Islay Whisky

Islay, one of the western isles of Scotland, contains large natural peatland areas and has a long tradition of whisky production.  Most of the distilleries on the island use a high proportion of peat when malting the barley used in whisky production.  The peated malt, together with the coastal location in which the whisky matures, produces powerful single malt whiskies which are very often, but not exclusively, smoky in character.