Hello, it’s Gordon Thomson from Whisky Rocks. Thank you for reading our new guide for everyone curious to discover more about whisky and how to get the most out of drinking it, written by me and the Barley magazine team.
I’m writing two stories a week for now, with a focus on a different slice of whisky knowledge every time.
If you like what you read, why not subscribe and help us spread the word to a new generation of whisky lovers across the world. Thank you.
I wrote this on the ferry back to the mainland from Islay on the west coast of Scotland. My Barley magazine partner Tom and I had just spent a few very enjoyable days there at Fèis Ìle - the Islay festival, an annual 10-day whisky shindig. It’s a time for the distilleries and their teams to take stock and celebrate their special place in the hearts of the locals (many of whom work there), and to welcome some of the millions across the world who revere the whiskies they produce. Mainly it’s a time to party. Each distillery hosts its own Fèis Day, marked by an exclusive bottling that fans snap up for their collections. There are live bands, pop-up food stalls, tastings and boat tours, and much laughter and joy. Especially when the weather is set fare, as it was for the three days we were there. Go if you can. It’s a great way to understand more about the remarkable whiskies that are produced on this magnificent island.
Islay is one of the five great Scotch Whisky Regions. The other four being Highland, Speyside, Lowland and Campbeltown. Each offers a different perspective on Scotch Whisky.
We’ll be revisiting these regions in much more detail in future posts. For now, here’s a quick beginner’s guide to the 5 regions, to whet your whistle.
Speyside
Speyside is located in the lower northeast corner of the Highlands, between Inverness in the North and Aberdeen in the East. Technically, it’s a sub-region of the Highlands, which explains why some Speyside distilleries choose to label their whisky as ‘Highland’ – Glenfarclas, Dalwhinnie and Macallan for example. Astonishingly, official boundaries for the two regions were only finalised in 2009, despite many distilleries within them being active for 200 years or more.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Whisky Rocks to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.