Scotland Day Three: Islay Woolen Mill, Bruichladdich, Ardbeg, and Lagavulin

More sheep than people on the Isle of Islay!

With only two full days on the Isle of Islay, we had a lot to fit in!

First stop, the Islay Woolen Mill – creator of the fabric for Braveheart and other films. A bit off the beaten path, but we enjoyed a glimpse into the working mill and speaking with the owner.

Enjoying the Scottish landscape

I think they thought we had food, because they started coming toward us and making so much noise!

Peat moss

Bricks of peat drying in the sun

Tasty

Maybe future vacation home? I can dream!

Islay Woolen Mill

Islay Wool Mill

We were able to watch the fabric being woven!

Learning how the machines are setup

Fabric showroom

Gordon Covell, our guide and owner of the mill

After the mill we drove to Port Charlotte for lunch and to visit Bruichladdich. Bruichladdich turned out to be one of my favorite distillery experiences! The tour was a lot of fun, and we were able not only to taste whisky but their Botanist gin.

Port Charlotte

Couldn’t pass up a cup of great coffee!

View of Port Charlotte

Lunch at the Bruichladich Mini-Market

Inside

Filled roll and crips

Bruichladdich Distillery

Barrel of Port Charlotte

Sampling straight from the barrel

Whisky so strong that when a bit splashed on my boots they discolored!

Whisky sampling

We made reservations later in the afternoon for the Deconstructing the Dram 2.5 hour tour and tasting. This gave us an opportunity to learn more about the distilling process and taste the whisky at different stages through the process.

Ardbeg Distillery

Copper pot still on display

Barrels of whisky

Ardbeg’s (Àrd Beag in Gaelic, meaning ‘small headland’)

Ardbeg

One last look and tasting!

Once our tour at Ardbeg was finished, we still had an hour before Lagavulin closed, so we rushed over! Luckily they let us in and we enjoyed a Mini Nips and Nibbles tasting – aka a whisky and chocolate tasting. Yum!

Lagavulin Distillery

Whisky and chocolate pairing

Water break

Enjoying my chocolate

After so much whisky we were ready to get some real food in our bodies. So we head to the Sea Salt Bistro for dinner.

Sea Salt Bistro

Scallops for me

Langoustines for Koen

To end our evening we headed back to Ardbeg to do some exploring of the area. Our apartment was a 5 minute walk away, so of course we needed to take advantage of our beautiful scenery!