If you have already been appreciating whisky Islay malts are ones that you’re sure to enjoy. Islay single malts are made in the Islay region in Scotland. You will find about eight distilleries which are active in this region with a ninth one getting ready for manufacturing. This region is so diverse in its beauty that along with whisky production, it has also become a large center for whisky tourism. This particular region holds a Festival of Malt as well as Music exactly where you will find events which hold whisky tasting sessions along with other occasions that commemorate the actual lifestyle of the whiskybourbon region.
Islay whiskies are generally very smoky in character though there are some whiskies that are fairly mild which are also created in this area. In addition to being smoky as well as peaty, these types of whiskies are also just a little salty in flavor. At first there were about twenty three distilleries existing of this type but this number now has gone down.
The whiskies that are made in the southern a part of Islay such as Lagavulin, Ardbeg as well as Laphroaig are those that possess the smoky flavor as the main character. They are the particular distinct characteristics of Islay malts. These types of flavours tend to be so distinct to this region because of the higher peating amounts of the barley and also the drinking water of this area. Whiskies made in this region happen to be ascribed a somewhat medicinal taste. Notes of seaweed, salt and even a little bit of iodine are found in whiskies originating from this area. The actual Scottish distillery of Caol Ila which is based on the northern part of the Islay region also creates quite strong smoky and peaty whiskies.
There are other styles of whiskies which are created in this region at the same time. The whiskies made in Bruichladdich and Bunnahabhain distilleries are comparatively a lot lighter and are slightly peated in flavor. However the Bruichladdich distillery is also known for producing heavily peated whiskies. The Bowmore distillery creates whiskies that are quite balanced and also have a moderate to string peat level. This distillery also utilizes sherry casks to older their whisky.
The most recent distillery in the Islay region is the Kilchoman distillery. This distillery is located in the western part of Islay inside a small town of Kilchoman. This distillery is the most westerly distillery in the entire of Scotland. This can be a rather new distillery as well as had started manufacturing in 2005. The very first casks of this distillery had been loaded in December 2005 as well as bottling began in September 2009. In fact, this particular distillery is one of the six only distilleries in Scotland that still does conventional floor malting and has all of the other procedures of malting, distilling, ageing and bottling to be done on the distillery site.
If you are looking for strong whisky Islay whisky is your choice. In fact the most coveted whisky out of this region is known as the Lagavulin Single Malt. This whisky has a very powerful smoky, peaty fragrance. The flavors of the whisky tend to be full bodied and strong, perfectly well balanced with a somewhat sweet as well as clean flavor.