Although one of a number Scotland's whisky producing islands, Islay is so distinctive in character it is classified as a separate region. Of the island's seven distilleries currently bottling, Ardbeg, Lagavulin, and Laphroaig on the shouthern shore and Caol Ila to the north, are known for making the most peaty whisky that expresses medicinal qualities redolent of seaweed, salt, and iodine. By contrast, Bowmore, Bunnahabhain, and Bruichladdich make less peated but equally complex whisky, with the latter two bottling the island's lightest styles.
Made from molasses, it was in finding a use for the byproduct of sugarcane, in the Caribbean, that Rum came into being. Every island has its own distinct style, with each of the island's distilleries producing a further variation . While white rums readily form the base for a number of varied cocktails, dark rums, aged in ex-bourbon and cognac barrels, can take on great depth of flavour. They typically exhibit exotic, tropical-fruit aromas and a warm spiciness that, like any great spirit, is worthy of appreciating on its own.
