. You were recommended to “put it down in a oner” and chase it with water to “put the fire out.” But, it matured into a highly-appreciated, complex peaty spirit. 

And soon, Port Ellen Distillery will be up and running again! In 2018, Diageo received approval to re-open Port Ellen Distillery. Plans include restoring original 1819 buildings and constructing a new still house, to retain Port Ellen’s character while enabling it to experiment. Port Ellen Distillery was originally slated to restart production in 2021. Although delayed, The Herald Scotland reports a new manager was hired to get production going in 2023.

Nine scotch distilleries on Islay … plus one on Jura. This is one delicious adventure!

I hope this has been helpful in planning your Islay whisky distillery tours. If at any time you feel a little whiskied-out, just pull over and start talking to the friendly island animals … they really are SO cute!

Here are some helpful resources in planning your Islay whisky distillery tours and Islay visit:

• Islay tourism: IslayInfo.com ,  VisitScotland.com and Islay.com distilleries  
• Whisky reviews: TheWhiskyExchange.com and ralfydotcom (YouTube)  
• LostDistillery.com: Its Isle of Islay page lists 14 lost distilleries, some with ruins you can visit
• TripAdvisor.com for reviews on activities and accommodations on Islay
• Booking.com for hotels: Lochside Hotel is in central Bowmore, warm and super friendly with delicious food right on the water.  Machrie Hotel & Golf Links is a 4-star golf and spa resort in southern Port Ellen, with onsite restaurant, bar and afternoon tea in the lounge. 
• Find pretty coastal hikes  in Islay on AllTrails .

For private guided tours of Islay whisky distilleries, check out:

• Custom private tours of Islay’s distilleries: Both Islay Whisky Tours (through Bowmore Taxi Service) and Islay Taxis offer customized private tours of Islay to hit your priority distilleries and other local sights.
• North Islay Whisky Tour (£125/person): Tastings, lunch and chocolate pairing (brilliant!) at North Islay’s 3 distilleries. Offered April to October on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. 

Remember to SHARE this post with your TRAVEL COMPANIONS!

Other posts you may be interested in:

• SPEYSIDE Scotch: 16 Whiskey Distilleries to Visit and Why  
• 36+ Fantastic Stops from LONDON to EDINBURGH  
• How to Survive AFTER a RED-EYE to LONDON with your Partner   (but these tips work with other travel companions, too)

Add a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Plan your ROMANTIC getaway with our eBook, available in our TRAVEL PRINTABLES store Dismiss

Sign up now to receive your fillable PDF templates for building your travel bucket list and planning those epic trips! Plus, monthly inspiration and tips to make those "wow" trips happen.

Unsubscribe at any time. But we don't think you'll want to.

A Guide to Whisky Distillery Tours on the Isle of Islay

Slated as the ‘Queen of the Hebrides,’ the Isle of Islay is a popular destination for whisky enthusiasts and a mecca for lovers of single malt Scotch.

The island is part of the Southern Hebrides and is situated off the west coast of Scotland, where it’s famous for its peaty, smoky whiskies, which are a result of the local peat and water used in the distillation process by distilleries such as Laphroaig, Ardbeg, Bowmore, Bruichladdich, Bunnahabhain, Caol Ila, Kilchoman, Lagavulin, and Ardnahoe.

Islay Whisky Distillery Tours Map

• Bruichladdich
• Bunnahabhain

Islay Whisky Distillery Tours

All of Islay’s whisky tours offer more or less the same experience, so which ones you visit will depend on your love for the spirit. Expect to pay a minimum of £10 per person, which can rise to £60 or more depending on the number of tastings you’ll get afterwards, with the cheaper tours offering a sample from the distillery’s core range and the upper-tier tours offering additional samples from more expensive bottlings.

Tours generally last around an hour, but some distilleries like Laphroaig and Ardbeg include island walks where you’ll get to explore the surrounding landscape with a guide before grabbing a bite to eat, in addition to being shown around each stage of whisky production.

My advice here is to choose your favourite distillery and go for the most expensive tour, as you’ll gain an insight into Islay that you’ll never forget. But if you’re intending to visit other distilleries afterwards, either go for the cheapest tour or just stick to the shop and café.

You honestly won’t see anything new if you do a tour at every single distillery, and by the 3rd or 4th, you’re going to get a bit bored unless you’re a die-hard whisky fanatic. That said, if I were pushed to say what my favourite tour was, I’d have to go with Ardbeg.

They have a set-up that’s a little more polished than the other distilleries and the coastline is lovely in either direction, so you can go for a good walk afterwards, which is perfect for blowing out the cobwebs and clearing whisky-infused brains.

If you’re intending to do a whisky pilgrimage, there are four parts of the island where you’ll find the distilleries:

• Port Ellen is on the southeast corner of the island.
• Port Askaig is on the northeast corner of the island.
• Port Charlotte is on the northwest corner of the island.
• Bowmore is near the centre of the island.

All of them are easy to get to, but you’ll need a car to fully explore Islay, which makes having a drink and driving to the next site a complete no-no (there’s a zero-tolerance drink-driving policy in Scotland). However, the three most-visited distilleries of Laphroaig, Lagavulin, and Ardbeg are located quite close to each other, and as there’s a walkway from the town of Port Ellen to each distillery, you can easily mix a hike along Islay’s gorgeous coastline with a selection of drams along the way.

One last thing to note with all of these Islay distillery tours is that although children are permitted on most of them, you’ll find some have minimum-age restrictions, especially those that offer experiences like the tours at Bruichladdich, where you get to create your own cocktails.

Ardbeg Distillery Tour

• Founded: 1815
• Pronounced: Ard-beg.
• Flavour: heavily peated. Citrus-fruit character.
• Recommended whisky: Ardbeg Ten Year Old
• Address: Port Ellen, Isle of Islay, Argyll, PA42 7DU
• Website: Ardbeg

Ardbeg distillery is worth a visit not only for its tours but also for The Old Kiln Café which serves generous portions of reasonably priced food. Not only that, but the distillery offers the most generous whisky samples of all the distilleries I visited on Islay, plus they give you money off gifts purchased in the shop after you’ve taken the tour.

The location of the distillery at the southern tip of the island is stunning, and there are some amazing coastal walks between Ardbeg and Ardmore, with the elevated views from Ardmore Point being one of the most memorable moments of my time on Islay. If I had a bit more (ok, a lot more) money, I’d love to go back and book a week at the distillery’s Seaview Cottage, which is a fully renovated house that used to be the manager’s home but is now a holiday rental.

The cottage overlooks the sea and features a lovely private garden, but at well over £1,000 a week, it’s a lot more expensive than the cottages you’ll find elsewhere. My recommendation? Check out Airbnb instead, as you’ll often find bargain luxury holiday homes for a fraction of the price of an equivalent hotel stay.

Bowmore Distillery Tour

• Founded: 1779
• Pronounced: Bow-mor
• Flavour: light smokiness. Fruity character.
• Recommended whisky: Bowmore 15 Year
• Address: School St, Bowmore, Islay, PA43 7JS
• Website: Bowmore

Bowmore is the biggest and busiest village on Islay, and it’s also the island’s administrative capital, so it has more things to do than in many of the other distillery villages. From the centre, you’ll find a few grocery shops and gift shops along with essentials like a chemist, so it’s a good place to stock up on supplies before venturing elsewhere.

Located almost in the centre of the village, the Bowmore distillery is a terrific place to visit. If your partner or kids are tired of distillery tours, they can have a splash in the 25-meter pool at the Bowmore Leisure Centre, which is just a 5-minute walk up the road.

Inside the visitor centre you’ll find a shop and a museum, but the highlight is the tasting bar upstairs, which features big, comfy chairs and an enormous window that opens up to a spectacular panorama across Loch Indaal. I splashed out on my visit and got myself a tasting tray flight, which included four drams paired with handmade chocolates, which were delicious and a great appetiser for the tour.

Perhaps the best thing about the tour was being able to try a couple of drams straight from the cask in Bowmore’s legendary No. 1 warehouse, and they’ll even fill a 100-ml bottle so you can take a sample home with you as a reminder of your visit.

Bruichladdich Distillery Tour

• Founded: 1881
• Pronounced: Bru-e-clad-e
• Flavour: lightly peated. Caramel sweetness.
• Recommended whisky: The Classic Laddie
• Address: Islay, Argyll, PA49 7UN
• Website: Bruichladdich

The Bruichladdich distillery is located opposite Bowmore on the other side of Loch Indaal, which is very easy to get to as you just have to follow the A847 towards the village of Port Charlotte. The distillery sits on the roadside overlooking the sea, and there’s a small area on the shore where the kids can go rooting about in rock pools if you’re hoping to get a bit of peace and quiet during the all-important whisky tasting.

One suggestion for whisky-weary partners is to drive a couple of miles down the road to Port Charlotte, which has a museum about Islay that’s full of interesting little knick-nacks and collections of artefacts from the island’s past. The displays chronicle island life over the course of the first human inhabitants 12,000 years ago to the present day.

Bruichladdich, meanwhile, is worth a visit for both whisky and gin drinkers as they produce two of Scotland’s favourite tipples: Octomore whisky and The Botanist gin. The Botanist is absolutely delicious with a healthy dash of tonic and works incredibly well in a cocktail, but it pales into insignificance against the mighty Octomore, a whisky that’s proudly touted as being the most heavily peated whisky on the market.

The tour takes you around the Victorian buildings, where you’ll discover the process of making these spirits, and just like all the other distilleries on this list, you’ll get a history lesson and a whisky tasting session afterwards.

Aside from the spirits, Bruichladdich has done an excellent job with their merchandising which is sold in the best gift shop on the island. The collection includes T-shirts, hoodies, backpacks, coats, and much more. You’re bound to find something you like, but be warned, it’s quite expensive.

Bunnahabhain Distillery Tour

• Pronounced: Bun-a-hav-an
• Flavour: unpeated—soft and fruity. Peated: heavy smokiness.
• Recommended whisky: Bunnahabhain 12 Year Old
• Address: Port Askaig, Isle of Islay, Argyll, A46 7RP
• Website: Bunnahabhain

You’ll find Bunnahabhain at the northwest end of Islay, 5 miles north of Port Askaig. It’s not the easiest distillery to find and you’ll have to navigate a narrow single-track road to get there, but the drive is stunning, and once at the end of the road you’ll find stunning views of the Isle of Jura from Bunnahabhainn Bay.

Its remoteness means that a visit to this distillery feels more like a pilgrimage than a visit to a tourist attraction, and it certainly feels less touristy than a visit to Bowmore, which is perhaps why they’ve priced the tours a few pounds cheaper than the others on this list.

Fans of this whisky will be pleased to know you can fill your own bottle from the cask in the visitor centre and even add your own label (although you can also do this at Bowmore).

There are several wallet-friendly options including a Distillery Production Tour that lasts 50 minutes for around £15 per person, as well as a Cask Strength Tour, which costs around £40 for four premium drams.

For the ultimate experience, you might like to join the most expensive tour which presents samples of some of the distillery’s most exclusive drams. I’ve heard from someone who took this tour that the whisky is nothing short of spectacular, but you’ll need deep pockets as it’s currently (as of 2024) around £275 for a 1-hour session.

Caol Ila Distillery Tour

• Founded: 1846
• Pronounced: cull-e-la
• Flavour: unpeated—smooth and sweet. Peated: light smokiness.
• Recommended whisky: Caol Ila 12 Year Old
• Address: Port Askaig, Isle of Islay, Argyll, PA46 7RL
• Website: Caol Ila

Caol Ila is the nearest distillery to Port Askaig and is easily reached from a single-track road off the A846, where you’ll get fantastic views of the ‘Paps’ (mountains on the Isle of Jura) once you reach the shores of the Sound of Islay.

Although Caol Ila still produces single malts, other whisky producers use the majority of the spirit in their blends so they don’t quite have the same cult following as traditional whisky producers like Ardbeg. Even so, their single malts are absolutely delicious, if a little on the expensive side, and you’ll get the chance to sample a couple of drams on the Caol Ila tour, where you’ll also be given a complimentary Glencairn glass at the end.

I have to say that out of all the tours I did during my visit to Islay, Caol Ila had the most enthusiastic tour guides. It’s not quite as polished as some of the other tours, but it’s definitely a wee bit more enjoyable, even if some of the buildings are a bit bland in that boring, grey, 1960s office-block style.

One suggestion I’ve got for you is to combine a visit to this distillery with a ferry ride over to Jura. The journey takes less than 10 minutes, and as the ferry operates throughout the day, you can hop on and hop off at your leisure. To get there, simply head to Port Askaig and follow the signs to the ferry terminal, where you’ll also find the ticket office.

Jura is a lovely wee island that’s quite different from Islay as it’s more barren, but it’s scenic in its own way and has a whisky distillery which you’ll find in the village of Craighouse on the island’s eastern side. You can learn more about Jura here: Isle of Jura .

Kilchoman Distillery Tour

• Founded: 2005
• Pronounced: kil-ho-man
• Flavour: rich and fruity smokiness.
• Recommended whisky: Kilchoman Machir Bay
• Address: Rockside Farm, Bruichladdich, Isle of Islay, Argyll, PA49 7UT
• Website: Kilchoman

You’ll find Kilchoman on the western peninsula of Islay, midway between Machir Bay and Loch Gorm, which makes for a nice change from the usual sea-battered warehouses you’ll find elsewhere.

Although there’s not a huge amount of activity in the parish of Kilchoman, it’s located in a lovely area that’s a mix of rugged coastline, wild grassland, and fertile farmland. To make the most of a visit, I recommend a walk from Saligo Bay and along the coastline before heading back inland towards the loch and the distillery.

Kilchoman is the only farm distillery on Islay, which means they perform the entire whisky-making process on-site, from growing the barley to malting it, fermenting it, distilling it, and bottling it. It’s a whisky-making style that became a lost art once commercialization took over Scotch whisky in the 1800s, so it’s inspiring to see a team dedicated to reviving the traditional methods of whisky production.

Because Kilchoman is a new distillery, you don’t get quite the same sense of history that you do when taking tours at places like Ardbeg and Bowmore, but it’s as interesting due to the fact that you get to see the entire process, from grain to bottle, in one visit.

The tour is pretty good, as is the gift shop, which is small but has good-quality gifts, while the cafe has a great selection of home-cooked food. The Cullen Skink, in particular, is excellent (the best I’ve tasted outside of Cullen ) and the coffee is delicious, plus you can get a drop of Kilchoman whisky stirred in for good measure.

Book a 4-day tour of Islay & the whisky coast

Lagavulin Distillery Tour

• Founded: 1816
• Pronounced: lag-a-voo-lin
• Flavour: seaside smokiness.
• Recommended whisky: Lagavulin 16 Year Old
• Address: Port Ellen, Isle of Islay, Argyll, PA42 7DZ
• Website: Lagavulin

Lagavulin distillery is located just down the road from Ardbeg in Lagavulin Bay, and it’s impossible to miss as it’s sited right on the side of the A846, and I mean that literally – the main building sits inches from the roadside. It’s not the biggest distillery on Islay by any means, but it oozes character and history.

As soon as you walk through the entrance, you’re hit with a wood-panelled corridor that looks like those 1920s-style train stations you sometimes see in the Highlands, and you can easily imagine what it must have been like 100 years ago.

From the entrance, which houses the gift shop and ticket desk, you head to a tasting room, which basically looks like an old-fashioned living room with big, comfy chairs, bookcases, and an old coal burner. On a cold and miserable day, I can’t think of a better place to sit with a warming dram in hand. There are a few samples to try, but you won’t go far wrong with a Lagavulin tasting kit which offers samples that you won’t find in the shops and is a great introduction to this historic distillery.

The tour is good and you get a complimentary nosing glass as a keepsake, as well as a discount in the shop. There’s no café at Lagavulin, but you can easily combine a visit with nearby Ardbeg which has a great café, or you can drive down the road in the opposite direction to Port Ellen, which has a decent food store.

At the end of a tour, you might like to explore the bay, which is a haven for wildlife. There’s a small ruined castle on the northern side that looks out across the sea towards the small islands of Texa in the near distance and Gigha near Jura, or you could just as easily drive to The Oa, which is a wild promontory that’s home to a windswept RSPB nature reserve.

Laphroaig Distillery Tour

• Pronounced: La-froyg
• Flavour: heavy medicinal tang.
• Recommended whisky: Laphroaig Quarter Cask
• Website: Laphroaig

Laphroaig hardly needs an introduction as it’s one of the most famous single malts in the world that’s easily up there with Glenmorangie and Macallan for cult status. Accordingly, the distillery runs some of the best tours on Islay, and you can choose from general overviews that take less than an hour to four-and-a-half-hour excursions that take you on a journey into the surrounding landscape as well as give you an in-depth look inside the distillery and warehouses.

You’ll find Laphroaig on the southern edge of Islay, overlooking a small bay with a forest backdrop halfway between Port Ellen and Lagavulin. This is one of the biggest distilleries on Islay, and it’s unusual in that it has its very own water supply at the Kilbride Reservoir as well as its own peat bog.

These two elements – peat and spring water – are what give Laphroaig whisky its medicinal taste due to the peat having a very high ratio of Sphagnum moss . You’ll see these multi-coloured living carpets of moss all over Islay, and there’s a giant plot of it on the opposite side of the road from the distillery where you can go and stake out your very own honorary square foot of land at the end of your visit.

It’s a nice touch, and it means you’ll own a piece of the distillery for years to come, plus they’ll give you a complimentary dram if you ever return to see it. In addition, they hand out free tea and coffee to anyone who doesn’t want a taste of whisky.

There’s no restaurant at Laphroaig, but then, just like at Lagavulin, you can easily head in either direction up the A846 to Ardbeg or Port Ellen if you’re after a bite to eat, and The Oa is just a few miles away if you’re looking for a nice walk along the coast. The icing on the cake is that they’re very generous with their free samples. I was given a free 5cl bottle when I arrived, as I’d previously joined their Friends of Laphroaig club, another free welcome whisky in the lounge before the tour, and another 3 tasters after!

Ardnahoe Distillery Tour

I haven’t yet visited Ardnahoe so I’m not going to go into too much detail here, but it looks like it could become a very interesting distillery. This is a family-run business that only started operations in 2016, with the first runs of distillation in late 2018. But even though it’s such a new distillery, from what I’ve heard, they’re already making some very exciting spirits from their brand-new purpose-built buildings a few miles north of Port Askaig on Islay’s eastern side.

The location of the distillery is pretty much perfect, as they have their own water supply at Ardnahoe Loch across the road, and the stretch of coastline near the distillery offers stunning views across the Sound of Islay towards Jura. To take advantage of this, they’ve opened a restaurant with panoramic windows that provide uninterrupted views of the surrounding landscape.

An Introduction to Islay

The Isle of Islay (pronounced eye-luh) is the southernmost island in the Southern Hebrides on Scotland’s west coast, lying close to the Isle of Jura and to the west of the Campbeltown peninsula. At 239 square miles, it’s quite a big island when compared to other west-coast tourist destinations like the Isle of Tiree , but it pales in comparison to Scotland’s most-visited island, Skye, which is 639 square miles and has a population of over 10,000 people.

Islay has a much smaller population of approximately 3,200, many of whom work at the nine currently operational distilleries. The rest of the islanders work in the fishing, agriculture, and tourism sectors, the latter of which has grown significantly in recent years (admittedly as a result of the popularity of the island’s distillery tours).

Unlike the barren, windswept islands of the Outer Hebrides, Islay is home to large areas of forest, and there’s a surprising amount of wildlife to see inland. Meanwhile, the beautiful golden beaches and the quaint picture-postcard villages add to the feeling that it really is Scotland in miniature.

During a visit, you’ll find that not only are there hill ranges to climb (Beinn Bheigier rises to a point of 456 metres along an undulating ridge on the east side), but there are also lots of stunning beaches to explore, like those on the impossibly scenic Machir and Saligo bays.

The majority of the islanders live in the villages from which the distilleries take their name, and although the majority of settlements don’t have much to offer tourists other than the distilleries, the island’s largest village, Bowmore, has quite a few shops in addition to lovely walks along the shores of Loch Indaal.

If you’re not too bothered by whisky, there are plenty of other things to see and do on Islay, so you don’t need to even set foot in a distillery to have a great time. Two highlights that I recommend are the Oa Peninsula, which features incredible clifftop walks, and The Big Strand which, at 7 miles, is one of the longest beaches in Scotland.

Islay Tours

The Isle of Islay is one of the best places in Scotland to experience everything that makes the country such a magical destination for tourists. There are beautiful coastlines to walk around, incredible wildlife-watching opportunities around every corner, and, of course, some of the world’s finest whiskies to taste.

It’s certainly possible to head off in any direction and hope for the best, but it makes more sense to leave the driving to a professional tour guide who can take you to the main attractions as well as the hidden gems that only the locals know about.

While there are dozens of tour operators willing to take visitors around Islay, the pick of the bunch has to be Rabbie’s. This company specialises in small group tours using mini coaches that seat no more than 16 people, so occupants get to make new friends as they explore each new destination without feeling like they’re lost in the middle of a big crowd.

Check out the itinerary below to get a feel for what you can see on a Rabbie’s tour of Islay.

Islay & The Whisky Coast 4-day Tour

Itinerary day 1:

• From Edinburgh, head to the Highlands and stop at the Trossachs National Park for food.
• Continue through the West Highlands towards the coastal town of Oban.
• Take a tour around the Oban distillery and have a seafood lunch.
• Visit Kilmartin Glen to see the ancient standing stones.
• Take the evening ferry to Islay.
• Once on Islay, head to Bowmore for overnight accommodation.

Itinerary day 2:

• Take a tour of the Bowmore distillery.
• Visit Ardnahoe Distillery for a tour and lunch.
• Visit Kilchoman distillery for a tour and a whisky tasting.
• Return to Bowmore.

Itinerary day 3:

• Visit the Ardbeg distillery for a tour and lunch.
• Visit the Laphroaig distillery.
• Explore Kildaton Church and Dunyvaig Castle.
• Visit the Lagavulin distillery for a tour and a tasting.

Itinerary day 4:

• Take the ferry back to the mainland and drive south through the Highlands.
• Stop at the village of Inveraray on the banks of Loch Fyne.
• Continue to Loch Lomond and stop for photos.
• Return to Edinburgh.

Facts About Islay Whisky

First things first, not all whiskies are created equally. Scotch is unique in that it can only be called whisky (not whiskey – note the lack of the letter e) if it has been distilled in Scotland and matured in an oak barrel for at least three years, and it can only be called a single malt if it’s produced in one distillery.

This might seem a little snobby, but for purists, it’s essential to the character of what makes Scotch what it is. That’s understandable when you consider that this spirit has been made in Scotland for over 500 years and is now one of the country’s biggest earners, accounting for 70% of all food and drink exports.

While the exact origins of Scotch whisky are unknown, it’s believed that it all started on Islay when Irish monks travelled there sometime in the 13th century, but whether or not they were the first people to use peat to dry the grain (which gives Islay whisky it’s unmistakable smokiness) is unknown.

The earliest known distillery was Bowmore, which opened its doors in 1779. Laphroaig and Lagavulin, which opened their doors in 1815 and 1816, respectively, followed Bowmore a few years later. It’s amazing when you think these distilleries are still going strong today and show no sign of losing their popularity.

The smokiness in Islay whisky comes from using peat in the malting process, and the distilleries on Islay are some of the few in Scotland that still carry out this labour-intensive task in-house. As the barley grains are spread onto grids inside hot kilns, dried peat is added to the fire which creates plumes of thick smoke that infuse with the grains (think along the lines of cooking food over a wood-burning barbeque).

The grains are then milled into a coarse flour before being mixed in hot water, with the resulting liquid distilled in giant copper pots to produce whisky. That’s a very brief overview, so see this article, The Scotch Whisky Regions , for a more in-depth explanation of the process.

There are lots of other variables that make Islay whisky so distinct, including the water source and the type of barrels used during maturation (usually American ex-bourbon casks or Spanish ex-sherry casks), but even the shape of the still can make a difference to the final taste.

In fact, the process of making Islay whisky is so exact that if a copper still has to be replaced, the exact same dings and dents in the old one are knocked into the replacement! I guess it’s this attention to detail that makes Islay whisky so difficult to copy.

Related Posts About Islay and Whisky

I’ve listed a few related posts below that you may find useful when choosing your next Islay adventure. You’ll learn a few good tips about whisky as well, so you don’t need to feel like a complete novice when you arrive on the island.

• The complete guide to visiting Islay.
• The complete guide to visiting Finlaggan.
• The complete guide to the single malt Scotch whisky regions.
• The complete guide to visiting Jura.
• The complete guide to Scotland’s airports.
• 10 easy and delicious recipes that use Scotch whisky.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the isle of islay.

Islay is the southernmost island in the Southern Hebrides on Scotland’s west coast, lying close to the Isle of Jura and to the west of the Campbeltown peninsula.

What are the whisky distilleries on Islay?

Ardbeg, Bowmore, Bruichladdich, Bunnahabhain, Caol Ila, Kilchoman, Lagavulin, Laphroaig, and Ardnahoe.

How much do the whisky distillery tours on Islay cost?

Expect to pay a minimum of £10 per person, which will go up to £60 or more depending on the number of tastings you’ll get afterwards, with the cheaper tours offering a sample from the distillery’s core range and the upper-tier tours offering additional samples from more expensive bottlings.

Where are the whisky distilleries on Islay?

Ardbeg : Port Ellen, Isle of Islay, Argyll, PA42 7DU Bowmore : School St, Bowmore, Islay, PA43 7JS Bruichladdich : Islay, Argyll, PA49 7UN Bunnahabhain : Port Askaig, Isle of Islay, Argyll, A46 7RP Caol Ila : Port Askaig, Isle of Islay, Argyll, PA46 7RL Kilchoman : Rockside Farm, Bruichladdich, Isle of Islay, Argyll, PA49 7UT Lagavulin : Port Ellen, Isle of Islay, Argyll, PA42 7DZ Laphroaig : Port Ellen, Isle of Islay, Argyll, PA42 7DU Ardnahoe : Port Askaig, Isle of Islay, PA46 7RN

Related Posts

Tourist Advice for Visitors to the Isle of Islay

Finlaggan Visitor Guide

Isle of Islay Visitor Guide

Craig Neil is the author, photographer, admin, and pretty much everything else behind Out About Scotland. He lives near Edinburgh and spends his free time exploring Scotland and writing about his experiences. Follow him on Pinterest , Facebook , and YouTube .

Best single malt whisky tours on Islay, Scotland for 2023

Years ago in an email, my father gushed that he and 14 others had just been on a bus tour around Scotland’s Whisky Trail, including the famous Bowmore distillery on the island of Islay (pronounced “eye-la”) in the Inner Hebrides. 

Though he was 1400 miles away in Canada, his enthusiasm was palpable. The Bowmore Distillery invited them to stay three more days at their Islay cottages. He said: “(It) was like offering the keys of Fort Knox to Al Capone”. 

Years later I got to follow in his footsteps and it was magical. Even though I had not been much of a whisky devotee up until that point, our tour group tasted world-class single malts at each of the distilleries — and that started to awaken my taste buds to the pleasures of single malt. And so it is for whisky lovers around the world: Scotland and Islay are the Mecca for devotees of the distinctive smoky whiskies that come from the island’s nine distilleries.

My favourite multi-day whisky tour

Don’t have time to read about all the whisky tours on Islay?  No worries  — our favourite multi-day whisky tour is the 4-day Islay and the Whisky Tour from Edinburgh .

As the only tour with customer ratings, this four-day trip covers seven distilleries and many of the other sights on the island.

Outstanding rugged scenery and multi-day whisky tours on Islay

So where to start to plan your Islay whisky-tasting vacation? You can either plan them yourself or you can take advantage of guided tours where professionals have done all the planning for you.

Many of the guided whisky tours on Islay take you to multiple distilleries and as you visit each one, you’ll learn about whisky making and enjoy samples of their most popular brands.

Each distillery is known for its distinct and unique whisky style, its signature character, and flavour profile. Many pack a smoky punch, and this is based on the peat that is used during production to dry the barley during fermentation. But there are also barley-based concoctions for those that aren’t into the peaty flavour, like my lovely wife.

To help you cut through all the noise, here’s a look at several multi-day guided whisky tours on islay that run the gamut from a very specific tour to Islay to one that pretty much tours all over Scotland and takes you to 15 different distilleries!

#1 – 4-day itinerary: Islay and The Whisky Coast from Edinburgh

▶︎ BOOK: 4-day itinerary: Islay and The Whisky Coast from Edinburgh

• RATING:  5 out of 5 Stars — With 21 positive reviews.
• TOUR LENGTH:   4 days (8:30 am start)
• Starts and ends at:  St Andrew Square, Edinburgh

Why choose this  whisky tour ?  Pick up your luxury Mercedes minicoach in Edinburgh and enjoy the stunning scenery in Loch Lomond National Park, Arrochar, Loch Fyne, and Inveraray on the way to Tarbert and Kennacraig for the ferry to Islay. During your 4-day stay on Islay, you’ll tour the island’s distilleries and try their famous single malt whiskies. You’ll also be able to explore Islay’s sandy bays, stay in the charming village of Bowmore, visit Kildalton church, and see the ancient Kilmartin standing stones. On the last day, you’ll take the ferry to Argyll, enjoy lunch at Kilmartin, and spend some time in Oban (known as the gateway to the Isles) before returning to Edinburgh.

4-day itinerary: Islay and The Whisky Coast from Edinburgh includes : 

• Maximum of 16 passengers per tour.
• Services of a professional driver/guide.
• All ferry and bridge crossings.
• 3 nights en-suite accommodation.

Does NOT include :

• All meals and refreshments
• Entrance fees to all distilleries and visitor attractions.

What past guests have said:

“This whisky tour was great. We had a nice group of 16 of different ages and from different countries. The bus was comfortable. Our accommodation at Bowmore Cottages was excellent. Right at the distillery and steps to everything in town, Our guide replenished our breakfast supplies every day. We visited 7 distilleries and lots of ruined castles, beaches, overlooks and rest stops. I would do this tour again.”

— Joseph (see   more reviews )

▶︎ Check details, availability, and prices now!

#2 – four-day itinerary: islay whisky tour from glasgow.

▶︎ BOOK: 4-Day Islay Whisky Tour from Glasgow

• RATING:  unrated
• TOUR LENGTH:   4 days (8:00 am start)
• Starts and ends at:  Georges Street, Glasgow (hotel pickup offered)

Why choose this  whisky tour ?  On this private tour, you and your guests will travel to Islay on the ferry from Kennacraig Ferry Terminal, passing Loch Long and Loch Fyne, and stopping at the Rest and be Thankful for photos and a wee Dram of Whisky. There’s lunch at Inverary before boarding the ferry. Once at Islay, you’ll visit eight of the nine distilleries on Islay over the course of your stay: Caol Ila (pronounced “Cool-eela”), Bowmore, Kilchoman, Bruichladdich, Laphroaig, Ardbeg, Lagavulin, and Bunnahabhain. The tour allows about 1.5 hours for each or about 4-5 hours of touring each day, leaving you some free time to see the rest of the island’s attractions.

This private tour is for you and your guests (only your group participates) and the price includes up to seven seats for your group .

The 4-Day Islay Whisky Tour from Glasgow includes: 

• Shortbread, Water & a wee Dram of Whisky
• Up to seven travellers can be included for this group price.

Does NOT include:

• The cost of meals and accommodation
• Entry fees at the whisky distilleries (usually between £7 and £15 each)

— unrated tour, so there are no testimonials to share.

▶︎ Check availability and prices now

#3 – 9-day itinerary: private malt whisky tour throughout scotland.

▶︎ BOOK: Nine-day itinerary: Private malt whisky tour throughout Scotland

• TOUR LENGTH:   9 days (10:00 am start)
• Starts and ends at:   Your guide will meet you at Edinburgh airport.
• This is a private, premium tour (only you and your guests participate)

Why choose this  whisky tour ?  This is not your normal tour — it’s a private, personal tour that takes you throughout much of Scotland to many notable whisky distilleries — 15 in all, plus the Scottish Whisky Experience in Edinburgh — that’s 16 opportunities to explore the different signatures of well-known Scotch whiskies.

There is more time allocated at each stop than on normal tours, allowing you to soak in all that each distillery has to offer. You’ll see Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, take the ferry from Kennacraig Ferry Terminal to Islay, stay at the 4-star Machrie Hotel and Golf Links with access to miles of immaculate Inner Hebrides beaches. As well as the Islay distilleries (including Ardbeg , Lagavulin , and Laphroaig ), you’ll visit Kildalton Cross, a monolithic Celtic cross that was probably carved in the second half of the 8th century AD.

From Islay, you’ll travel by ferry to Kennacraig and then on to Campbeltown, once known as the whisky capital of the world, and visit Springbank ,  Glen Scotia , and Glengyle distilleries , and stay at the luxurious yet historic Ugadale Hotel, with views of the Atlantic and the Islands of Islay and Jura.

Discover Inverary Castle, the ancestral home of the Duke of Argyll, chief of the Clan Campbell and then on to visit the Oban distillery , founded in 1794, for a taste of their whisky. Your guide will drive you through some of Scotland’s most majestic landscapes to Boath House, near Nairn in northern Scotland. Visit Glencoe Village, Fort William, home of the famous Ben Nevis, and Drumnadrochit, home to the famous Urquhart Castle.

A visit to Cawdor Castle and the Culloden battlefield will steep you in Scottish history, and then travel on to Aberlour Distillery , Benromach Distillery in Speyside, and Macallan Distillery , and then finally on to the remote glen to see the Glenfiddich Distillery , and to Glenfarclas .

Travel through the Cairngorms National Park and stay at The Fife Arms, a creatively restored Victorian Inn. Visit Lindores Abbey , which is again producing whisky after 523 years, and on to St. Andrews and the Kingsbarns Distillery . Stay in the five-star Old Course Hotel adjoining the famous St. Andrews golf course.

On towards Edinburgh, visit the Glenkinchie Distillery and Edinburgh Castle, and then enjoy the Scotch Whisky Experience at the top of Edinburgh’s Royal Mile, for a tour and tasting of multiple regional single malts. 

For the last evening of the tour, stay at The Balmoral Hotel, truly a landmark in the centre of the city.

The Nine-day itinerary: Private malt whisky tour throughout Scotland includes:

• Transportation
• Pickup at Edinburgh airport (although pick up at your location/hotel can be arranged)
• All arrangements for dining and accommodation.
• Admission to distilleries
• The cost of meals and accommodations.

▶︎ Check availability and prices now!

Other available whisky tours on islay.

• Slinte Scotland Islay and Jura Whisky Tour Package
• Whisky Tasting on Islay and Jura
• Islay and Whisky Tour Itinerary

Booking your own tour of Islay

If none of the guided tours strike your fancy, you can always organize your own stay on Islay. The key to a successful vacation plan is to realize that Islay is very popular and you’ll need to plan far enough in advance to book the dates you want.

After the lull in travel during the pandemic, things are hopping on the island again. All the festivals are back including the Fèis Ìle at the end of May. Accommodation for the festival was mostly booked last year at this time, so definitely plan ahead.

Getting to Islay

There are two ways to get to Islay — by plane or by ferry.

Ferry: we flew into Glasgow airport and picked up our rented/hired car and took the CalMac “Island Hop” ferry from Ardrossan to Arran (and stayed the night at Auchrannie), then to the Mull of Kintyre, and finally to Port Ellen on Islay.

As you can see from CalMac’s illustration (left) you can also take the ferry directly from Kennacraig (if you’d like to take the scenic tour and drive there) or from Oban although that ferry doesn’t run as often.

The advantage of the ferry is that, once you get to Islay, you have your car to get around. It’s also cheaper than flying. You’ll need to remember to pre-book your car’s spot on the ferry (see the CalMac linked page above).

Air: The most direct flight to Port Ellen Airport (Glenegedale Airport-ILY) is from Glasgow (GLA ). It takes around 45 minutes. Loganair flies twice a day to Islay and once a day on weekends. Flights can range between £68 – £111 (and as they say, depending on when you book, your mileage may vary…).

The advantage of flying is that you get there quickly, but you’ll need either rent a car at the Islay airport (book ahead!) or rely on public transportation.

Where to stay on Islay

Islay is a major tourist destination and there are lots of accommodations available although they tend to be booked up well in advance. Here’s a sample of some of the more well-known places:

• When our little group visited Islay, we stayed in the Bowmore Distillery Cottages. Originally built in the 1840s for Bowmore distillery workers, these cottages have been renovated to the 4-star Visit Scotland standard. There are five cottages with between one and four spacious and nicely-finished bedrooms, each with its own ensuite bathroom. There’s also a sitting room and a large self-contained and completely outfitted kitchen, which became our evening haven for catching up with each other.
• The Machrie Hotel & Golf Links made the UK’s Top 30 Hotels list in Condé Nast Traveller Reader’s Choice Awards last year. It also has a world-renowned championship golf course that is ranked 75 th  in the world in Golf World’s Top 100 and No 6 in Europe by Leading Courses. Stunning sea views and a seven-mile beach cap the experience at this outstanding modern hotel.
• There’s AirBnBs, independent Bed & Breakfast establishments, hotels, cottages, campgrounds and caravan (trailer) hookups, and something called self-catering rentals which means a vacation rental with facilities for guests to prepare their own meals.

Here’s a map that can help you to see what is available on the dates you want to travel:

• Hover over the “star” icons to get distillery info. Click on it to go to their website.
• Hover over the hotel icons to see info. Click on it to book.
• You can also investigate the many AirBnB options on the island, including the Yellow Rock Cottage run by Christine Logan, also known as “the Lady of the Isles”.

The distilleries of Islay

Here’s a quick look at each of Islay’s distilleries:

Ardbeg — In operation for more than 200 years, Ardbeg whiskies have won many prestigious titles for its spectacular single malt. Compared to other Islay Malts Ardbeg  doesn’t focus on the sea and salt tastes . They rather focus on aromas of spices, malt or sweet tones like vanilla and chocolate. The core range of Ardbeg consists of the Ardbeg TEN, Uigeadail and Corryvreckan.

Ardnahoe — Ardnahoe is the youngest distillery on the island, started in 2018. Whisky icon Jim McEwan, who had previously led the Bruichladdich Distillery to great success, was recruited as production manager and advisor. Situated on the north east coast between Caol Ila and Bunnahabhain, it has a whisky bar, a cafe, and dining for lunch ( book ahead ).

Bowmore — As the first and oldest licensed distillery on Islay, Bowmore has been in operation for more than 240 years and has the oldest Scotch whisky maturation space in the world. We invest more time than necessary at every stage of our process.  We have our own proprietary malt barns, hand-turning our barley .

Bruichladdich — Esquire magazine says Bruichladdich is “tough to say, easy to drink”. Located on the southwestern tip of the island, the distillery is known for being blessed with some of the best spirit in Scotland, helped by the tall, narrow-necked stills which produce an elegant, floral and fruity house style. Bruichladdich is our personal favourite for a number of reasons.

Bunnahabhain — Bunnahabhain means ‘mouth of the river’ in Gaelic. Bunnahabhain’s whiskies have a signature unpeated style. With the tallest stills on the island and the only distillery to use water from a natural spring, Bunnahabhain single malt whisky is known for its sherried, delicate, complex and unpeated taste.

Caol Ila — Turning out more whisky than any other Islay producer, Caol Ila manages to combine  a fresh pear note, grassiness, a hint of juniper, and distinct notes of the seashore – lobster shells, crab creels and gentle smoke in the flavour of it’s whisky. Caol Ila translates to ‘ Sound of Islay ‘.

Kilchoman — as one of the six Scottish distilleries still working with traditional floor-maltings, Kilchoman is unique in  completing all parts of the whisky making process – growing barley, malting, distilling, maturing and bottling – on Islay.

Lagavulin — Perched in the picturesque town of Port Ellen, the Lagavulin distillery celebrated its 200th birthday in 2016, although illicit distillation started in 1742. Peated malt, lengthy distillation, and long maturation together make sure Lagavulin develops its distinctive flavour that has won many awards.

Laphroaig — Established in 1815, Laphroiag distills peated whisky that is renowned for its bold, smoky taste, followed by a hint of seaweed and a surprising sweetness — full-bodied with a long finish.

Port Ellen — Port Ellen actually closed operations in 1983. But it is still a successful whisky company as it provide maltings to all of Islay AND releases whisky from the reserves still maturing in their casks. In fact, in 2022, a rare 1979 cask of Port Ellen whisky was auctioned by Sotheby’s for £875,000.The distillery does not offer tours year round, but it does provide the opportunity to be given a tour of the maltings and warehouse facilities during the annual “Feis Ile” Islay Whisky festival; you just have to be sure to book in advance to reserve a place. As of 2022, plans are for the distillery to reopen in 2023 .

Portintruan — Islay’s newest distillery under construction is Portintruan, a name taken from the historic farm estate where the distillery is located and means ‘place of the stream.’ The correct pronunciation of this is Port-nah-truan. In addition to facilities to product whisky and rum, Portintruan will include a visitor’s centre with a bar, a restaurant, a tasting room, and space for an apprenticeship program. Portintruan plans to begin distillation in 2024. 

FAQ (frequently asked questions) about whisky tours on Islay

Commonly asked questions that might help you plan your whisky-tasting vacation.

What is the biggest town on Islay?

Bowmore is Islay’s administrative capital. With a population of just over 700 people, it’s the island’s largest town. Bowmore town sits on the southeastern shore of Lochindaal, a sort of loch that’s open to the sea. Just south of Bowmore, there’s a 5-mile stretch of sandy beach, called the Big Strand — one of the best beaches on Islay for relaxing, walking, and watersports.

Port Ellen is the next largest and is situated in a sheltered part of the island, offering views to the Oa Peninsula and to Kilnaughton Bay, which is named after the chapel ruins and burial ground at the end of the bay beside the road to the Oa peninsula.

What’s the best single malt whisky on Islay?

That’s like asking which of your children is your favourite, or which Beatle song is your favourite — it’s really hard to choose and it depends on two things: your tastes and your pocketbook. That’s one reason the whisky-tasting tours are so helpful — you get to taste each of the whiskies and determine which is your favourite — if that’s possible!

How many distilleries are on Islay?

There are currently nine working distilleries on Islay, and Port Ellen is due to re-open over the next couple of years. The first recorded distillery was Bowmore, founded in 1779; the most recent was Ardnahoe, which was established in 2018.

Are Scottish distilleries open for tours?

In line with the end of Covid-19 restrictions in Scotland, visitor attractions including Distillery Visitor Centres are open again.

How did the whisky trade on Islay get started?

The history of the whisky industry on Islay is fascinating — they should make a movie as it seems to have everything: it was begun by monks in the 14th century then revived by the island’s Duke and tenants in the 1700s. There’s been crop failures, prohibition, illicit distilling, wars with the Excise people foiled by lenient magistrates, the intervention of big business, and economic struggles to get where we are today. All interesting stuff — if you’d like to read more, ScotchWhisky.com has this detailed story about Islay’s turbulent whisky history .

Can Scotch whisky be made in other countries?

Scotch Whisky can only be made in Scotland and can’t legally be called whisky until it has matured for a minimum of three years in oak casks. Prior to this, the spirit is referred to as P.B.S. (Plain British Spirit).

What is the Islay Whisky Festival?

The Islay Whisky Festival is one of several that occur each year on the island:

• Fèis Ìle, a 10-day gathering of whisky and Islay fans from around the world (May, 2023).
• Cantilena festival , a celebration of chamber music put on every July by students of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. 
• The  Islay Agricultural Show happens on the second Thursday of every August. and has been going since 1838. It promotes the advancement of agriculture on the islands of Islay, Jura and Colonsay.
• The Islay Book Festival  as originally started by a small book club in Port Ellen, and is now part of Islay’s busy annual events calendar has brought a colourful mix of authors, poets, and storytellers to the Hebrides.
• The  Islay Jazz Festival  brings world-class musicians to play at various venues around the island. Sponsored by Lagavulin, it takes place in the autumn over the course of one week.
• The  Islay Sessions  is a smaller music festival held in November, that brings Scottish traditional and folk musicians to Islay for a weekend of concert performances, pub sessions, and workshops.

Which is the oldest distillery on Islay?

Bowmore is the first recorded distillery on the Isle of Islay and one of the oldest in the whole of Scotland, dating back to 1779.

What do you wear to a distillery tour?

It is acceptable to wear casual, comfortable clothing on any of the whisky tours on Islay, but you may want to dress in layers. You can take off your jacket or sweater if it gets too warm. It also is not a bad idea to wear close-toed shoes since you will be around heavy machinery.

What time of year is best to go to Islay?

The driest months (and a good time to visit Islay) are April, May and June. Islay receives 50 inches of rain every year, double that of London, with January and October the wettest months. We visited in September and had very good weather throughout our stay.

How do you get to Islay?

Islay is accessible  by air or by ferry . There are regular flights from Glasgow to Islay that take about 45 minutes. You can also fly from Oban with Hebridean Air Service. There are two rental car companies at the airport: Cresswells and Urquharts.

There are also regular ferry services from Kennacraig that sail to Port Ellen and Port Askaig. We took the scenic ferry route from the mainland near Glasgow to Arran where we stayed for the night at Auchrannie, and then continued by ferry to the Mull of Kyntire, and then on to Islay.

How long is the ferry crossing to Islay?

From Kennacraig on Kintyre, the journey to Port Ellen will take 2 hours 20 minutes. Alternatively, if you make land at Port Askaig it’ll be slightly shorter at 1 hour 55 minutes. Making reservations for your ferrying your car/vehicle is recommended.

Do you need a car on Islay?

We rented a car and brought it to Islay by ferry. But once we were there, we barely used it and, instead, used a personal tour service run by Christine Logan (known as Lady of the Isles). Unfortunately, Christine’s service no longer runs, but there are buses available.

There are two bus routes, both of which use the main roads on the island. The 450 runs from Bowmore in the centre of the island to Portnahaven in the south west, while the 451 runs between Port Askaig in the north-east down to Port Ellen and Ardbeg in the south. The bus timetable and routes are limited, and it may affect which distilleries and other sights you can visit.

Taxis, and private tours/shuttles, and community alternative transport options are more flexible alternatives. Googling “taxi transportation on Islay” will get you a list of companies that offer transport.

How long does it take to drive around Islay?

You cannot drive around the perimeter of Islay as there is no ring road, but it is possible to drive to most parts on the mainly single-track roads. Port Ellen to Port Askaig: 19 miles, approx 30 minutes. Port Ellen to Portnahaven: 26 miles, approx 40 minutes.

Is it true that the Woollen Mill on Islay made the tartan for the movie Braveheart?

That is true! The Islay Woollen Mill designed and produced the tartan fabric as worn by Mel Gibson  and others for the blockbuster movie Braveheart. Owned and run by  Gordon and Sheila Covell , the Woollen Mill has also produced designs and fabric for Forrest Gump starring Tom Hanks and  Rob Roy  starring Liam Neeson.

Yes, we know the movie was not always factually correct. Wallace was the son of a knight and since he was not a highlander;  he did not wear a kilt .

But, for me, that didn’t make the movie any less exciting and led me years later to wear a Braveheart costume at Hallowe’en and yell “Freedom” with a helium-powered voice! 

The mill produces an excellent range of top quality woven fabrics, and is located just off the main Port Askaig road near Bridgend. If you’re interested in high quality tweeds and tartans you need to visit upstairs at the mill!

Are there midges on Islay?

If you are considering a trip to Islay in summer, please don’t let midges put you off. It really is few and far between occasions that these wee beasties cause any irritation. And so you are sure to happily enjoy our beautiful island year-round without any problems!

Conclusion: choose your favourite whisky tour on Islay

Choose your favourite from the many whisky tours on Islay and make it part of your whisky bucket list. Ours is the 4-day Islay and Whisky Tour from Edinburgh based on the overwhelmingly-positive customer ratings, the coverage of Islay distilleries, and value for the money.

From the smoky and peaty notes of Laphroaig to the maritime flavours of Lagavulin, there are plenty of experiences to be had, both in tasting these delightful drams as well as learning how they are made.

If you think that whisky isn’t for you, why not challenge yourself? With each distillery offering multiple tour options, educational tastings and more, you’ll soon find yourself hooked on this beloved spirit from Scotland’s western Hebrides. So go ahead and let your hair down a bit—it’s time to explore the fantastic world of Islay single malt whisky.

Slàinte mhath!

Thanks for joining us on this new adventure! Got a question or a comment? Go to the contact page and send a message using the form.

Similar Posts

Exclusive list of 21 incredible glamping domes in Nova Scotia

Share: FacebookLinkedInPinterestEmail Updated: May 21, 2024 Ready to hear about the latest and greatest glamping domes in Nova Scotia for…

Comprehensive glamping dome directory for Nova Scotia (31 of them!)

Share: FacebookLinkedInPinterestEmail Updated: May 20, 2024 This glamping dome directory is the result of our online research and talking to…

8 top-rated tours for exceptional kayaking in North Carolina

Share: FacebookLinkedInPinterestEmail Are you looking for some exciting places to go kayaking while visiting North Carolina? If so, you’ve come…

The best beaches of Punta Cana in 2023

Share: FacebookLinkedInPinterestEmail When my plane first broke through the clouds over the Dominican Republic, I was like a kid at…

6 top-rated breathtaking Peggy’s Cove tours in 2023

Share: FacebookLinkedInPinterestEmail They say that Peggy’s Cove lighthouse may be the most photographed attraction in Canada. It’s also one of…

The 8 best tours in Cape Breton for this year’s vacation

Share: FacebookLinkedInPinterestEmail There’s so many things to do on Cape Breton Island Nova Scotia that there’s no way you can do them…

Check out our brand new 5-day Islay & Campbeltown Tour!

• MOST POPULAR

Four-Day Islay Whisky Tour

Quick Details

• Hour Glass Duration: 4 days
• Map Marker Location: Islay
• Clock Departure Time: 08:00 a.m.
• Clock Estimated Return Time: Edinburgh 6:30 p.m./Glasgow 5:15 p.m.
• Users Max. Number of Guests: 16
• Bus Pick-Up Point: Caffe Nero, 1 Parliament Square, Royal Mile, Edinburgh, EH1 1RE
• User Minimum Age of Participants: 18
• Lagavulin Warehouse Experience
• Core Range Tasting at Ardbeg
• Tour and exclusive tasting at Laphroaig
• Tour and tasting at Kilchoman
• A visit to Bunnahabhain
• Tour & Tasting at Bruichladdich
• Minibus transport (max. 16 guests)
• Services of a professional tour guide

Discover some of Scotland’s Finest Whisky Distilleries

All distillery tours and tastings are included in the cost !

Fall in love with Islay, home to some of Scotland’s finest whisky distilleries! This tour takes you to a Scottish island paradise. Islay is home to stunning scenery, ancient history and traditional culture.

Day 1 After departing Edinburgh, you head west into the Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park. Your journey will take you along the shores of Loch Lomond, the largest of Scotland’s lochs, as well as one of the countries most scenic locations. The landscape becomes more mountainous as you travel further west, crossing the impressive Rest and Be Thankful viewpoint, as your guide tells you about the history and culture of this stunning part of Scotland.

As you travel through Argyll, you will make a short stop in the attractive fishing village of Inveraray . It is then a short drive down the Kintyre Peninsula to Kennacraig, where you will board the early afternoon ferry to Islay. The ferry crossing is around two hours and offers for some beautiful views of the islands of Gigha, Jura and Islay as well as the area surrounding West Loch Tarbert. There is time to relax in the ferry bar with an Islay whisky, grab some lunch from the restaurant and soak up the sea air before you arrive.

On arrival in Islay, we will visit our first distillery of the tour! Bunnahabhain Distillery. Pronounced ‘Bunn-na-ha-venn’, meaning ‘mouth of the river’ in Scots Gaelic, this distillery is in a stunning location offering gorgeous views of the Paps of Jura and offers a range of peated and unpeated drams.  On occasion due to ferry timetables, a later ferry to Islay may be arranged, in this event the visit to Bunnahabhain will be replaced by an alternative distillery on the Scottish mainland, such as Auchentoshan.

Following your visit to Bunnahabhain, it is a short drive to Bowmore to check in to The Bowmore House or Island Bear for your three-night stay. On rare occasions we may need to place you in different accommodation, we will make you aware of this in advance.

Days 2 & 3 With two full days to explore, there are plenty of options for sightseeing, and your guide will share some of their favourite places with you. These can include empty beaches, whitewashed villages, ancient sites, the Kildalton Cross, medieval strongholds, fresh seafood, local wildlife and traditional cultures. With only around 3000 people and nine world-class distilleries, the chances of finding a ‘wee dram’ on Islay are pretty good.

The distillery and whisky experiences give you an insight into Islay’s most famous export. We’ve planned a wide range of tours and tastings, including a warehouse experiences, tours and exclusive tastings! Each tour is a little different and there will be lots of delicious drams to taste – you won’t be disappointed! Some of the experiences that we will typically include in our tour would be a Warehouse Tasting at Lagavulin, where you will have a chance to sample drams drawn straight from the cask, and a tour of one of Islay’s newest distilleries, Kilchoman, where you will be able to take a tour through the entire production process, including a rare opportunity to visit a working malting floor, and sample the distilleries 100% Islay whisky, where the ingredients and production is entirely Islay based. Our tours will also usually include a tour of the Laphroaig distillery, before enjoying a tasting of a unique range from Laphroaig.

Each night on Islay, there are plenty of options for eating, drinking and relaxing. Your tour guide will let you know all the best places to get the most out of your time in Bowmore. There is an eating option for all budgets and tastes, and with so much local produce on offer, you will be spoilt for choice. The whisky bars aren’t too bad either. Slainte Mhath, as they say in Gaelic.

Day 4 After a final hearty breakfast, you catch the morning ferry back to Kennacraig. Arriving on the mainland, you head to the loch-side town of Inveraray. This is the seat of the Clan Campbell, home to the Loch Fyne Whisky shop and your stop for lunch. After lunch (and some last-minute whisky shopping) your journey now hugs the shores of Loch Fyne and Loch Long before climbing up to the Rest and be Thankful pass for sweeping views.

Then it is to the shores of Loch Lomond. With time to stop for some lovely views and stretch of the legs, this is the last stop on your tour before crossing the River Clyde and into Scotland’s largest city of Glasgow. Some of our guests may be leaving the tour here, so we may make a short stop in central Glasgow (George Square) before returning to Edinburgh.

• Chevron down Accommodation:

Accommodation is on a B&B basis in The Bowmore House or Island Bear, both on Shore Street in Bowmore. Spacious and comfortable rooms, a fantastic breakfast each morning and hosts that go above and beyond for every one of their guests. There’s a reason we come back here year after year!

• Chevron down What to Bring:
• No matter what the time of year, the weather in Scotland can be “changeable”, to say the least. We suggest that you bring suitable clothing for all conditions, including a waterproof jacket (it has been known to rain in Scotland) and plenty of layers.
• Ensure you bring shoes suitable for short walks, on rough or uneven terrain.
• Although all the distilleries we visit accept card payments, we would also recommend bringing cash with you.
• Don’t forget a camera to snap the fantastic memories you’ll make on tour with us!
• Our scheduled tours are all 18+, if you’re lucky enough to look under 25 you may to asked to provide proof of age at the distilleries.
• Please limit your luggage to 1 x small/medium piece per person, along with 1 x small handbag or daypack.

Related Tours

• Map Marker Islay
• Hour Glass 5 days

Five-Day Islay Whisky Tour

The ultimate Islay tour is for those who want to experience as much of Islay as possible. We visit every distillery on the island, taste a range of drams and explore its secret spots.

ISLAY WHISKY TOUR

Do you love Islay whisky?

Explore the best whisky distilleries in Islay with our 4 day Islay whisky tours from Edinburgh.

Edinburgh to Oban

Depart at 10:00am from 242 Morrison Street, Malones Pub, Edinburgh.

On our way to Islay, we make the journey from Edinburgh to Oban. On the way to Oban, we drive through and past the world-famous Loch Lomond and Trossachs national park.

Although this is an Islay Whisky Tour, we know that Highland distilleries provide a great introduction to traditional whisky distilling.

Our usual lunch stop is the Drover’s Inn. With over 300 years’ worth of visitors, the walls of the Drover’s Inn could certainly tell a tale. This historic and well-known building has welcomed hundreds of thousands of people, including Rob Roy and Gerard Butler! Other places, we use for lunch are Deanston distillery, Glenturret distillery and the Tyndrum Green Welly.

Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park is a national park in Scotland centred on Loch Lomond and the hills and glens of the Trossachs, along with several other ranges of hills. It was the first of the two national parks established by the Scottish Parliament in 2002, the second being the Cairngorms National Park.

The Park consists of many mountains and lochs, and the principal attractions are scenery, walking, and wildlife.

When we arrive in Oban, we will visit the Oban distillery.

Most people agree that the best way to travel to Islay on an Islay Whisky Tour is to break up the travel time with a stop in the Highlands. The time in Oban includes: a fantastic distillery tour and tasting at Oban distillery. Time to visit Oban town, have a meal and relax before we travel to Islay on day two. The small and historic Oban distillery is located in the charming coastal town of Oban.

Oban distillery takes its name from the town where the Highland mainland meets the Islands and nestles below the steep cliff that overlooks Oban. This coastal location is said to be reflected by the character of the Oban 14-year-old single malt whisky.

Duration: 7 hours. No meals included on this day. Accommodation included: Overnight B&B or Guesthouse stay at a local accommodation in Oban.

We use well-reviewed accommodation such as the Whisky Vaults.

Oban to Islay and Islay distilleries

Depart early morning depending on Ferry times.

Stop At: Lagavulin, Ardbeg and Laphroaig

Lagavulin distillery.  Distillery tour and tasting. At least three whiskies included with the tour. Lagavulin distillery is a single malt whisky distillery in the village of Lagavulin on the south of the island of Islay, Scotland. It distils spirit that is destined to become Islay single malt Scotch whisky.

A firm favourite among locals and international whisky fans. The Lagavulin tour is a great way to start your tour on Islay!

After we visit Lagavulin, we move to Ardbeg for a whisky tasting and time for lunch.

At least four whiskies are included along with a tutored tasting from the bar staff. Lunch is excellent at Ardbeg.

The restaurant is frequented by whisky fans and locals because of the quality of food and experience.

One of the most popular stops on our Islay Whisky Tour is the tour and tasting at Laphroaig distillery. Two or three whiskies included. With a history dating back to the early 1800s and a reputation for producing some of the world’s most famous malt whiskies, the Laphroaig distillery is a great choice for whisky afficionados.

Duration: 10 hours. Breakfast included on this day. Accommodation included. Well reviewed guesthouses or Bed and Breakfasts.

Islay Whisky Tour

Depart your hotel around 9:00am

Tour and tasting at Kilchoman distillery – gain a behind scenes look into the day-to-day running of the distillery starting on the malt floor with a dram of their 100% Islay whisky.  You will have the opportunity to walk through the distillery production area accompanied by one of their friendly guides, visit the warehouse and finish with a dram in the lovely Visitor Centre.  A tasting glass is included and driver’s drams are available if required.

Bruichladdich Distillery, a stop for a quick tasting and look around the fantastic gift shop. Bruichladdich distillery is located on the southwestern tip of Islay. Bruichladdich distil four unique spirits and home to Bruichladdich, Port Charlotte and Octomore single malt whiskies and the Botanist Islay dry gin.

Bowmore Distillery, shop visit and a quick taste. The distillery, which lies on the South-eastern shore of Loch Indaal, is one of the oldest in Scotland and is said to have been established in 1779. The distillery is owned by Morrison Bowmore Distillers Ltd, a holding company owned by Japanese drinks company Suntory. Morrison Bowmore also own the Auchentoshan and Glen Garioch distilleries and produce the McClelland’s Single Malt range of bottlings.

Lunch in Bowmore at the Bowmore hotel – situated in the island’s ‘capital’, Bowmore, in Jamieson Street and close to all the village amenities.

The lounge bar is used as the main lunchroom serving great food. Homemade soup, toasted sandwiches, fish and chips, baked potatoes, pasta bake etc all feature on the lunchtime menu.

The hotel stock a good range of beers and lagers. However, the 700 malt whiskies, mostly from Islay are what brings the majority of people to the most famous whisky bar on the island. This hotel is a fond meeting place for many whisky enthusiasts on an Islay Whisky Tour.

Tasting at Bunnahabhain – Very picturesque part of the Island. The Bunnahabhain Distillery was founded in 1881 near Port Askaig. The Bunnahabhain whisky is one of the milder single malt Islay whiskies available and its taste varies greatly from other spirits to be found on the island of Islay. The majority of its spirit is unpeated. Great selection of rare casks and styles to be found here.

Shop visit and a quick tasting at Caol Ila distillery, the new home of Johnnie Walker on the Island and a must visit.

Tour at Ardnahoe distillery – Ardnahoe prides itself on being a modern distillery, set beautifully in a stunning location, which employs rigorously traditional methods and values. The spirit being produced is sweet, smoky and smooth yet peaty and spicy – unique and dynamic to its very core.

Duration – 9 hours. Breakfast included. Accommodation included: We pick well-reviewed B&Bs and hotels for accommodation.

Islay to Edinburgh

Stop at Loch Fyne Whiskies. A whisky shop with friendly staff and an impressive selection of whiskies, liqueurs and gins, including exclusive and independent bottlings you won’t find elsewhere. Time for lunch in Inveraray.

On the way back from Loch Fyne Whiskies, we can stop at The Clydeside Distillery for a tasting or shop visit. All visitors to the Clydeside can enjoy lunches and bites in the sumptuous Pumphouse Café. Presenting all of Scotland’s bounty for you to enjoy. The food is freshly prepared using locally sourced, seasonal ingredients and our menu is carefully chosen to showcase regional specialities (Food not included).

Breakfast: Breakfast served at your local B&B in Islay. No accommodation included on this day.

From £590 per person.

We can also tailor the tour to your needs and create a customised tour. For more information and to book a bespoke customised Islay Whisky Tour please contact us.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is your covid-19 policy.

• Hand sanitizer available to travelers and staff.
• Social distancing enforced throughout experience.
• Regularly sanitized high-traffic areas.
• Gear/equipment sanitized between use.
• Transportation vehicles regularly sanitized.
• Guides required to regularly wash hands.
• Regular temperature checks for staff.

What does the Islay whisky tour ticket price include?

What isn't included in your islay whisky tour ticket price.

• Whisky Experiences or whisky tastings over the six included
• Lunch, Dinner and Snacks
• Evening Transport – most places within walking distances and local taxi telephone numbers are provided

What group size is the whisky tour?

When does the whisky tour run, i have another question.

If you have any questions not addressed here, please email us at [email protected] or call us on: 07549839684

Choose your tour date:

Sample the best islay single malt scotch whisky with whiskywheels.

We provide bespoke whisky tours in Scotland.

07549 839 684 (UK)

CLICK HERE TO WHATSAPP

[email protected]

THE 5 BEST Islay Tours & Excursions

Tours in islay.

• Multi-day Tours
• Cultural Tours
• Ports of Call Tours
• Sightseeing Tours
• Private Tours
• Historical & Heritage Tours
• Up to 1 hour
• 1 to 4 hours
• 4 hours to 1 day
• 5.0 of 5 bubbles
• 4.0 of 5 bubbles & up
• 3.0 of 5 bubbles & up
• 2.0 of 5 bubbles & up
• Likely to Sell Out
• The ranking of tours, activities, and experiences available on Tripadvisor is determined by several factors including the revenue generated by Tripadvisor from these bookings, the frequency of user clicks, and the volume and quality of customer reviews. Occasionally, newly listed offerings may be prioritized and appear higher in the list. The specific placement of these new listings may vary.

1. 4-day Islay Platinum Whisky Tour - Whisky Included! With free pickup!

2. 4-Day Islay & Whisky Tour Including Admissions from Edinburgh

3. 4 Day Islay Whisky Tour from Edinburgh

4. 4 Day Islay Whisky Tour from Edinburgh

5. 5 Day Islay Whisky Tour from Edinburgh

6. 9 Days Private Malt Whisky Tour in Scotland

7. 4-Day Islay Whisky Tour from Glasgow

Keep the fun going with other experiences in the area.

GREENOCK (GLASGOW) SHORE EXCURSION: Scotland Adventure Sightseeing Day Trip Tour

Oban Town Daily Walking Tour (10:30am)

Scotland Lochs & Glens Day Tour

Half Day Tour from Greenock to the Highlands and Loch Lomond

Glasgow and Greenock day tours and shore excursions.

Guided Hebridean Farm Hike near Tobermory, Isle of Mull, Scotland

Ballycastle Traditional Music Trail

Surf Lessons

Historical Tour and Seafood Experience

One Day Private Sailing from Oban Marina with Lunch

Full-Day Private Historical Tour in Glencoe from Oban

Private Oban Town Tour

Inverary Castle, Historic Sights and Scenic Beauty from Oban

Glasgow Shore Excursions (Princess & Norwegian Cruise Ships)

Game of Thrones® Hang out with 'Hodor' Private Tours

Under the Rope Bridge Tour

Family Package (2 Adults, 2 Children)

Giants Causeway Coast Sea Kayaking

Elephant Rock Paddle (2 hours)

Doon The Watter

Shipwreck Hunters

Full Day Private Hire

Full Day Electric Bike Rental

Half Day Private Hire

Oban Guided Private Walking Tour

Speyside Whisky Tour - Three Distilleries Included - Private - 5 Star Reviews

Loch Lomond & Stirling Castle Shore Experience

What travellers are saying.

Top Tours in Islay, Scotland

Islay tours.

• Multi-day Tours
• Cultural Tours
• Ports of Call Tours
• Sightseeing Tours
• Private Tours
• Historical & Heritage Tours
• Up to 1 hour
• 1 to 4 hours
• 4 hours to 1 day
• 5.0 of 5 bubbles
• 4.0 of 5 bubbles & up
• 3.0 of 5 bubbles & up
• 2.0 of 5 bubbles & up
• Likely to Sell Out
• The ranking of tours, activities, and experiences available on Tripadvisor is determined by several factors including the revenue generated by Tripadvisor from these bookings, the frequency of user clicks, and the volume and quality of customer reviews. Occasionally, newly listed offerings may be prioritized and appear higher in the list. The specific placement of these new listings may vary.

1. 4-day Islay Platinum Whisky Tour - Whisky Included! With free pickup!

2. 4-Day Islay & Whisky Tour Including Admissions from Edinburgh

3. 4 Day Islay Whisky Tour from Edinburgh

4. 4 Day Islay Whisky Tour from Edinburgh

5. 5 Day Islay Whisky Tour from Edinburgh

6. 9 Days Private Malt Whisky Tour in Scotland

7. 4-Day Islay Whisky Tour from Glasgow

Keep the fun going with other experiences in the area.

GREENOCK (GLASGOW) SHORE EXCURSION: Scotland Adventure Sightseeing Day Trip Tour

Oban Town Daily Walking Tour (10:30am)

Scotland Lochs & Glens Day Tour

Half Day Tour from Greenock to the Highlands and Loch Lomond

Glasgow and Greenock day tours and shore excursions.

Guided Hebridean Farm Hike near Tobermory, Isle of Mull, Scotland

Ballycastle Traditional Music Trail

Surf Lessons

Historical Tour and Seafood Experience

One Day Private Sailing from Oban Marina with Lunch

Full-Day Private Historical Tour in Glencoe from Oban

Private Oban Town Tour

Inverary Castle, Historic Sights and Scenic Beauty from Oban

Glasgow Shore Excursions (Princess & Norwegian Cruise Ships)

Under the Rope Bridge Tour

Family Package (2 Adults, 2 Children)

Giants Causeway Coast Sea Kayaking

Elephant Rock Paddle (2 hours)

Doon The Watter

Shipwreck Hunters

Full Day Private Hire

Full Day Electric Bike Rental

Half Day Private Hire

Oban Guided Private Walking Tour

Speyside Whisky Tour - Three Distilleries Included - Private - 5 Star Reviews

Loch Lomond & Stirling Castle Shore Experience

Whisky Distillery Trifecta - Glenlivet-Glenallachie-Strathisla

Private Tour from Greenock Ocean Terminal to Edinburgh

Half-Day Guided Kayak Activity in Dunseverick Harbour

Rathlin Island Walking Tour

What travellers are saying.

Deals of the Week   Make a Splash!   Up to 50% OFF

Islay Island Tours & Trips

Find the right tour for you through Islay Island. We've got 16 adventures going to Islay Island, starting from just 4 days in length, and the longest tour is 17 days. The most popular month to go is October, which has the largest number of tour departures.

16 Islay Island tour packages with 21 reviews

• In-depth Cultural
• Coach / Bus

4-Day Islay & the Whisky Coast Small-Group Tour from Edinburgh Including Admissions

Our tour of Islay and the whisky coast was beyond our expectations. His sense of humour and kindness to all.

4 Day Islay Whisky Tour

Very knowledgeable, fun and so considerate! We would definitely request him as our guide for another tour.

Whisky Coast & Loch Lomond - 4 days

Whisky Coast & Loch Lomond (Hotel) - 4 days

5 Day Ultimate Islay

Wild Scotland & Whisky Explorer - 8 days

• Sightseeing

Scottish Islands Encompassed - 17 days

Whisky Coast & Scottish Islands - 12 days

• Ocean Cruise

The Scottish Isles – Highlights of the Hebrides

Remote Islands, Natural Wonders & a Diverse Coastline

My Week as a Distiller in Scotland including Certification

Island Hopping in the Hebrides

Scotland: Land of Lore & Legend (Glasgow to Edinburgh) (2023)

Remote Islands, Natural Wonders & Diverse Coastline

Scottish Whisky Trail & Irish Sea Expedition

What people love about islay island tours.

Amazing trip! Keith was an awesome tour guide and we thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

Majit was a superb guide, extraordinary storyteller, and fabulous traveling companion. He made each whisky distillery tour special knowing the people at each one and a lot about the whiskies. The stay at the Bowmore bed and breakfast was delightful. The food was excellent and the room was clean, cozy and very comfortable. Andrew and Allison were perfect hosts. We enjoyed the cultural stops and the history talks as we drove. The country really came alive for us in ways we hadn’t expected!

• Scotland Travel Guide | All You Need to Know
• Best 7 Day Scotland Itineraries 2024/2025 (with Reviews)

Discover TourRadar

• See All Tour Operators in Europe
• See All Tour Operators in Scotland
• Hawaii Tours
• Zimbabwe Safari
• Best Trips for Large Groups
• Best 7 Day Italy Itineraries (with Reviews)
• Croatia Travel Guide | All You Need to Know
• TourRadar Operator Standards and Guidelines
• TourRadar Marketing Solutions

The Chaotic Scot

SCOTTISH TRAVEL BLOG

The Essential Guide to Visiting Islay

Planning a trip to islay.

If you’re planning on visiting Islay, here is everything you need to know about this incredible island. This post was written as part of a paid campaign with Explore Islay & Jura and the information is based on my various visits to the island. Check out my other blog on the top things to do on Islay .

Islay has fast become the island that I know best . Four visits worth of adventures and experiences, with another planned for this September, has afforded me the opportunity to immerse myself in all the things that make this island so special. Whisky is, of course, Islay’s ultimate claim to fame ; it is a way of life on this windswept isle. That said, there is so much more to Islay’s charm than its golden drams: the landscape, the light, the coast, the cuisine, and the locals.

My fondness for Islay grows with every visit , and while I experience new things each time, I always leave pining for more. Islay will make you feel warm and fuzzy inside , and not just by drinking drams! I have a wee hunch that I will be a lifetime regular on this island.

If you are planning a trip to Islay, or are simply looking to get inspired, this post brings together all the essential practical information that you need to get started , from how to plan your journey and get around the island, to choosing accommodation and which distilleries to visit. For ideas on how to spend your time on the island, check out my other post on the best things to do on Islay .

How to Pronounce Islay

Before we proceed, let’s address the all-important issue of pronunciation. Islay does not require a ‘say it as you see it’ approach, so if you’ve been calling it “EYE-LAY”, it’s time to stand corrected and drop the “Y”.  Islay is pronounced “EYE-LA” and no one says it better than a local with their lovely, lilting accent.

Where is Islay

Islay is the southernmost of the Inner Hebrides , and forms part of a group of islands which are also referred to as the Southern Hebrides: it’s closest neighbours are Jura, Gigha and Colonsay. The island sits between the Kintyre Peninsula on the west coast of Scotland and Northern Ireland, which looks surprisingly close on a clear day.

At 25 miles long by 15 miles wide, Islay is the fifth largest island in Scotland, and it’s rich, fertile land has earned the island its nickname as the ‘Queen of the Hebrides’ . The abundance of peat in the rugged landscape makes Islay the perfect ‘whisky island’, and it is this natural fossil fuel which gives Islay single malt its classic, smoky flavour.

How to get to Islay

Islay is accessible by flight or ferry, and it is possible to reach the island entirely on public transport . I have taken to the air and to the sea, and I loved both experiences. How you choose to travel to Islay will depend on how much time you have, your budget, and where you’re coming from.

Fly from Glasgow to Islay with Loganair

The quickest way to get to Islay is on the Loganair flight from Glasgow . There are usually two flights per day (only one on weekends) and the flight time is 45 minutes. I love the experience of flying on Loganair’s wee tartan-tailed planes, and seeing the islands from the sky.

Flying is the most expensive way to travel, with flights ranging from £54.99 to over £100 each way, but it is ideal if you are only taking a short break or you don’t fancy the added journey to the ferry port. Book your seats in advance for the best fares and sign up to the Loganair newsletter to find out about any sales/discounts.

Getting to Glasgow Airp ort by public transport: take the bus to Buchanan Street Station then take the Glasgow Airport Express directly to the airport, or, take the train to Queen Street Station and catch the same bus to the airport from the bus stop at George Square. The journey time to the airport can be as little as 15 minutes and you can buy tickets in advance online or on the bus on the day which currently costs £14 for an open return.

Ferry from Kennacraig to Islay

The cheapest way to travel to Islay is by ferry from Kennacraig. There are two ferry ports on Islay, Port Ellen in the south (journey time 2 hours 20 minutes) and Port Askaig in the north east (journey time 1 hour 55 minutes). Which port you arrive into will be determined by the day of the week and the time you choose to travel, or you can base it on which port is closest to where you’re staying. Both ferries leave from Kennacraig on the mainland.

Cars must be booked onto the ferry in advance and check-in is 30 minutes prior to departure. Due to social distancing measures and managing capacity, foot passengers should also pre-book their journey and arrive no later than 10 minutes before departure. A return ticket on the ferry currently costs £71.10 per car plus £14.20 per adult. You can view the timetable and book your tickets on the CalMac website .

Getting to Kennacraig from Glasgow on public transport: Kennacraig is on the Scottish Citylink service 926from Glasgow Buchanan Street to Campbeltown. The journey time from Glasgow to Kennacraig is approximately 3 hours 15 minutes and you can get advanced fares for as little as £23.60 return. Be sure to book in advance and check that the bus time links in with the ferry service; the bus pulls right into the ferry terminal for a seamless journey. You can view the timetable and book your journey on the Scottish Citylink website .

Ferry from Oban to Islay

There is an infrequent ferry service from Oban to Port Askaig if you are travelling to/from this direction or if you plan to extend your adventure and do more island hopping from Oban. This journey is more expensive than the Kennacraig route at £109.10 per car plus £14.20 per passenger return, and it takes around 4 hours.

Getting to Oban from Glasgow: take the ScotRail train from Glasgow Queen Street to Oban or take the Citylink bus from Glasgow Buchanan Street to Oban. Both journeys take around 3 hours 10 minutes and offer stunning scenery. The bus is the cheaper option at £25.30 for an advanced return ticket, while an off-peak return on the train is £40.90; although better priced fares can be picked up 12 weeks in advance (set up a ticket alert on the TheTrainLine to be notified when they go on sale).

Driving on Islay

Lots of visitors travel to Islay in their own vehicles on the ferry; do remember to pre-book your car on the ferry if this is the case. If you’re flying to the island and would like to hire a car, Islay Car Hire operate from Islay Airport and are based there in line with the flight times. If you are arriving by ferry, but would still like to hire a car, you will need to arrange a suitable time to collect your car from the airport. 

It is important to educate yourself on the driving etiquette when you’re exploring rural areas and islands in Scotland. The roads are often winding and single-track , so care should be taken at all times, and Passing Places are there for a reason : to allow overtaking and two-way traffic on single track roads.

Another important piece of island etiquette is the famous ‘Islay wave’ . Whenever you pass a local on the road, you will be treated to a friendly wave, which you obviously have to reciprocate. This is such a pleasant wee exchange and one of the things I love about Islay.

There are Petrol Stations in Port Ellen, Bowmore and Port Charlotte . The opening hours vary, so I would recommend taking note in advance to ensure that you don’t get caught short.

My most recent visit to Islay was on a girls’ road-trip with the Yvette from Wayfaring Kiwi. Check out her blog post covering the perfect 5-day itinerary for first time visitors to Islay

Getting around islay on public transport.

Islay is absolutely doable on public transport for visitors who, like me, don’t drive or for those who just don’t want to: drinking whisky and driving is not a good mix. It is also illegal! Travelling by public transport is a slower way of travel (not a bad thing when adopting the island pace) and you won’t be able to reach some of the places you would with a car, but for first time visitors or those who don’t plan to venture too far off the beaten track, exploring Islay on public transport is a great experience . These are the ways you can explore Islay without a car.

Local Buses on Islay

The local bus service connects all of the main towns and most of the distilleries . The bus stops near the ferry ports in Port Ellen and Port Askaig, and directly outside Islay Airport. The buses only run until the evening , so if you are relying on public transport and would like to venture out for dinner and drinks, it would be worth basing yourself in or around one of the main towns, Bowmore or Port Ellen. You could also choose an accommodation which offers food and drink or book a local taxi. You can view the bus timetable here .

Local Taxis on Islay

There are a number of locals who run taxi services on the island , which I have used in the evenings to take me back to my accommodation. There are a limited number of taxis however, so I would always book your journey in advance. Some taxi drivers also offer full and half day tours of the island. I can personally recommend Jim’s Islay Taxi for both taxis and tours. Jim is a lovely legend of a man, whom my Dad and I stayed with on our first visit to Islay.

Bike Hire on Islay

Another fantastic way to explore Islay is by eBike with Islay E Wheels . This will allow you to reach locations which are not served by bus and to treat yourself to a healthy dose of fresh, island air while you’re at it! The bikes can be picked up in Port Ellen or delivered to your location of choice for £10 (free for 3 bikes or more) and they cost £30 per day. There aren’t any massive hills to tackle on the bike, but the island isn’t completely flat either, so the extra push from the eBike is much appreciated.

The Three Distilleries Pathway

You can walk or cycle the Three Distilleries Pathway from Port Ellen , which links three distilleries in three miles: Laphroaig, Lagavulin and Ardbeg. It is a beautiful route of countryside and coastline, and you can plan distillery visits along the way, followed by a street-food style lunch at the new ‘Ardstream’ Trailer in the courtyard at Ardbeg: a perfect way to spend the day on Islay!

Which Distilleries to Visit on Islay

There are a whopping nine whisky distilleries on Islay , with more underway, so you’ll never find yourself far from one of these iconic white-washed buildings donned with huge lettering. Even if you’re not (yet) a lover of single malt, I would say that at least one distillery tour is a must when visiting Islay.

The distilleries, which are open year-round, each have their own unique stories, tours and traditions . They all offer a great experience, so you really can’t go wrong. At the moment, due to COVID restrictions, the  distilleries are open to visitors, but some still aren’t offering their usual tours or a visit must be booked by appointment. Please check the individual websites for opening times, tours and updates on the situation.

• Easiest distilleries to reach without a car – Bowmore , Laphroaig , Lagavulin , Ardbeg and Bruichladdich are all accessible by bus.
• Distilleries with the best views – Ardnahoe , Bunnahabhain and Caol Ila at Port Askaig have incredible views across to the Paps of Jura.
• Distilleries with a café – Ardbeg for the alfresco Ardstream Trailer, Ardnahoe for the lovely café which hosts whisky & food pairing experience, and Kilchoman for delicious Cullen Skink.

Visiting Islay with Kids

Due to its reputation as Scotland’s ‘whisky island’, I’m often asked if Islay is suitable for families with children. Aside from its distilleries, Islay is just like all the other Scottish islands in that the main attraction is the outdoors . If your family enjoys being outside and can be entertained with walks, beach days and water-based activities, then you will absolutely appreciate Islay. There are some indoor options too, which are handy for rainy days. My top suggestions for family-friendly activities on Islay are:

• Book a wildlife watching boat trip with Islay Sea Adventures
• Have a day at the beach at The Singing Sands or Machir Bay
• Burn off some energy at the children’s play park at the Port Mor Centre in Port Charlotte
• Go for a swim in the indoor pool at the MacTaggart Leisure Centre in Bowmore

For more inspiration on travelling Islay with kids, check out this blog post by Edinburgh-based travel photographer and explorer Kim Kjaerside

Visiting islay with pets.

If you like to bring your beloved pet on adventures, Islay is the perfect host with plenty beaches for energetic walks, a range of dog friendly accommodation and a number of eateries which welcome dogs in the outside eating areas (some inside too) including Port Charlotte Hotel, Bridgend Hotel and Ardbeg Distillery.

How to Spend your Time on Islay

Your time visiting Islay can be as relaxing or energetic as you want it to be . Some visitors will benefit from simply enjoying the food, drink and slower pace, while others will be excited to try the outdoor and water-based activities. Here is an overview of experiences on Islay, however I have covered these all in much more detail in my blog full of suggestions for things to do when visiting Islay .

• Visit a whisky distillery (obviously!)
• Explore the ruins and history of the Lords of the Isles at Finlaggan
• Go seal spotting in the picturesque village of Portnahaven
• Explore the beaches and coastline on a Fat Bike Tour
• Paddle the coast on a half or full day sea kayaking trip
• Visit the Museum of Islay Life in Port Charlotte
• Discover Carraig Fhada Lighthouse and the stunning Singing Sands

Accommodation on Islay

There is a wide variety of accommodation on Islay, from hostels and glamping pods to homely B&Bs and high-end guesthouses and hotels . Good quality accommodation doesn’t come cheap on Islay, however there are some budget-friendly self-catering options available. My main bit of advice would be to stay with local hosts if you can so that you can experience the wonderful island hospitality and local recommendations .

When planning my adventures, I usually start my search on Booking.com or Airbnb to see what’s available for my chosen dates. Some accommodation providers on Islay are not listed on booking engines or Airbnb so it is also worth just going a Google search on the type of accommodation you’re after and contacting hosts directly. Here are some suggestions to get you started:

Camping and glamping

Port Mor Campsite in Port Charlotte has pitches for tents and motorhomes, as well as a café and a playpark. Islay Storm Pods in Lagavulin has 5 glamping pods and a holiday cottage (I’m staying in one of the pods in September).

Hostels – Hostelling Scotland run the family-friend Port Charlotte Youth Hostel . The hostel is located in an old distillery warehouse building within close walking distance of the Port Charlotte Hotel , which is great for food, drinks and live music.

Guesthouses

Glenmachrie House offers a wonderful, homely experience with huge portions of freshly prepared breakfast plus home-baking. Glenegedale House (my favourite place to stay on Islay) is a 5*, multi-award winning guesthouse which serves sharing boards on whisky barrel tops and Laphroaig with your breakfast porridge.

Kintra Farm , near the beautiful Kintra Beach, has 4 self-catering properties on site. Ballivicar Farm , just outside Port Ellen, has 3 self-catering apartments with one or two bedrooms.

The Harbour Inn in Bowmore is a lovely, modern Scottish hotel which is centrally located near Bowmore Harbour and serves excellent food. The Machrie , near Islay Airport, is Islay’s luxury resort-style hotel, complete with a golf course, spa, bar and restaurant. There are also self-catering lodges which allow guests the best of both worlds.

This post is sponsored by Explore Islay & Jura . As always, all content, opinions & chaotic behaviour are my own.

Safe + happy travels,, kay 💙, leave a comment cancel reply.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

• Meet the Team
• Work With Us
• Itineraries
• Italy Travel Guide
• Hawaii Travel Guide
• Travel Tips

2-Day Self-Guided Islay Whisky Tour: Visit the Distilleries

If you’re a whisky fan, you’ve likely smelled the peaty, smoky whisky made exclusively on the Isle of Islay (pronounced eye-la). It’s the southernmost island of the  Inner Hebrides  of Scotland – the fifth-largest of the Scottish isles, and it’s known for its peaty whisky.

Islay is one of five areas in Scotland where whisky distilling takes place and is protected by law. There are nine distilleries on the island currently that you can visit on an Islay Whisky Tour.

The island is small, but it can still be challenging to envision the Islay distilleries map and make a plan for visiting them when it’s your first time. We spent hours putting together our itinerary and researching all the various options.

As always we wanted to share our itinerary with you, so you have everything you need to plan your trip, from transport to accommodations, so you can just focus on having a great time tasting authentic Scottish whisky.

On a 2-Day Islay distilleries tour that you put together your self, you can make it to six of the top distilleries. It’s a lot of whisky and a bit of driving, but each of the distilleries gives a take-away option so you can sample the whisky when the driving is done.

If you’re adding a few days to your Scotland itinerary to visit Islay, you can choose which of these distilleries sound fun and learn a bit about this tiny island that’s serious about its craft.

Best Affordable Luxury Hotel in Islay

Need to get your accommodations booked? We think the all-around best choice is the…

Machrie Hotel & Golf Link

» If you’re visiting Scotland , check out our 7-day itinerary that covers the west of Scotland and the Isle of Skye, or this week-long itinerary to the east. You’ll also love visiting Edinburgh .

Table of Contents

Should I Book an Islay Whisky Tour?

A group tour takes all of the planning off your shoulders. This is great for beginner travelers or those who want a more structured itinerary.

This private 4-Day Islay Whisky Tour from Edinburgh is perfect for true whisky enthusiasts. It will introduce you to many of Scotland’s top distilleries—including every distillery on Islay. Accommodation and transport are included in the cost and are a great way to take the planning off of you.

However, you don’t have to book Islay tours with a company to enjoy your tasting experience. Self-guided tours are a great way to explore the location on your own time, add stops, and get to know the locals a bit more.

You can hire a private driver to take you from location to location (best to ask your hotel for recommendation) or you can drive yourself around and keep the tasters for the end of the day.

How to Plan Self-Guided Islay Whisky Tours

It doesn’t matter what time of the year you visit. Tours of the distilleries are available throughout the year. However, in winter, some distilleries may only have a limited number of tours a month, so it’s best to check their websites ahead of time and make a booking to ensure you can get in.

We found that all of the tours filled up by the time we got there, so if we hadn’t made reservations in advance we wouldn’t have gotten in to any of them!

How to Get to Islay

No matter where you’re coming from, to get to Islay, you’ll need to take a ferry from Kennacraig. There are two ferry ports on the island, Port Ellen and Port Askaig. The ferry ride should take about two and a half hours.

The earliest ferry ride is at 7:00 from Kennacraig, with the last ones leaving Port Ellen at 12:45 and Port Askaig at 18:00. You can find the ferry timetable here . You can take your car on the ferry, but make a reservation early, especially in summer to guarantee a spot.

One more thing about the car ferry – it can break down. It does pretty often in fact. When we visited, we got on the ferry no problem, but the very next ferry broke down and no cars could be transported to the island for 2 days. This can dramatically affect your trip, so be prepared with a backup plan, if possible.

There are also daily flights from Glasgow that take about 45 minutes. You can also take a bus from Glasgow to the ferry port. This will leave you without a car on the island though, so you’ll need to look into rentaling on the island from Islay Car Hire Company .

How to Get Around Islay

We thought it would be possible to get a taxi to take us to the distilleries, but quickly found out there are only a few taxi drivers on the whole island. As there was a wedding going on that weekend, there were absolutely no taxis available.

We also tried to take the bus but found the schedule to be quite prohibitive, as well as how far it is to get to the distilleries from the bus stop. In my opinion, the best way to get around is to take your own car or rent a car on the island.

Here are the best ways to get around the island for your self-guided tour.

Islay Coaches is the island’s bus service and has two bus routes — bus 450 and 451. These are a great way to save a bit of cash if you’re not in a hurry. However, there are a few downsides.

Buses aren’t frequent and don’t run on Sundays. They run between 8 am to 5 pm as these are also the school buses in the area. The stops are not exactly convenient to the distilleries.

The easiest way to get around Islay is by car — whether you drive yourself or get a taxi. This is also needed for the distilleries in the north, as there are no bus routes.

If you take a taxi, you’ll have to book your ride well in advance (about a day or two) as cabs are few in this area. There are Ubers available on the island, but, like taxis not many, and since the signal can be poor, it’s best to book these ahead of time too.

Private Driver

If you’d like to visit these distilleries on your own time, consider getting a private driver instead. Not only will you be supporting local businesses and learning insights from locals, but you’ll also be eliminating the chance of driving under the influence.

The best way to find a private driver is to ask your hotel for recommendations or do a Google search.

It’s good to note that there is a walking trail that connects all of the south distilleries. If it’s nice enough outside, you should definitely consider walking it. We were hoping to take a taxi to Ardbeg and walk the way back to Port Ellen, but that didn’t work out since we couldn’t get a taxi. If you can though, give this a try.

It’s a 3-mile walking path that connects Ardbeg, Lagavulin, and Laphroaig, to Port Ellen. If you’re staying in or new Port Ellen, this is a fantastic way to spend a day. You walk right along the coast line on a very nice path. It’s gorgeous.

Self-Guided Whisky Tours in Islay

Day 1: south islay.

South Islay has the most popular distilleries on the island. I would suggest staying in a hotel in that area, like the Machrie Hotel , which is a 7-mile drive from Ardbeg.

Morning: Ardbeg Distillery

The earliest tour starts at 10:00, so you can have a leisurely morning and only start moving to the first location around 9:00.

Ardbeg Distillery sits along the crashing shore on Pier Road. Since its opening in 1815, this distillery has been through many trials and owners. In 1987, production even subsided to nothing. But, as you can see, it came out kicking to become the award-winning distillery it is today.

For that reason, it is worth visiting on this Islay distillery tour, don’t you think? There are a few variations of the distillery tour, with different tastings added. The most basic tour is the 10:00 ‘Tour And Wee Taste’ , which costs $15 (£12) and includes a tasting of a dram of whisky of your choice.

While there, you can also enjoy Ardberg cocktails or ‘rocktails’ for as little as $6 (£5). But it’s probably a good idea to have something in your stomach first. Luckily the Old Kiln Cafe is not too far away and serves sandwiches, soups, and home-baked goods between November and March.

From April to October, The Ardstream Trailer takes over and serves a selection of wood-burn pizzas, salads, and paninis.

Note: While tours still run in winter, they are reduced to Mondays and Fridays only.

Noon: Lagavulin Distillery

Not too far from Ardberg is Lagavulin Distillery. To get here by bus, you’ll need to take bus 451 from Farm Road End, Ardbeg, to the Lagavulin Distillery stop. It is less than a five-minute drive by car.

Like the previous distillery, Lagavulin also has a fascinating history. It started as an illegal still in the 18th century before officially opening in 1816. Since opening, the distillery has won several awards locally and internationally ( San Francisco loves them).

The Lagavulin Classic Tour starts at 13:00, so you can take your time at Ardbeg Distillery filling up on their treats. And, seeing as Lagavulin doesn’t have an eatery, it is recommended. The tour costs $27 (£22) and is about an hour and a half long.

On it, you’ll get to see the long process of how this award-winning whisky is made. You’ll also get an expert-guided tasting of a selection of whiskies, including a taste of the Distillery Exclusive bottling. Don’t forget your complimentary Lagavulin branded glass souvenir.

Note: Please arrive 15 minutes before your reservation.

Late Afternoon: Laphroaig Distillery

You can take bus 451 from Lagavulin to the Laphroaig Distillery or take the short three-minute drive. There are no restaurants on-site, so you’ll have to make a booking in Port Ellen for dinner.

Laphroaig Distillery is the oldest distillery on the itinerary for day one, opening in 1810. It was also illegitimate for a while before Scottish laws were relaxed. But, unlike the other distilleries in the area, this has the royal seal of approval.

After visiting in 1994, Prince Charles gave this whisky his Royal Warrant. He liked it so much that he visited again in 2008 for his 60th birthday celebration.

The Laphroaig Experience Tour starts at 14:30, which means you’ll have to either leave the previous tour a bit early or call ahead to say you’ll arrive about five minutes late. On the experience, you’ll get a peek into its secrets by walking through the floor maltings and museum. From there, you’ll get to pick a dram to taste and also get a few souvenirs.

This is the last distillery for the day and very near to Port Ellen, where you’ll most likely retreat for the night. Take bus 451 in the direction of Bowmore to get to the Charlotte Street stop, about a five-minute walk from your accommodation.

Day 2: North Islay

As mentioned, there aren’t many bus lines in the North of Islay. So, arranging a taxi beforehand or getting a private driver to take you around would be best.

Morning: Kilchoman Distillery

It should take a 36-minute drive from Port Ellen to Kilchoman Distillery. This tour starts at 10:00, so you can choose to eat breakfast at your hotel or look for a lovely eatery in town before making your way over.

However, there is a cafe if you’re feeling peckish around lunchtime. Kilchoman Distillery Cafe serves cakes, soups, paninis, and drinks with a drop of whisky. Don’t forget to try the Northern Scottish favorite of Cullen skink — a thick smoked haddock soup with potatoes and onions.

Kilchoman Distillery is a family-run business run by the Wills Family. They opened it in 2005 and have seen great success since. You can learn how they achieved this success by taking the one-hour Classic Tour which starts at 10:00 and costs $12 (£10). This will take you through the distillery production alongside an expert guide and finish with a dram at the Visitor Centre.

Noon: Bunnahabhain Distillery

It is another 36-minute drive to Bunnahabhain Distillery from Kilchoman Distillery. This spot opened in 1818 thanks to the pier, which not only allowed for supplies to be brought in but also allowed shipping.

But, it wasn’t until 1961 that the distillery got a road for easy access that it started to grow. Today, this Single Malt Whisky Collection attracts many visitors and connoisseurs.

The Production Tour starts at 12:00 and costs $19 (£15). It takes you through the entire process of what it takes to make this Single Malt Whisky. After a lesson on the production and history, you’ll head to the Boathouse for a dram tasting of your own.

Late Afternoon: Ardnahoe Distillery

It is a short five-minute drive from Bunnahabhain Distillery to Ardnahoe Distillery. This distillery is still quite young, having only officially opened in 2019. But that doesn’t mean they don’t know what they’re doing, as this family has been in the biz for over 60 years.

If you want a tour of the process of this particular distillery, take The Spirit Of Ardnahoe tasting tour. It costs £10 and takes about 45 minutes to complete. There are a few time slots for the distillery tour. The afternoon time slots have one tour at 14:00 and the last tour of the day at 16:00, so you don’t have to rush over from Bunnahabhain Distillery.

The Illicit Still Café is an on-site eatery. It is laid-back and serves treats, light and hearty meals, and vegetarian and vegan options. It is important to note that it only serves food until 15:45, and bookings are required.

Ardnahoe Distillery is about a 30-minute drive to Port Askaig. As mentioned before, the last ferry ride to Kennacraig is at 18:00, so you won’t have to rush to catch your ferry. So, you can either have a bite to eat at the distillery cafe or grab an early dinner at the Port Askaig Hotel.

Where to Stay in Islay

As the Isle of Islay is tiny, it doesn’t have a city center. However, Port Ellen is the island’s biggest town, so it will be your base for your stay.

Machrie Hotel & Golf Links

This four-star hotel is exactly what you need after a long day of lifting the elbow. It sits on the beach and has a wellness spa offering all kinds of beauty treatments. The rooms are spacious and modern, with some of the best views on the island.

There are also two restaurants on-site that serve hearty Scottish and British meals. We ate dinner twice at the 18 Restaurant & Bar and really enjoyed the food. In the low season, you might find it’s easiest to eat the hotel because there tends to be more demand than there is supply in town.

⇒ Read reviews on Trip Advisor

No. 1 Charlotte Street

Cozy and close to the Port Ellen Ferry terminal, No. 1 Charlotte Street is the perfect place to be after a long day. Each room has a sea view and a double bed, a seating area, and a private bathroom.

While it doesn’t have an on-site restaurant, it is in a prime location and only a few steps away from a selection of eateries.

Islay Whisky Festival

Another great way to get to try a lot of Islay’s whiskies and have a great time doing it is to go to the Islay Whisky Festival , which takes place in the last week of May.

The festival is 9 days of music, song, dancing, chatting, meeting friends old and new and perhaps having a wee bit of Islay whisky along the way.

Ready to Visit the Top Islay Whiskey Distilleries?

As you can see, Islay has a range of amazing whisky-producing stills. While this list only takes you to six of the nine distilleries, you can always add another day or two to visit the rest.

Now that you know everything for a successful self-guided whiskey tour in Islay, what’s stopping you?

If you loved this tour, you might enjoy this Speyside Distilleries Malt Whisky Trail too.

Like this post? Why not save it to Pinterest? FOLLOW US  on  Pinterest ,  Instagram ,  Facebook  for more great travel inspiration and tips.

Laura Lynch, creator and writer of Savored Journeys, is an avid world traveler, certified wine expert, and international food specialist. She has written about travel and food for over 20 years and has visited over 75 countries. Her work has been published in numerous guidebooks, websites, and magazines.

1 thoughts on “ 2-Day Self-Guided Islay Whisky Tour: Visit the Distilleries ”

Thanks for sharing, these places look great to explore on a holiday

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

• Travel Resources

• Register | Login

Last chance availability on popular tours

Islay Whisky Trails

• Whisky! Visit distilleries such as Laphroaig, Ardbeg, Lagavulin, and Bruichladdich
• Sample the finest single malt in Scotland and learn about Islay’s whisky-producing past
• Look out for the local wildlife; curious seals and soaring eagles
• Stroll along Islay’s white sand beaches and flower-strewn machair
• Combine relaxed walks with distillery visits of your choice for a unique Islay experience

Arrive on Islay by sea or air; take the Calmac ferry (2hrs 10 mins) from Kennacraig on the mainland to Port Askaig/Port Ellen on Islay, or fly (40 mins) from Glasgow to the island’s small airport near Port Ellen.

If you arrive on Islay with an afternoon to spare and would like to stretch your legs take a gentle walk from your accommodation in Port Ellen to the Carraig Fhada Lighthouse. This short optional walk around Kilnaughton bay takes you to the unique 1930s lighthouse (you can extend your walk to the Singing Sands beach if you’re feeling energetic). After a relaxed evening in the small picturesque town of Port Ellen you will be ready to explore all that Islay and its wonderful distilleries have to offer in the coming days. 

Ascent/Descent:  90m/90m

Set in the beautiful scenery of Port Ellen in the 'Queen of the Hebrides' Islay. Overlooking Kilnaughton Bay and with views of Mull of Oa, this traditional white-fronted hotel is a 2-minute walk from the Port Ellen Ferry Terminal. Rooms are simply furnished and have all the amenities you require.

Owned and run by Roland and Kathleen and their friendly team the Islay Hotel has 13 en suite rooms, and as you would expect, a well-stocked whisky bar. There are 100 whiskies stocked at the bar, which is crafted from Burmese Teak – from the floor of the old London Stock Exchange. The bedrooms are individually designed with a king or super-king bed, and luxury en suite facilities.

Once Port Ellen’s old doctor’s surgery and with a wealth of local history, the Askernish B&B is a place known for its highly accessible position. Guest rooms are simply furnished and have all the amenities you require for a lovely overnight stay.

A true classic for any whisky fan, today's walk from Port Ellen along the coast connects three of Islay’s most famous distilleries; Laphroaig, Lagavulin and Ardbeg. It takes around 2 hours to walk from Port Ellen to the last distillery, Ardbeg but you will want to take much longer than this to experience what makes this small island in Scotland so famous. It is possible to use a local bus which runs between Port Ellen and Ardbeg to maximise your time at distilleries. We recommend booking the optional premium half day tour of Laphroaig distillery—it promises to be a highlight of the trip!

Ascent/Descent:  31m/31m

You will be collected from your accommodation in the morning to be transferred to Bowmore—the island’s “capital”—before walking south to Laggan Point on coastal paths, tracks and country roads. On a good day you’ll be able to see Bruichladdich distillery on the opposite shore of Loch Indaal, and get wonderful views of the 8 km long white sand beach at Machrie Bay. Round off the day with a visit to harbourside Bowmore distillery. 

Ascent/Descent:  54m/45m

Situated on Shore Street, Bowmore, The Bruce offers newly refurbished accommodation with outstanding sea views across the harbour and Lochindaal. Only a few minutes walk to Main Street where you will find many local shops and amenities including Bowmore Distillery , MacTaggart Leisure Centre , and the famous Round Church. All rooms are equipped with TV, hair-dryer, tea & coffee facilies, and free WiFi. 

This is a family run guest house, ideally situated in Bowmore nice and central to explore Islay and all it has to offer. The guest rooms are fully en-suite and have all the amenities you require.

Today you have a choice of walks with return taxi transfers from Port Charlotte to either the RSPB Bird & Nature reserve at Loch Gruinart or to the island’s remote west coast to visit Kilchoman distillery—simply let the driver know where you’d like to go on the day. 

Loch Gruinart to Ardnave Point :   17 km  Ascent/Descent:  42m/64m

After spending some time at RSPB Loch Gruinart’s information centre walk along the sea loch on scenic country roads to Ardnave Point where the route takes a small loop around the headland on sandy paths with coastal views throughout. Keep an eye out for the distinctive hen harrier, corncrake, and lapwing.

Kilchoman to Saligo Bay:  13 km Ascent/Descent: 30m/32m

Alternatively, take the transfer to Kilchoman distillery on Islay’s wilder west. Walk quiet country roads and tracks to take in two of Islay’s finest beaches—Machir and Saligo. Combine your walk with a tour of the distillery—we recommend the premium tour—before returning to the comfort of your accommodation in Port Charlotte. 

This hotel is located in a charming, beach-side location in the conservation village of Port Charlotte. All rooms are beautifully appointed with en-suite bathrooms with complimentary toiletries and fluffy white towels All rooms are centrally heated with direct dial telephone, flat screen colour TV and complimentary wireless internet connection. Their chef’s source quality local produce using seasonal ingredients to create a varied menu which changes regularly.

The Lochindaal Hotel is one of Islay’s most traditional hotels. It is a family run establishment, having been in the MacLellan family for well over 100 years. Rooms are equipped with tea & coffee making facilities, flat screen tv, hairdryer, free WIFI and guest controlled heating.

A luxurious B&B on the road into Bruichladdich village with wonderful sea views over Loch Indaal.  There are just 3 rooms, 2 are ensuite and the other has a private bathroom, making this a relaxing base from where to explore this charming side of Islay.  Fiona is an attentive host and will look after you during your stay. 

After a hearty breakfast it’s a 15 minute bus journey to the charming fishing village of Portnahaven for a short loop walk of the area.  Enjoy walking on quiet country roads and coastal paths with views of the Isle of Orsay, and it’s Stevenson family-built lighthouse. The village  harbour is a popular spot for resting seals and elusive otters are occasionally spotted here too. As you are making use of the local bus service, you can spend as long here as you like without worrying about a transfer pick-up time, just remember to check local timetables as services can be irregular. 

Around 2 miles north of Port Charlotte, lies Bruichladdich Distillery in a stunning location on the shores of Loch Indall. A relatively new addition to the scene in terms of Whisky, this distillery only reopened in 2000 after years of being out of operation. In this short time, it has made a name for itself and is now considered a big name on the Scotch scene all over the world. There is a newly paved path connecting the distillery to the town of Port Charlotte. Alternatively, you can stay on the bus for an extra 5 minutes on your return from Portnhaven and get dropped off right outside.

Ascent/Descent:  87m/83m

A private transfer will collect you from your accommodation at your chosen time to take you to either Port Ellen or Port Askaig, where you can travel back to Kennacraig on the mainland via the Calmac Ferry. Alternatively, if you are flying, the transfer will take you to the airport just outside of Port Ellen. 

This trip has a carbon score of 9kg per person per night, meaning it’s one of our best trips! For comparison, a carbon count of 9kg is equivalent to 5.5 avocados. Here at Macs, we pride ourselves on being a responsible travel company and continue to adopt, develop and innovate ways to positively impact the environment. Find out more information about how we've  carbon counted our trips .

Other Information

A relaxed self-guided walking holiday ideal for those wishing to sample some of Scotland's finest Scotch Whisky, while taking in the best of Islay's nature and fine hospitality along the way. The walks are optional, and allow plenty of time each day for distillery visits and whisky tastings. Ranging from 7-17 km the routes follow quiet country roads, tracks, and paths. Explore Islay’s lush south, the rugged coastline of Loch Indaal and the remote beaches of the west before returning to your friendly accommodation.

Slower Adventures | Where walking and cycling meet easy-going exploring, our Slower Adventures are the perfect combination. Most days are filled with picturesque journeys with some free time to dive into the destination and experience the people, local food and culture as you go.

Multi Centre Walking | With a mix of loop and point-to-point walks stay 2 or 3 nights in one place which offers the chance to slow down and really explore a destination.

Solo Travellers

The minimum age for this tour is: 12 Years

This route is graded easy to moderate.  The grade is determined on the basis of the entire trip. Individual days may vary in terms of difficulty, i.e. some walks may be slightly more difficult or easier than the overall grade. The majority of the walks are not waymarked and follow quiet country roads along with tracks and paths with spectacular coastal views. These are all easy to navigate using the Macs Adventure Smartphone App.

On this tour you will stay in hand-picked 3* and 4* B&B's, guesthouses and hotels. All of the accommodations are superior and ideally located so you have everything within easy access. All offer a warm welcome to walkers, great hospitality and delicious local food. During the high season, you might be booked into alternative accommodations which are not listed in the description.

Solo Walkers & Single Rooms

If you require single rooms we would be happy to accommodate you although there is a single room supplement payable. We also welcome solo walkers on this tour, again a supplement is payable.

A hearty breakfast is included each morning. Lunch and dinner are not included so you are free to choose from the available options. Most of your accommodations will more than happy to provide a packed lunch on request and this can be booked on arrival. Alternatively, your route notes include details of local shops and convenient lunch stops on the way. Dinner is available either at your accommodation or nearby pubs and restaurants.

With our route notes and GPX tracks provided on the Macs Adventure smartphone app, you should have no problem following the route each day.

• 5 Nights in hand-picked accommodation (B&B's, hotels and guest houses)
• Detailed trip documents, GPS tracks, maps and route notes on the Macs Adventure smartphone app
• Taxi and baggage transfer (as per itinerary)
• 24/7 Emergency telephone support from our office
• Travel insurance (required)
• Transport to Port Ellen
• Public ferry and bus transport fee
• Distillery tours
• Lunches, dinners, snacks & drinks
• Personal equipment
• Additional nights before or after the trip
• Return Calmac ferry from Kennacraig to Islay

This walking holiday is best enjoyed between early April and mid-October. Islay is very popular during the summer months, and the last week in May during the annual Whisky Festival, so we advise booking as far in advance as you can. Due to public transport restrictions on the islands at the weekend, it’s best to begin your trip from Monday—Thursday. However, if this isn’t possible just call the office and speak to our Destination & Adventure Specialists who can help by arranging taxi transfers.

Scotland enjoys a temperate climate, meaning it's relatively mild all year, except in winter when temperatures occasionally dip below 0 degrees Celsius for short periods. The Scottish Islands are renowned for variable weather so you should be prepared for everything; from 'dreich' days (a Scottish word for drizzly days that are a bit bleak) to days with beautiful blue skies and warmer weather. Whatever the weather it tends to be breezy so spare layers in your day-pack is always recommended.

From the end of April to October average daily temperatures vary from 9-15 degrees Celsius. Monthly rainfall varies from 10-16 mm per month on average. Generally, May-July are the driest and mildest months, but walking later in the year from Sep-Oct is pleasant in cooler temperatures and with great autumnal scenery as the leaves begin to change colour.

Getting to/from Islay (Port Askaig / Port Ellen)

To arrive by ferry make your way to Kennacraig on Scotland’s mainland, there are daily Citylink buses from Buchanan Bus Station, Glasgow (3hr 20 mins) that will take you from Glasgow to Kennacraig—on the 926 bus headed onto Campbeltown.  From Kennacraig take the Calmac ferry to either Port Askaig or Port Ellen on Islay.  The Kennacraig ferry terminal has public toilets, a ticket office and waiting room. 

If you’re coming from further afield you might prefer to fly to Islay directly from Glasgow airport with Loganair . The airport is just a 10 minute bus ride from Port Ellen or 35 minutes by bus to Port Askaig. 

It’s s also possible to make this trip a drive & hike by using your own car if you are coming from the UK. Most of the distilleries are able to give the designated driver their drams in miniature bottles to go. Please speak to a Destination & Adventure Specialist to find out more.

A taxi transfer to either Port Ellen or Port Askaig will be arranged for you. From here, you can return to Kennacraig on the mainland via the Calmac Ferry.

On the days when you are moving accommodation, be sure to bring your luggage with you in the taxi. You'll be able to leave your bags at your hotel reception on arrival so you can enjoy the rest of the day unburdened by your luggage. On Day 4, when you are transferred from Bowmore to Port Charlotte your luggage will be transferred onto Port Charlotte while you enjoy your walk. All this information will be further detailed in your itinerary on confirmation. We ask you to limit your luggage to  one bag of up to 20kg per person.

At Macs Adventure, we work in partnership with many luggage transfer providers who set a limit on how many bags/suitcases they will transfer per person, and also the weight of the bag/suitcase. Your booking includes a transfer of 1 bag per person. It is very important that you read the luggage information specific to your tour before departure. If you do not adhere to these limits, there is a great possibility that you will be charged locally both for extra bags or if they are too heavy. This limitation can be a challenge, especially as airlines generally have limits that are higher. However, our luggage providers have reasons for these limits (usually due to the Health and Safety of their employees), which we must respect.

Excursions & Distillery Tours

The trip is designed to help you make the most of your time on Islay and your proximity to it’s world-renowned distilleries. As such all the walks are optional and most should take around half a day, ensuring you have plenty of time to visit the distilleries. Please note that the distilleries all have varying opening hours, and some only run tours on specific days and at pre-arranged times. Most of these tours should be pre-booked either online or by phone directly with the distilleries. We provide information on the tours offered and when they run in the pre-departure information pack. Additionally, you can find live tour availability on many of the distillery websites.

There are so many whisky tour and tasting options to choose from that we have excluded these so you are free to choose your preferred tour and tasting options at each distillery. The cost for a basic distillery tour and sample dram or two tends to be around £10 per person. If you would like to try something special we recommend the Laphroiag Water to Whisky premium tour. This includes a tour of the distillery, picnic at the water source, along with a chance to try peat cutting for yourself on Laphroaig’s nearby peat source, followed by a cask tasting and bottling all accompanied by your knowledgeable Laphroaig guide. The tour operates 7 days a week from noon lasting 4.5 hours with 7 people maximum per tour. Alternatively, try the premium tour and tasting at Islay’s only farm distillery at Kilchoman. Distinct from the other distilleries on the island Kilchoman is a smaller operation that grows and malts all of their barley onsite. The tour operates 7 days a week from 11am for 2 hours with 12 people maximum per tour.

Please note distillery tour dates may vary outside of the summer months. A basic distillery tour normally takes 1 hour so make sure to plan your distillery visits around any walks you plan on doing to allow yourself plenty of time. Check distillery websites and book well in advance for tours to avoid disappointment on the day.

As all the walks are self-guided you will be responsible for navigation, decision–making and safety during your trip. The walks are graded easy to moderate—they are not strenuous and although there may be some uphill and steeper sections, these are not particularly challenging. If you currently don’t enjoy a good level of walking fitness, regular walking supplemented by cardiovascular exercise for six months before your walk is recommended. A good gym or personal trainer will be able to draw up a personalised training programme.

We suggest you book as soon as your plans are finalised as the region is extremely popular especially between May and September. You will find up to date availability on our website and we will always try and accommodate your plans.

Your information pack has a detailed equipment list which includes standard walking gear such as good walking boots or shoes, warm and waterproof clothes and a day pack.

Although May and September are generally considered the best months for walking in Scotland, Islay tends to receive warmer weather than the rest of the west coast throughout the walking season (April - October) so the choice is yours.

Midges are small biting insects (much like North American gnats) which are prevalent in the summer months. They are particularly bad on still, overcast days but do not bother you if you are moving, the wind is blowing, sun is shining, it’s raining, or you are inside.  So as long as you carry repellent for the odd occasion you may need it they shouldn’t have any impact on your experience.

Unfortunately we are unable to accommodate walkers with dogs as many of the accommodation providers we use do not accept pets.

You can use public transport or a local taxis to travel to the next overnight stop. Full details are included in your info pack.

You will be required to do both on this itinerary. On some days you will be required to take your bags with you on public transport between your overnights. You wont need to walk any of the routes with more than your day-pack though. Please check the ‘Included’ section for clarification on this.

Islay & Jura Whisky Trails

• Discover Islay's white sand beaches and machair
• Visit Islay & Jura's iconic whisky distilleries
• Island hospitality, delicious food and wildlife

Speyside Whisky Trail (6 days & 5 nights)

• Relaxed walking among ancient pine forests
• Sample single malts from Glenlivet to Glenfiddich
• Views of the high Cairngorm plateau

The Biggest Choice

Around since 2003, 21,000+ customer reviews, positive impact, travel restrictions and resources, to and from any destination, follow us on social media.

• twitter-x-logo@2x

Islay & the Whisky Coast 4 day tour

Savour the distilled essence of Scotland’s fine landscapes and exquisite whisky on this delectable tour.

Tour Highlights

Oban - This Victorian harbour town offers excellent seafood and a charming intimacy.

Kilmartin Glen - Return to the past at one of the richest areas in the UK for Neolithic and Bronze Age remains in Scotland.

Bowmore* - Journey to the home of Islay’s oldest distillery, this charming place lies on the shores of the picturesque Loch Indaal.

The Islay Single Malt Whiskies* - There is a regal quality to the distinctly peaty style of single malt whiskies on this island known as ‘The Queen of the Hebrides’

Sandy beaches of Islay - Stroll some of the most beautiful and rugged beaches in the UK along Islay’s West Atlantic coast.

Inveraray - Explore the fabulous home town of the Duke of Argyll and the stunning ancestral castle.

Loch Lomond National Park - Enjoy the dramatic splendour of one of Scotland’s most famous lochs and the beautiful national park that surrounds it.

Your journey

You may know a thing or two about whisky.

Like how taxes forced distillers to produce whisky at night, or how the Scots once called it the ‘water of life’.

But even if you’re knowledgeable about whisky, you’re going to learn a lot more on this four day whisky tour .

You discover the smoky flavours of Islay’s single malt whiskies, explore the historic sights of Islay, and spend your time trading notes with fellow whisky lovers.

So join this tour, explore distilleries without having to drive, and enhance your knowledge of whisky, Scotland , and Islay, ‘Queen of the Hebrides’.

Tour Details

Students, and seniors over 60

• Pack your waterproof clothing and walking shoes
• Unfortunately we don't carry anyone under 18 years old on this tour
• Access to distillery production areas may not be possible
• Some distilleries offer tutored tastings instead of tours
• Distilleries may be substituted
• Some attraction tickets can be purchased in advance when you book your tour. You’ll have the option to add at check-out. Other attractions will not be available to book beforehand, instead you can purchase those while on tour.
• All ferry and bridge crossings
• Transport in a 16 seat Mercedes mini-coach
• Air conditioning as standard
• The stories and services of an English-speaking driver-guide
• Tour accommodation
• Attraction entry tickets
• Sample the sights and seafood of Oban
• Venture through the legends and landmarks of the Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park
• Explore Scotland’s ancient past in Kilmartin Glen

You escape the city of Edinburgh and head straight for the Highlands. Your first stop of the day is in the Trossachs National Park. Here, you can admire Scotland’s scenic beauty and enjoy some local delicacies.

Your driver-guide may regale you with tales from Scottish folklore as you travel through the mountainous landscapes of the Western Highlands to Oban.

This port town was once the strategic heartland of great feuding clans. But today, Oban is famous for seafood sourced fresh off the boats. It also boasts its own distillery where you can sample whisky that’s been perfected for 200 years. Here, you will have time to enjoy a dram and indulge in delicious local seafood for lunch.

You then venture through the Kilmartin Glen where you see standing stones and strongholds that are over 1,500 years old.

At Kennacraig, you catch the evening ferry to Islay. The sail is around two hours; and if you peek out to the ocean, you may see the Paps of Jura. These mountains mark the way to Islay, Queen of the Hebrides.

Once you’ve arrived on the island, you settle into your accommodation in Bowmore.

• Sample Scotland’s most heavily-peated whiskies
• Admire Islay’s rugged coastline
• Explore the town of Bowmore

We know whisky tasting can be hard work, so you begin the day with a little sleep in.

After you’ve had an ample amount of breakfast, you enjoy a tour of Bowmore Distillery*, one of the oldest distilleries in Scotland. You have time for a tour and a whisky tasting here before you continue exploring the island.

Next, your driver-guide takes you to Kilchoman Distillery for a tour and a lunch of local treats. Kilchoman is known as Islay's only Single Farm Single Match Scotch Whisky, reviving traditional farm distilling of barley to bottle, making their whisky 100% Islay.

After trying local larder, you travel through the beautiful countryside to the third distillery of the day. On Thursday and Saturday, you visit Bruichladdich, the progressive distillery specialising in unpeated whisky. On Tuesday, you taste the unpeated and salty notes of Bunnahabhain in the most remote distillery on Islay.

You head back to Bowmore where you can either stumble back to your room for the night or relax and explore the village.

*Please note that Bowmore Distillery is observing their Silent Season between 11th July and 12th August 2024. Guests will be offered a digital tour instead, with a cask tasting experience in the warehouse. 

• Discover the Island’s ancient religious past
• Taste the most famous whiskies of the island

Today you explore the southern side of the island, home to a few of the most famous whiskies in all of Scotland: Laphroaig, Lagavulin, and Ardbeg*.

After you’ve made it out of bed and eaten your breakfast, you visit Ardbeg*. You stay here for a tour, tasting, and lunch*. The restaurant here is a beautiful place to relax and enjoy fine Scottish produce as you sip upon delightful drams.

You then visit Laphroaig**. This 200-year-old whisky distiller is a favourite with the British royal family and bears the seal of the Prince of Wales to prove it.

Throughout the day, your driver-guide takes you to historical spots such as the ruins of Kildalton church and Dunyvaig Castle. And you can also stop at Lagavulin for some intensively flavoured, rich and smoky whisky.

You return to Bowmore for your last evening of the trip.  

*Please note that if your tour departs before 1st May, your lunch today will be at Ardbeg Distillery. However, if your tour departs after 1st May 2024, lunch will be either at an outdoor food truck at Ardbeg (weather dependent) or in Port Ellen. 

*Please note that Ardbeg Distillery is observing their Silent Season between 10th June and 8th July 2024. Guests will be offered a more in-depth tasting with a guide from the distillery, who will discuss the history of the distillery and the process. 

**Please note that Laphroaig Distillery will be observing their Silent Season from 13th July to 5th August 2024. Guests will be offered a walk around the Laphroaig Museum, and a sensory tasting in the bar with several drams.   

• Get a sense of the old history of Inveraray
• Wander along the banks of Loch Lomond

This morning, you take the ferry back to the mainland and replace the intoxicating fumes of whisky with the replenishing fresh air of Scotland’s West Highlands.

You travel through coastal scenery to the beautiful village of Inveraray on the banks of Loch Fyne. The town is adorned with historic buildings, old boats, and a great whisky shop.

Your trip continues to Loch Lomond where you have a chance to admire Great Britain’s largest body of water by surface area.

You arrive in Edinburgh in the early evening. 

*Itinerary and distillery visits are subject to change.

Attractions

Tour Attractions

You are able to pre-purchase entrance tickets to the following attractions at the time of booking:

• Ardbeg Distillery
• Kilchoman Distillery
• Laphroaig Distillery
• Bowmore Distillery

Other attractions may be booked and paid locally during the tour.

Accommodation

Where does this tour stay overnight.

On the tour departing on Monday and Friday, we reserve rooms in the beautiful Bowmore Distillery Cottages.

The cottages have between three and six twin bedrooms. Due to the shared nature of the accommodation, individual bedrooms don't have lockable doors.

The kitchen and lounge facilities are shared with other passengers, and basic self-service breakfast ingredients are provided. Full Scottish breakfasts are available at the nearby hotels if you prefer, payable locally.

Prices are as follows:

• March to May  - £72.50 per person per night for Twin Share, and £125.00 per night for Single Occupancy.
• June to September  - £82.50 per person per night for Twin Share, and £145.00 per night for Single Occupancy.
• October  - £72.50 per person per night for Twin Share, and £125.00 per night for Single Occupancy.

Family Rooms are limited at Bowmore Cottages. Groups of 3 or more may need to stay in 2 or more rooms. Please budget accordingly.   For this option, please select 'B&B en-suite' as your first choice when booking the tour online. When these rooms are full, we book you into a nearby B&B. Rooms at the cottages are limited and are reserved on a first come first served basis. Local B&B charges are £40 - 60 per person per night based on shared accommodation for a standard room (shared bathroom). 

On the tours departing on Wednesdays , we reserve rooms in the 3* Lochside Hotel. Prices are between £90.00 - £120.00 per person per night for Double or Twin Occupancy and between £160.00 - £240.00 per night for single occupancy. For this option, please select three star hotel as your first choice when booking.

We contact you afterwards to arrange payment for the accommodation.

If you would prefer to book your own accommodation, please see information on how to do this under the ‘Accommodation’ tab on FAQ page HERE .

Alternatively, please email us your questions at [email protected] or call us on +44(0)131 226 3133.

Do you offer hotel pickups in the departure cities?

The UK and Ireland's historic city centres are full of narrow streets and winding roads. So, to speed up your departure, we only pick up from our central meeting points. What's more is leaving the city using the most direct route also reduces the carbon footprint of our tours.

Is there parking close to the departure point?

We don't recommend bringing your car into the centre of our departure cities. It can be hard to find parking, and there are excellent public transportation services.

When should I get to the departure point?

Arrive 15 minutes before your departure time. Due to waiting restrictions, we can't wait for you if you're late.

What happens if I'm late or miss the tour?

If you're late for your tour, our cancellation policy applies. 100% charges are applicable, and you will not be entitled to a refund or alternative.

What are your cancellation policies?

For one-day tours: You'll receive a full refund if you cancel 24 hours or more before the tour departure

For tours of between two and nine days: You'll receive a 90% refund if you cancel 15 or more days before the tour departure

For tours of 10 or more days: You'll receive a 90% refund if you cancel 21 or more days before the tour departure

For all European packaged tours: You'll receive a 90% refund if you cancel 42 days before the tour departure.

If you cancel inside these notice periods, full charges will apply and no refunds will be issued.

To cancel your booking, email [email protected] as soon as possible. The effective date of cancellation will be the date we receive written confirmation from you.

Click here to view terms and conditions

Can Itineraries change?

Your tour will always follow the itinerary as closely as possible. Your driver-guide will keep you up to date on the road, and we'll try to get in touch about any large changes prior to your departure.

Can I pre-book a specific seat?

Due to logistical reasons, we're unable to let you pre-book a seat on the bus. But our comfortable 16-seat mini-coaches have huge windows. So, you'll always get a good view.

Are there toilets on the bus?

Unfortunately, we have no on-board toilet facilities, but you'll have regular comfort breaks.

How do you cater for people with accessibility needs?

We aim to accommodate everyone. To read more information on how we do this, click here to go to our accessibility guide.

Do you take children on your tours?

We regret we don't carry children under the age of five on our scheduled tours.

You can ask us about the tours we recommend for younger children. And if your child is less than 1.35m tall, you should let us know, so we can provide them with a suitable booster seat.

How much time do I get off the bus?

We want you to enjoy Britain and Ireland. And we believe the best way to do this is to get you off the mini-coach and out exploring. So, we give you plenty of time to take photos, go walking, and explore ancient ruins.

Why do you exclude visitor attractions?

We exclude visitor attractions in your tour price because it lets you travel your way. It means you can pamper yourself with a luxury lunch or skip an attraction whenever you feel like it.

Do we need to bring our own lunch?

You don't need to. We stop in small towns, villages, and rural eateries where you can choose whatever meal pleases both your taste buds and your budget.

Should I tip the driver-guide?

Let's be honest, our driver-guides would never refuse a cheeky bonus. But it's up to you, and the amount is entirely at your discretion.

What about travel insurance?

We advise you take out travel insurance.

What is ABTOT?

You're protected by ABTOT when you chose to let us reserve your accommodation on a multi-day tour. This means you can claim back anything you've paid us if we become bankrupt. Read our terms and conditions for more information.

I have more questions, who can help me?

If you have any more questions, call us on +44(0)131 226 3133, email [email protected] , or check out our full FAQs .

Customer reviews

Please enable JavaScript to book your tour

Prices from £399.00

FREE UK SHIPPING ON ORDERS OVER £99

FREE EU SHIPPING ON ORDERS OVER £150

• Join the Coterie
• Distillery Exclusives
• Limited Editions
• Merchandise
• Tours & Tastings
• Plan your visit
• Tours and Tastings
• Fèis Ìle 2024

Distillery Experiences

Discover more about our Islay distillery, taste our favourite whiskies and meet the Bunnahabhain team on one of our tastings.

Experiences At The Bunnahabhain Distillery

Warehouse 9 Distillery Experience

The warehouse 9 tasting is one of our most popular tours at the distillery and a must visit while on islay for whisky lovers. Enjoy an exclusive tasting of delicious whisky taken straight from the cask.

Whisky Tastings

Discover more about our unpeated and sherried house style or choose to taste something a bit different with one of our Bunnahabhain whisky tastings. Held in our new Visitor Centre which boasts spectacular views across the Sound of Islay, there really is no better place to enjoy a dram!

Distillery Tours

Where are you from?

Please enter your date of birth

Remember Me

Sign up to our newsletter.

Get the latest updates, discounts, news and more

Islay Whisky Tour

Private islay tours, tailor made for small private groups, islay is a whisky destination like no other.  let us take you on a spectacular whisky tour to islay from glasgow or edinburgh.  we'll guide you through west highland landscapes, along glimmering lochs, through sweeping mountain glens and past historic castle ruins, before finally crossing the sea of the hebrides to arrive on the unique whisky isle of islay., we'll work with you to create a unique islay experience, designed to match your own personal favourite whiskies.  we'll listen carefully and work closely with you to recommend, agree and pre-book the very best available 'blend' of islay distillery tours and tasting experiences for you and your group..

On Islay, the possibilities for whisky lovers are endless.  Your private Islay whisky tour could see you experience Warehouse Tours. Cask tastings. Whisky & Chocolate. Peat-cutting. Long lunches.  Hiking along clifftops. Drams on a secluded beach. Day-long immersive distillery experiences, or simply dropping by for a quick dram.  

Bunnahabhain

Bruichladdich

Islay has dedicated seven centuries to the love of whisky and peat smoke and today there are nine working distilleries to visit. Lagavulin.  Laphroaig.  Ardbeg.  Bruichladdich.  Bowmore.  Bunnahabhain.  Kilchoman. Caol Ila.  Ardnahoe. 

And we're looking forward to welcoming back old friend Port Ellen. 

Each Islay distillery is unique, and each offers a portfolio of experiences, designed for whisky novices to connoisseurs.

Let us know your favourite Islay drams and we'll take you away on a private guided Islay whisky tour, designed just for you.  

If you have time to spare, you may even wish to include a detour to Campbeltown or a wee island-hop to Jura.

Campbeltown

Use our experience to get the very best from your Islay whisky tour. 

Islay Tours

Islay tours uniquely designed for

your interests

Private & bespoke Islay tours

Small groups - max 6 guests

Exceptional tour guide

The very best mix of Islay distillery experiences

Your Islay tour reflects  your  own personal Islay favourites

Islay tours depart from

or across Central Scotland

THE 5 BEST Islay Distilleries

Distilleries in islay.

• Distilleries
• Distillery Tours
• Wineries & Vineyards
• Cooking Classes
• 5.0 of 5 bubbles
• Good for a Rainy Day
• Good for Big Groups
• Good for Couples
• Budget-friendly
• Honeymoon spot
• Hidden Gems
• Good for Kids
• Adventurous
• Good for Adrenaline Seekers
• Things to do ranked using Tripadvisor data including reviews, ratings, photos, and popularity.

1. Laphroaig Distillery

2. Bruichladdich Distillery

3. Ardbeg Distillery

4. Bunnahabhain Distillery

5. Bowmore Distillery

6. Caol Ila Distillery

7. Ardnahoe Distillery

8. Lagavulin Distillery

What travellers are saying

• Skip to main content
• Skip to primary sidebar
• Skip to footer

Slightly Pretentious

Great Cocktails. Spectacular Stays. Only Slightly Pretentious.

Islay Scotch: The Ultimate Guide to Visiting Islay, Scotland

December 10, 2022 by Sean 12 Comments

Updated December 2022 to make sure all accommodations, distilleries, and restaurants were still open and accurate.

For the last decade, I’ve been a huge  fan of Islay scotch.

Like, the “I’m not an alcoholic, but if you look at my whiskey shelf at home you’d think I was” kind of fan.

And ever since I first fell in love with a Laphroaig 10 year old, I knew one day I would have to make the pilgrimage to the small island of Islay off the western coast of Scotland, to experience all of the distilleries for myself.

Well that time came recently, when my friend Matt Kepnes of Nomadic Matt fame, invited me out to Scotland to experience Islay with him. Here is his post on our Islay trip.

I wrote this post to help those who were looking to plan their  own  trip to Islay, and help you figure out how to get the most out of your time on the island.

How to Pronounce Islay

Before we go any further, let’s answer the biggest question most people have: how do you pronounce Islay?

It’s actually pretty simple.

Not is-lay.

Not is-luh.

Like you know the hot red-headed girl from the movie wedding crashers? Here name is Isla Fischer.

Just like that, but spelled differently.

What is Islay Scotch?

The next biggest question most people have is what is Islay scotch?

The obvious answer is it is scotch made on the island of Islay.

To officially be recognized as scotch you must have three components:

• Must be distilled in Scotland
• Must be aged for a minimum of 3 years
• Must be aged in oak barrels.

If you meet those requirements you’ve got scotch.

But generally speaking, Islay scotch is known for two very distinct characteristics: peat and smoke.

Most likely if you’ve ever tasted a scotch that was more like a campfire in your mouth, it was an Islay scotch.

Maybe it goes back to some deep-rooted childhood memories of mine at my grandma’s cabin or camping, but I love  the smell and taste of anything smoky – so Islay scotch was right up my alley from the beginning.

Related: Want to make some smoky cocktails? Try these:

• Smokescreen
• Naked and Famous
• Oaxacan Old Fashioned

Curiously, only that first one actually has Islay scotch – gonna need to work on that!

What are the distilleries on Islay?

On the island of Islay, Scotland there are currently 8 distilleries:

• Bruichladdich

Each of these has its own characteristics, so I’ll share a few of the highlights of each, and then talk specifically about the distillery experience and what you can expect, so you can hopefully plan your trip better.

There are 4 primary areas of Islay where you’ll find distilleries:

• Port Ellen on the SE corner of the island
• Port Askaig on the NE corner of the island
• Port Charlotte on the NW corner of the island.
• Bowmore near the center of the island

Port Ellen Distilleries

Laphroaig, Lagavulin, and Ardbeg are arguably the most famous Islay scotches and generally speaking, are the ones that have the most noticeable characteristics of smoke and peat.

They are also the three closest together in Port Ellen. They’ve actually just built a walking path between the town of Port Ellen and the distilleries, so you can park your car, and drink to your heart’s content on your day at these distilleries.

Plan to spend one day in this area, and do all three during that day.

Laphroaig Distillery

Just about all of these can be difficult to pronounce, and I’ll be honest: even as Matt was leaving for the ferry to head back home, he was still calling the island is-luh.

How do you pronounce Laphroaig? Luh-froyg.

Key Laphroaig facts:

• Most famous whiskey: Laphroaig 10 year
• What to expect from their whiskies? Smoke. Lots and lots of smoke.
• When were they founded? 1815

What was the Laphroaig distillery like?

The distillery at Laphroaig is one of the most tourist-friendly. They have a big beautiful museum that shows off the history of the company, and they have a few different tasting rooms for different events.

They had many of their common whiskies on tap, but my big complaint was that they didn’t have more unique and rare whiskies available for people to sample.

If I’m going to come all the way to Islay I want to try some stuff I won’t be able to taste elsewhere!

They did have a special 21-year-old that was just for visitors to the distillery (which was excellent), but I was hoping for a bit more.

Also if you’ve ever bought a bottle of Laphroaig you get a lifetime lease on a 1×1 plot of land, and you can actually get the GPS coordinates to go visit it.

Ardbeg has a pretty cool story, in that it was mothballed for years, and only relatively recently revived.

It’s one of the largest distillery complexes on island and does about 1.4 million liters of scotch a year.

Key Ardbeg Facts:

• Most famous whiskey: Ardbeg 10
• What to expect: Peat. Lots and lots of peat. Smoke too, but more peat.

The tours at Ardbeg are very well done, and they show you many of the historic features they left in place when they reopened things in 1997.

For instance, the wooden malt bins haven’t been used since the 70s, but you can still walk through them and see them exactly how they looked decades ago.

Ardbeg is the only Port Ellen Distillery to have a cafe/restaurant. So I’d recommend making this your second stop of the day, to get some food before or after your second tasting.

They have a special tasting room where on display is an example of every single bottle they’ve produced since 1998. Not gonna lie, there’s some pretty cool stuff in there.

Next to Laphroaig, Lagavulin is the scotch that I know the best.

It’s kind of like a marriage between the peat of Ardbeg and the smoke of Laphroaig, and their standard 16-year results in one of my favorite scotches anywhere.

Unfortunately, while we were there, they were just finishing up an annual 2-week maintenance period, so they weren’t doing any tours.

That said, we did get to do an excellent tasting and chocolate pairing that was one of the better tastings we did on the trip.

Key Lagavulin Facts:

• Most famous whiskey:  Lagavulin 16 year
• What to expect: Peat. Subdued peat and smoke, with a bit more sweetness
• Founded: 1816

While at Lagavulin we were able to persuade the woman doing our tasting to let us try something  really  special, with the 200th anniversary edition 25 year scotch.

It was unbelievable and was probably the most special dram of the trip.

It retained its smoky and peatiness more than I expected it to considering it had been aged 25 years, yet managed to be a remarkably smooth at the same time.

But you know, it better have been good, considering it was going for 800 pounds per bottle.

Make sure you: Have a dram in their big library chairs in their redone malting room. The place oozes history, and if it’s a cold and ugly day, there’s probably no better place than around their wood stove.

Next to Port Ellen, Bowmore is probably the largest town on Islay.

Keep in mind though, large is relative as the entire island is home to only 3,500 people.

You can plan for a 20-30 minute drive pretty much no matter where you go on the island.

Right smack dab in the town of Bowmore, is, you guessed it, the Bowmore Distillery.

I’m not going to lie, Bowmore was by far the biggest surprise of the trip.

One of my absolute favorite scotches is the Bowmore Tempest (or the Dorus Mor if you’re in the States), but I wasn’t real familiar with many of their other whiskies.

We were treated to not only one of the best tour experiences, but also one of the best tasting as well.

If you get one of the premium Bowmore tours, you’ll get the opportunity to do a couple things that are truly unique to that distillery.

First off, they do 30% of their maltings there. There are only 7 distilleries in Scotland that still do a portion of their own malting on property.

For more on the malting process means, read this.

On our tour, we got to see every step of the malting process, and even got to get hands-on with the tools and help out ourselves.

Then we got to go in the kiln and see for ourselves how it got smoked.

Note: You can do something similar at Laphroaig as well.

Being able to get so hands-on was a cool experience.

The  second  unique thing was what are known as their “hand filled” casks.

Bowmore selects one specific, special cask for each edition and they put it down in their historic #1 warehouse.

Then depending on your tour, not only do you get to see the warehouse, but you also get to use a whiskey thief and pour yourself a dram of this special whiskey  straight out of the cask. 

Most of the distilleries will have tours allowing you to try whiskey straight from the cask, but doing it yourself is extra cool, and to make things even cooler, for about $100 a bottle, you can bottle it yourself, give it a name, and take home your very own limited edition whiskey.

This is how the Bowmore 13 year Nomadic Rebel Single Cask came to be.

The whiskey was one of the very best we tried, and the experience was probably the coolest thing we did on Islay.

Some Quick Notes on the Other Distilleries

The four that I covered above are four of the most popular, and my favorites. But the others are:

• Bruichladdich – Located near Port Charlotte, one of the most diverse distilleries. Have both peated and unpeated scotch (including Octomore, the peatiest scotch in the world), and they also distill Botanist gin.
• Kilchoman – Also near Port Charlotte about 10-15 minutes fro Bruichladdich. The newest and smallest of the Islay distilleries.
• Caol Ila – The largest of the distilleries on Islay, but most of the whiskey is sent out for blends. Near the ferry terminal in Port Askaig
• Bunnahabhain – In between Port Ellen and Port Askaig. Feels truly remote due to the drive (see video above), spectacular views and some very good whiskey. Not quite as popular as some of the others.

Where to Stay in Islay

Your options for places to stay are  relatively  limited, as the island isn’t huge.

There are a handful of hotels, one youth hostel, and dozens of bed and breakfasts to choose from.

Personally, we went the B&B route, and I couldn’t recommend it more.

Not only do you get an excellent traditional breakfast, but being able to get some of the local history and get to know some of the local residents is what truly make the experience of visiting Islay so special.

We stayed at two different B&Bs Persabus Farm and Coullabus Keepers Cottage.

Our first two nights at Persabus we stayed with Don and Rosemary, who were remarkable hosts.

Don’s family has been on the island for somewhere in the neighborhood of 550 years, which in Islay terms, is “barely a local”.

The B&B is located on the road to Bunnahabin, and is also extremely close to Caol Isla, and less than 15 minutes to Bowmore. It’s a great choice if you want to see some place local, that’s close to those distilleries. It’s also very close to Port Askaig as well.

Our second B&B Coullabus, was a little bit more remote.

While explaining where we were staying to our tour guide at Bruichladdich, she said “oh, you’re out in the sticks!”

And here I was thinking that all of Islay kind of qualified as “sticks”.

In reality, it was only about a 12 minute drive to Bruichladdich and Port Charlotte, and the views you see when you wake up were unreal.

You truly feel like you’re out in the middle of nowhere, so if you want to get away, I highly recommend Coullabus.

Not to mention the owner Rae, makes some phenomenal eggs and smoked salmon for breakfast.

If you want to stay in a hotel your primary options are:

• The Islay Hotel – Right by Port Ellen ferry, quite nice, and one of the best whiskey selections on the island
• Port Charlotte Hotel – The nicest hotel on the western end of the island. This area has a beautiful coastal drive.
• Askaig Hotel – While the people were friendly, our lunch there was so so. There is  nothing  in Port Askaig aside from the ferry (although it’s quite close to Caol Ila), so I’d probably recommend some place else.
• Bridgend Hotel – Very close to Bowmore, and right at the junction for where you can take the road to Port Charlotte, head up towards Askaig, or down to Port Ellen. Food was very good, and hotel itself seemed nice. A bit on it’s own, but only a few km to Bowmore
• Port Charlotte Youth Hostel – A Hostelling International facility, walking by it, it seemed quite dead. My guess is it’s very seasonal, and probably reasonably priced accomodations.

Should You Rent a Car on Islay? 

This one is easy: yes.

You should  rent a car when you come to Islay.

Here is the contact info for a company that can get your sorted (No Enterprise here…)

Everything is very easily accessible, but to go anywhere you can expect at least a 15-minute drive, and probably 30 minutes or so to get from one end of the island to the other.

We did meet one couple who was doing everything by bus, and they seemed to be regretting their choice a bit.

The busses stop early, there are cabs, but you should plan to book them a bit ahead of time if you want to go that route.

Realistically, a car is definitely your best bet. And if you’re American, there is no better place to learn how to drive on the other side of the road. While narrow in spots, traffic is very light, and everyone is friendly.

No seriously. Pretty much everyone waves as they drive past you going the opposite direction. At first I could have sworn there must have been something wrong with my car and they were trying to flag me down to tell me.

Nope, just very friendly.

How to Get to Islay, Scotland

When trying to figure out how to get to Islay, Scotland you have two options:

The primary flight coming into the island is on the airline Flybe – or as the locals call it “Fly Maybe”.

We had no issue with our flight into the island, but with winds gusting upwards of 35 mph, you could definitely  feel it  on the approach, and it’s no surprise many flights can get canceled here.

The other option are the ferries that leave multiple times a day from Port Askaig and Port Ellen. If you rented a car on the mainland, you can take it over to Islay by ferry, but just make sure you book ahead of time.

Ferry schedules are here.

If you’re just a passenger on foot, then you shouldn’t have any trouble getting a ticket at the port.

Where to eat in Islay

As a rule, Scotland is not a place generally known for it’s high quality cuisine – with that in mind I’ve been pretty impressed by the quality of food I’ve found on Islay.

Without a doubt the best meal I had on Islay and one of the best seafood meals I’ve had  anywhere  was at the Lochindaal Inn.

Good lord, was this thing good.

Scallops, crab, lobster, scampi – it was all incredible, and all extremely fresh and caught off the coast of Islay.

The place doesn’t necessarily look like much, but the food was  really  good.

We went back to the bar side of the restaurant the following night (mostly because they had solid wifi) and I had a burger that was quite nice, but nowhere near the quality of the seafood platter.

Aside from that, any of the hotels mentioned above generally had food that was pretty good.

This brings up an important point, always try and call ahead of dinner reservations. I was surprised how busy every place seemed to be in early October.

The reason we ended up back at the Lochindaal (since we didn’t quite want to splurge on a second seafood platter), was because both Yan’s and the Port Charlotte Hotel restaurants were full.

Some Favorites from Our Islay Trip

My favorite islay distillery tour.

• Lagavulin (As there was no tours while we were there)

My Favorite Islay Tasting Experience

• Bowmore – Had more old bottles open to allow you try a couple variations of 23 and 25 year varieties.
• Bruichladdich – Lots of bottles open, so you could try a really wide range of whiskies.
• Ardbeg – If you take a private tour, you get to visit their private room that has every single bottle distilled since they reopened in 1997 (obviously most not available to drink, though).
• Lagavulin – A few bottles from specific festivals that you’ll never see Stateside were included.
• Bunnahabin – Great variety of unique whiskies including an extremely rare rum cask variety. I generally just prefer peatier tastings.
• Laphroaig – I was a bit disappointed simply because they didn’t have nearly as many unique bottles open to taste. We got the 21 year distillery only which was great, and a beautiful 17 year out of the cask, but I was hoping to be able to sample even more.
• Kilchoman – Being the youngest distillery, they basically just had their most recent bottlings available.

Favorite Islay Scotches We Tasted

• Lagavulin 25 year Anniversary Edition
• Bowmore Hand Filled 13 year Cask
• Laphroaig 17 year Cask
• Ardbeg 2009 Festival Single Cask
• Bruichladdich 2003 Sherry Cask

Should You Visit Islay, Scotland?

This one is pretty obvious, if you’re a big fan of Islay Scotch then it’s absolutely worth the visit to the island.

The people are incredibly friendly, the scenery is quite spectacular, and the tours and tastings are excellent.

There’s nothing quite like pulling your own whiskey straight from the cask, and drinking it in the warehouse.

If you  aren’t  a big whiskey drinker, then you may be better served heading to another island or region of Scotland.

There are a handful of historical sites, some good hiking and a surprisingly good golf course, but it’s very clear the draw here is the whiskey.

In the end, Matt and I had a phenomenal trip to Islay. We tasted somewhere in the neighborhood of 3 dozen different whiskies, some of which were so rare there’s no chance I’ll ever  see them again.

And that is what makes the journey truly worth it 🙂

Looking for other destinations?

Check out a few of our other travel posts:

• Best Bars in Singapore – Our rundown of our favorite spots in Singapore.
• London Bar Reviews – Some of our favorite London Bars.
• Paris Bar Reviews – Some of our favorites in Paris.

Sean has spent the last decade teaching people how to build small businesses, playing golf, and sneaking into high class establishments where he probably doesn't belong. Slightly pretentious is a tongue in cheek description of his travels.

Reader Interactions

December 2, 2016 at 12:58 am

Sean it’s lovely to read about your trip to Islay. It was a pleasure having you and Matt to stay with us at Persabus hopefully you will be back again soon, there’s so much more to see and explore! Happy travels.

December 2, 2016 at 1:04 pm

Rosemary, the pleasure was all ours! You guys have a beautiful spot out there, and I hope we can return again some time soon 🙂

December 2, 2016 at 4:34 am

Amazing places. Now, I have a burning desire to go to Scotland and enjoy the surroundings.

December 4, 2016 at 8:44 pm

Best write up of the year!

Being adopted, I have no family roots. My daughter had her DNA thing done, and found out that her familial characteristics that are not part of her mom’s family include Welsh, English and Scottish (I’m thinking a little Irish too, but you never know…). Anyway, I’ve only visited Scotland and England once, way back in 1977, and have been aching to return to the region.

This may be just the inspiration to make a real trip of it, as Scotch has a rich history, and the region is breathtaking in my opinion.

Thank you for the great work bringing this topic and this area alive.

October 27, 2018 at 9:20 pm

Great article, thanks Sean. I’m planning my own trip to islay for next year, and you’ve answered all my questions, with the most informative details yet.

February 2, 2019 at 4:03 pm

My husband and I would like to plan a trip to see Ireland and Scotland. A must see for us is the Islay region. Is there a travel agent you like that could arrange tours like this. We are in Los Angeles! Thanks for help! I know it’s a big ask. Loved the details you wrote about your trip. Beast regards, Beate Marsaglia

February 4, 2019 at 2:27 pm

I’m contemplating Islay as a stop for my husband on our trip but I have to ask…how did you manage all the tastings and the driving?! With all that whisky I’m guessing you’d get to the point you shouldn’t drive.

March 17, 2019 at 11:10 am

Sean, you must be Irish or a Yank because you can’t even spell whisky!! How annoying is that?

October 7, 2020 at 8:07 pm

I’m planning a honeymoon next year and Islay is going to be a party of that for sure. Thanks for all the great info.

October 19, 2020 at 11:47 am

Never been to Islay- but want to go one day. If you’re in Edinburgh, check out Cadenhead Whisky shop on the Royal Mile. They sell rare and extinct distillery whiskies, make their own blends and will also craft a personalized bottle for you right out of the barrel. The best Scotch I’ve ever had at 58% abv!

September 15, 2021 at 6:39 am

You missed my favourite! Kilchoman over in the north east. You will have to go there next time and tell us what you think 🙂

January 28, 2022 at 7:41 am

This is a great article, and despite it being a few years ago it has been quite helpful with our Scotland adventure planning.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email.

• About: What is the Deal with Slightly Pretentious?
• Top 100 Bars
• Privacy Policy
• Aperol Spritz Recipe: The Ultimate Cafe Cocktail
• The Gardener Cocktail from Matsuhisa Vail: It’s incredible
• Morgenthaler’s Sherry Eggnog: The World’s Best Eggnog Recipe. Period.
• How to Make a Moscow Mule: The Ultimate Summer Cocktail
• 25+ Best Cocktail Gifts Ideas for the 2023 Holiday Season

• Search Please fill out this field.
• Manage Your Subscription
• Give a Gift Subscription
• Newsletters
• Sweepstakes

If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation.

• Travel Products
• Trends + Deals We Love

50 Epic REI Memorial Day Sales We're Shopping — With Vuori, Patagonia, and More Up to 58% Off

The deals coincide with the brand’s annual Anniversary sale.

Travel + Leisure

It’s no secret that REI is one of our favorite retailers for travel gear and beyond. This is in part due to the impressive array of essentials they offer for every activity imaginable, but it’s also thanks to the major sales that they’ve been known to host throughout the year. Right now, the outdoor giant is putting on a Memorial Day weekend savings event that’s one of the biggest we’ve seen so far — and it’s running in tandem with their yearly anniversary sale, making the savings even more unforgettable.

With prices sitting as low as $12, you’re not going to want to miss out on the vast selection of camping and hiking gear, outdoor apparel , supportive shoes , and more. And to make your life easier, we’ve even parsed through the site to uncover the 50 best deals on brands like Patagonia , Teva , and even The North Face , so you don’t have to waste any time searching for the top markdowns — we’ve already found them.

Best Overall Deals

With REI’s Memorial Day markdowns overlapping with the retailer’s major anniversary sale, you can trust that this weekend’s savings are some of the best we’ve seen this year. And while outdoor gear has undeniably seen some of the most impressive price slashes (just look at the Alpine Mountain Gear Weekender Tent 6 which is a staggering 58 percent off through the weekend), even comfy shoes, apparel, and spacious luggage brands are getting in on the fun. In fact, right now the Allbirds SuperLight Men’s Wool Runner Sneakers are available for 50 percent off to outfit your upcoming travel days, while the ultra-cushioned The North Face Women’s Eminus Trail Running Shoes have also received a significant discount, bringing the price down to $64.

• The North Face Base Camp Voyager Roller Bag , $168 (originally $280)
• Patagonia Fieldsmith Roll-top Pack , $64 (originally $129)
• Osprey Arcane Waist Pack , $35 (originally $55)
• REI Co-op Expandable Packing Cube Set , $31 (originally $45)
• Allbirds SuperLight Men’s Wool Runner Sneakers , $60 (originally $120)
• The North Face Women’s Eminus Trail Running Shoes , $64 (originally $129)
• Black Diamond Splitter Tank Top , $35 (originally $70)
• Patagonia Hydropeak Scallop Board Shorts , $42 (originally $85)
• Alpine Mountain Gear Weekender Tent 6 , $83 (originally $200)
• Mountainsmith Antero +35 Sleeping Bag , $65 (originally $120)

The North Face Base Camp Voyager Roller Bag

Best travel bag and luggage deals.

Backpacks, duffel bags, and even wheeled suitcases are all on sale at REI right now, and no matter what’s on the agenda for your summer travel plans, we’re confident that there’s a bag tailor-made for you on the site. Outdoorsy shoppers won’t want to miss out on the Patagonia Fieldsmith Roll-top Pack that’s now discounted to just $64, and paired with the $70 REI Co-op Big Haul 28 Recycled Duffel , you’ll be ready to take on the woods in style. As for rolling bags, the Eagle Creek Tarmac Xe 2-Wheel 67 L Wheeled Luggage has seen a notable 39 percent discount for the time being, while the The North Face Base Camp Voyager Roller Bag is also on sale for more than $100 off.

• The North Face Recon Pack , $65 (originally $109)
• Cotopaxi Allpa 65L Roller Bag , $297 (originally $395)
• The North Face Base Camp Duffel Medium , $89 (originally $149)
• Eagle Creek Tarmac Xe 2-Wheel 67 L Wheeled Luggage , $192 (originally $319)
• Sherpani Meridian Carry-on Wheeled Luggage , $128 (originally $170)
• Thule Aion Carry-on Spinner Wheeled Luggage , $263 (originally $350)
• REI Co-op Big Haul 28 Recycled Duffel , $70 (originally $100)
• Gregory Quadro Pro 22” Hardcase Wheeled Luggage , $188 (originally $250)

The North Face Recon Pack

Best travel accessory deals.

No packing list is complete without a well-rounded array of travel accessories to choose from, and whether you’re going to be hiking, camping, or jet-setting around the globe, REI has no shortage of gear to help you plan and execute your ideal vacation. The Osprey Arcane Waist Pack is a spacious and hands-free solution to stowing your phone, wallet, and passport without carrying around a bulky bag, and travelers will be thrilled to find that it’s discounted to $35 to celebrate the unofficial start of summer. And if you’re tired of packing your neatly folded clothing into your suitcase only to be met with a wrinkled, unruly mess upon arriving at your destination, don’t forget to score the REI Co-op Expandable Packing Cube Set while it’s 31 percent off. Plus, the T+L editor-loved Thule Compression Packing Cube has also received the discount treatment, coming in at just $15.

• Sea to Summit Aeros Premium Traveller Pillow , $38 (originally $50)
• InfinityLab InstantCharger 100W 4 USB , $56 (originally $80)
• Sea to Summit Hanging Toiletry Bag , $36 (originally $47)
• Hydro Flask All Around Travel Tumbler , $30 (originally $40)
• Rei Co-op Travel Kit , $14 (originally $20)
• Sea to Summit TL Clear Zip Pouch , $25 (originally $33)
• Thule Compression Packing Cube , $15 (originally $20)
• REI Co-op Roadtripper Pod Small , $12 (originally $17)

Sea to Summit Hanging Toiletry Bag

Best active footwear and hiking shoe deals.

The summertime calls for a wide range of footwear to be kept at the ready, and this weekend is the perfect opportunity to stock up on sandals, hiking boots, running sneakers, and anything else you may want to pack for your upcoming adventures. For days when you’re keeping active but want to give your feet the chance to breathe, you’ll be happy to have the Teva Women’s Original Universal Tie-dye Sandals on hand — especially considering they’re on sale for just $42. As for men’s sneakers, the breezy and supportive Allbirds SuperLight Men’s Wool Runner Sneakers have seen a significant 50 percent price slash, bringing them down to just $60, while the Keen Men’s Nxis Evo Mid Waterproof Hiking Boots are sitting at a mere $104 for a limited time. 

• Salomon Sense Ride 5 Men’s Trail-running Shoes , $105 (originally $140)
• Altra Men’s Torin 6 Road Running Shoes , $104 (originally $160)
• Keen Men’s Nxis Evo Mid Waterproof Hiking Boots , $104 (originally $190)
• Freewaters Men’s Cloud9 Flip-flops , $44 (originally $68)
• Cascade Women’s Mid HT Hiking Boots , $88 (originally $160)
• Sanuk Women’s Islay St+ Stripe Flip-flops , $32 (originally $50)
• Adidas Women’s Ultraboost Light Road Running Shoes , $130 (originally $190)
• Teva Women’s Original Universal Tie-dye Sandals , $42 (originally $55)

Keen Men’s Nxis Evo Mid Waterproof Hiking Boots

Best women’s apparel deals.

Comfortable travel clothing is essential for enjoying your days on the go, and fortunately, REI is here to deliver unbeatable deals on your favorite active brands this weekend. The Vuori Vintage Ripstop Shorts are one of the most impressive price slashes on the site right now, coming in $34, while the relaxed-fitting Patagonia Seabrook Jumpsuit is a dream for staying cozy while traveling — and also on sale for 50 percent off in the perfect inky black shade. As for tanks, we’re eyeing the Black Diamond Splitter Tank Top while it’s sitting at $35. After all, it’ll keep you cool and stylish from hikes to walking tours and even longhaul flights.

• Vuori Vintage Ripstop Shorts , $34 (originally $68)
• Patagonia Seabrook Jumpsuit , $64 (originally $129)
• Brooks 3 Pocket Sports Bra , $27 (originally $55)
• The North Face Sunriser T-shirt , $25 (originally $50)

Patagonia Seabrook Jumpsuit

Best men’s apparel deals.

Shorts, lightweight pants, and breathable tee’s are integral to your summer packing list no matter where you’re headed, and this Memorial Day you won’t need to spend your entire travel budget to get them. If it’s time to swap out your old faded swimsuit for a newer option, don’t hesitate to snatch up the Patagonia Hydropeak Scallop Board Short while it’s 50 percent off and available in all sizes in the shade Bayou Blue. As for hiking apparel, the packable Smartwool Classic All-season Merino T-shirt has received a $20 discount, bringing the price down to $60, and even the prAna Stretch Zion Pants II are on sale for as little as $47 in the timeless Evergreen Camo. 

• prAna Stretch Zion Pants II , $47 (originally $95)
• Columbia Pfg Tamiami II Long-sleeve Shirt , $42 (originally $55)
• The North Face Lightstride Pants , $65 (originally $90)
• Smartwool Classic All-season Merino T-shirt , $60 (originally $80)

Patagonia Hydropeak Scallop Board Shorts

Best camping and hiking deals.

It’s probably a safe bet that your old camping and hiking gear selection is in need of an upgrade ahead of the upcoming season of adventures, so whatever holes you’re looking to fill in your packing list, you’ll be able to fill them at a fraction of the regular cost this weekend. In fact, the Mountainsmith Upland 4p Tent is a whopping 55 percent off for the long weekend and boasts ample space for up to four campers. Pad your outdoor oasis with the cushy Mountain Summit Gear Self-inflating 3.5 Camp Pad Extra Large that’s been marked down to $62, and finish off the interior with the Mountainsmith Antero +35 Sleeping Bag that’s also nearly half off right now. And as for your actual campsite, we’re sure you’ll be happy to get your hands on the packable Alps Mountaineering Iron Ridge Cook Station to transform mealtime while it’s half off.

• Granite Gear Perimeter 35 Pack , $112 (originally $230)
• Mountain Summit Gear Self-inflating 3.5 Camp Pad Extra Large , $62 (originally $125)
• Mountainsmith Upland 4p Tent , $90 (originally $200)
• Alps Mountaineering Iron Ridge Cook Station , $138 (originally $280)
• Komperdell Cross Stick Trekking Poles , $134 (originally $300)
• Rumpl Shearling Fleece Puffy Blanket , $102 (originally $175)
• Alps Mountaineering Westwind Rocker Chair , $123 (originally $250)
• Big Agnes Big Six Camping Chair , $108 (originally $200)

Alpine Mountain Gear Weekender Tent 6

Love a great deal? Sign up for our T+L Recommends newsletter and we’ll send you our favorite travel products each week.

Shop More T+L-Approved Picks

Related Articles