Islands

Scotland’s small islands, from Arran, Jura and Mull in the West, to Orkney in the North, produce whiskies of varying styles. Crucial to note, however, is that when referring to the Island region, this does exclude the 'whisky capital' Islay, which is a region of its own. Island malts, like the beautiful countryside they spring from, will provide something to suit everyone’s taste. Vicinity to the sea and the coast has a large bearing on the flavour and character of the spirit and there can be some generalisations dependant on the location of the island. Highland Park and Scapa in the northern island of Orkney are coastal distilleries but produce very different styles of whisky - malty and smoky and herbal/citrus respectively. The legendary Isle of Skye distillery, Talisker, produces whiskies that are big and punchy with plenty character. Arran, Mull and Jura all produce their own whiskies too, each very different to one another. If anything, the one generalisation that can be made of the Island distilleries is that they have pushed the boundary in regards to innovation and today produce some of the most exciting and collectable malts. The Island malts are stylistically hugely diverse and beg to be explored!