Stumbling Through the Three Distilleries Path on Islay, Islay, Scotland

If you’re a fan of good whisky, the island of Islay in Scotland is a premiere travel destination. With a total of nine distilleries, the island has a long history of distilling peaty whisky even before distilling whisky was legal. Getting there is a bit of a trek, but if you make it, you’ll be rewarded by a long, beautiful drunken walk to three of the country’s most popular distilleries: Laphroaig, Lagavulin, and Ardbeg.

Before you book anything else, you should probably look at tour and tasting availability at the distilleries. Due to Covid, most whisky experiences have to be booked in advance and sell out fast. You should leave at least half an hour between each tour to allow time to get from one to the other. Of the three, Ardbeg is the most relaxed. You can have a drink at their bar or take a tasting box out to the patio. They also have a food truck, which is useful when you’re hitting up three distilleries in a row and having the equivalent of anywhere from 7-12 shots of whisky in one afternoon.

The island of Islay (pronounced ai-luh) is accessible only by ferry. If you don’t prebook the ferry for you and your car in advance, there’s a chance you may not be able to get on, especially if you’re going during the peak travel season in the summer. There are two ports of entry into Islay: Port Askaig and Port Ellen, both of which leave from the mainland at Port Kennacraig. Port Ellen ferries arrive earlier in the morning and Port Askaig ferries arrive in the afternoon. The island is small, so it’s easy to move around regardless of how you arrive. But if you’re doing the Three Distilleries Path, the closest port is Port Ellen. Ferry tickets can be booked directly through CalMac Ferries. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).