Category Archives: Distilleries

A picture of a distillery on Islay

Filling samples at a Bruichladdich warehouse tasting, Isle of Islay

Image

18
Picture of filling small sample bottles with a valinch from a cask
Filling samples at a Bruichladdich warehouse tasting, Isle of Islay

In November 2022 I was able to do something I had long wanted to do, a warehouse tasting at Bruichladdich distillery on the Rhinns of Islay. Among other reasons that I was staying in Port Charlotte, allowing me to walk to and from the distillery along the Loch Indaal coastal path (although for the return leg a kind member of the distillery staff gave me a lift by car, for which I was very grateful). At the end of the tasting we were able to fill our sample bottles with a proper valinch directly from the cask. I’m not sure which cask I was filling from here, most likely a Port Charlotte from a wine cask.

After the tasting we went over to the visitor centre where I also filled a valinch bottle.

Filling a Port Charlotte valinch in November 2022, Isle of Islay

Image

7
Picture of filling a flask from a cask
Filling a Port Charlotte valinch in November 2022, Isle of Islay

One of the things I try to do on all of my Islay visits: Fill a bottle of Port Charlotte Islay single malt whisky valinches. This picture is from my visit in November 2022 after a warehouse tasting, as of writing this the bottle is sitting in my whisky shelf waiting for a good excuse to open it.

Cloudy November sunset outside the Laphroaig Visitor Centre, Isle of Islay

Image

10
Picture of a view past the Laphroaig Visitor Centre out to sea over the loch, a narrow bright stripe at the horizon under cloudy skies
Cloudy November sunset outside the Laphroaig Visitor Centre, Isle of Islay

A November afternoon at Laphroaig distillery, just outside the visitor centre. While not the most exciting sunset I still enjoyed the sliver of bright sky on the horizon around the time the sun set.