📌 Port Askaig, Isle of Islay
★★★★
Islay’s famously smoky single malts can seem intimidating to those used to unpeated whisky. If you’re not quite sure about making the leap to peat, Caol Ila might be a good place to start; its expressions tend to be among the lighter of the island’s peated whiskies. The distillery occupies a fairly isolated position overlooking the Sound of Islay, with the Isle of Jura just a mile away across strong tidal races. Prominent black lettering splashed across whitewashed warehouses is traditional for Islay, but many of the other production buildings are strikingly (but attractively) modern, explored thoroughly on the detailed standard tour. A major refurbishment was completed in 2022 – our photos were taken before this was carried out.
🌍 Location
📌 At minor road end 1 mi north of Port Askaig, Isle of Islay
🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: NR 430699
🛰️ GPS coordinates: 55.853893,-6.108653
🚌 Bus stops just short of distillery on approach road
🚗 Car park
📝 Key info
⌚ Daily, March to October; Monday to Saturday, November to February
🎫 £20+ depending on tour type, £10 child
