Explore Scottish Islands Whisky
Why we love Island Scotch whisky
The Islands region is sometimes considered part of the Highlands, even though it’s not technically labelled as such by the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA).
Distilleries in our Islands category include the peaty Highland Park in the north on Orkney, the recently-founded Arran, the nutty, cereal-forward Jura, and Talisker sitting alone on the Isle of Skye.
Attributes of Island whisky
Naturally, it's hard to pin down just one typical Island flavour. Much like the Highlands, the Islands are also varied, from Jura, which is honeyed and chocolatey, to the floral, peaty whiskies from Highland Park on Orkney.
What does Island whisky taste like?
There are so many different characters, although usually a slight salinity is to be found, thanks to the vicinity to the sea.
OUR SCOTTISH ISLANDS PICKS
About Arran whisky
An excellent example of an unpeated island whisky, Arran is produced at Lochranza distillery, which started production in 1995. It's known for a malty, cereal-forward spirit with a distinct citric note, which also happens to be amenable to lengthy maturations and a variety of cask types.
While not as common, peated malt is also being run at the Lochranza Distillery, and Isle of Arran Distillers opened a second distillery solely focused on peated whisky, Lagg, in the south of the island in 2019.
Win a trip to Lochranza Distillery!
You could win a trip for two to Lochranza Distillery, exploring one of Scotland's stunning islands. All you have to do is buy one of the selected bottles from the Arran range, and you're automatically entered!
Buy these Arran bottles to enter the competition!
There may be just three distilleries, but there is a whole range of flavours and styles to enjoy from Arran!
More of our favourites from... The Islands
Let's go island-hopping through the wonderful portal that is whisky!
