Beautiful distillery with whisky and gin. Stopped for a look and a tasting. Whiskies are named…read moreafter their employees.

Wonderful staff and super delicious Scotch. Was not aware of the depth of the brand, but the staff…read morewas helpful and made it a magic stop on Scotch row. Some good mini bottles to go.

This review is long overdue. The short version is that Rachel is so lovely and amazing to work with…read morethat we would not recommend looking any further, no matter what you need she can make it happen!! The longer version: We found Rachel when researching whisky tour possibilities. When we decided that we wanted to elope we weren't sure how things would turn out, coordinating from across the Atlantic. Things couldn't have gone better!! When we first reached out to Rachel she was prompt and pleasant to communicate with. She responded to all of our questions with thoughtful and helpful answers. At first she let us know that she wasn't sure about putting together a wedding but after we described what we were looking for she told us not to worry! We fell in love with her sense of connecting to the natural world and her seriousness about environmental responsibility. She put together a truly one of a kind itinerary for us that we will remember forever. She included locals at every step of the way and we seriously could not have been happier with how things turned out. She even kept it off of social media until afterwards which was no small matter :) even behind the scenes, everything from the planning to finding time to talk on the phone to payment was easy and stress free. The wedding day was perfect, the details were all worked out with backup plans that we didn't need. The spot down the Oa where we had the ceremony was absolutely stunning! Everything about our blessing was so special and lovely. She made sure there were little things that were so special like having our wonderful piper Neil play a circle of sound around our little plateau. The flowers were mostly local and Anne was a perfect match for putting them together. The bouquet and buttonhole were absolutely stunning! Everything had a part of Islay in it and we couldn't have asked for better. Margaret Anne and Nikki were excellent helpers and Nikki was our impromptu makeup artist. Lorraine did a lovely job with the hair- it was beautiful and didn't blow around hardly at all! Rhianna was a fantastic photographer and Ben did a lovely job editing the photos. Some of the above will get their own reviews but most of them do these things as a side job and it couldn't have been more perfect! In addition to the wedding, Rachel helped arrange travel from Glasgow to Islay with a very nice gentleman (David?). He was the consummate professional driver with a lot to say about many different topics. Rachel picked us up from the ferry and poured us our first Islay dram on Islay soil. She put together an "exploring day" for the day after the ceremony where we went around the island and saw almost everything that didn't revolve around whisky. We went bird watching at Gruinart and had oysters and a picnic at Machir Bay. We saw some very stubborn cows and local art. We had a very special stop at the Altoon sun circle since standing stones were high on our list of things to see. All along the way we had lovely conversations about everything local and Rachel's experiences. She is the perfect hostess! Rachel also out together a three day whirlwind whisky tour where we saw every distillery plus Jura! When we didn't have Rachel as a driver we had Charlie who was so much fun to be around. Rachel seemed to cultivate the perfect mix of distilleries and types of tours to form the perfect look at the different distilleries. Some places had a full tour, some a warehouse tasting (the best way to taste whisky in our humble opinions), and even a semi-private tabletop tasting at Ardbeg over lunch! Everywhere we went, Rachel knew each person we were meeting so we were always warmly welcomed and well taken care of. This wasn't difficult since it seems that everyone on Islay are good, kind people who want to see you enjoy their lovely island. We were sad to leave after our week in paradise but we can't wait to go back! We would enthusiastically and wholeheartedly recommend Rachel to anyone who wants to visit Islay for any reason!

If you are going to Islay for any reason, sightseeing, distillery touring etc look no further than…read moreWild and Magic. My son-in-law was tuned on to them from a trusted source from his Scotch Malt Whiskey Society membership and they planned and organized our three day visit from there. After a few questions on our preferences they schedule the tours, B&B and all the local transportation and did an outstanding job. Rachel (the owner) picked us up from the airport (our flight was an hour late) and got us settled in at our B & B and said Calum would pick us up at 8:30 the next day to begin our tours. Both Rachel and Calum are local to Islay and have grown up there so they know everyone and everyone knows them. They are very knowledgeable and just wonderful people Calum took us around for two day and was a delightful host and companion. Rachel personally took us around the last day and then dropped us off a the airport. Again, if you are coming to Islay let Wild and Magic make your visit them most memorable possible.

Just did a quick tasting in the Visitor center. Good scotch and friendly staff. Good selection to…read morechoose from.

We walked a LONG way to get to Lagavulin Distillery!…read more On the island of Islay lies three distilleries that are within walking distance of each other via walking trail - Laphroaig, Lagavulin, and Ardbeg. On a related note, we accidentally discovered that Whisky Week was taking place at the same time as our visit to Islay, so we decided to pay a visit to all three distilleries in one day. Lagavulin, however, ended up being the only distillery we had time to visit that day, upon learning that Laphroaig was closed and Ardbeg was closing at 5:00, alongside Lagavulin. I'm not a big scotch person by all means, but I was genuinely curious to try out their selections. My mom advised me to go slow on the scotch at first, since they have about 56% alcohol in it, WAY more than what I'm used to. Their scotch was available in flights, along with a small glass of water that you can take to cleanse your palate, in which we chose. My mom and I also ordered a Peat & Plum Highball Cocktail, one each for both of us. The cocktail was one of the strongest cocktails I've ever had in my life, with all that scotch and plum liqueur present inside. Yes, I love drinking cocktails, but I could not finish the entire thing because the alcohol volume was ridiculously strong. Our scotch flight included the 12-years-old 2019 (56.5% ALC VOL), 12-years-old 2022 (57.3% ALC VOL), and 12-years-old 2023 (56.4% ALC VOL). I think the only scotch that I ended up trying was the 12-years-old 2023, and I only took a very tiny sip of it. Yeah, that was MUCH too strong for my taste! Good thing the glass of water was present with our scotch flight. Everyone there was super nice and helpful, the restrooms were clean (while very small and old school), and they even have a little gift shop in front of the distillery the moment you enter. When you see a big White House over the hill after passing Laphroaig, you know you've stumbled upon Lagavulin.

On a tour of Islay, we booked a tasting at Bunnahabhain Distillery. We chose two Premium tastings…read moreand two Cask Tastings. When we arrived, we were greeted by a friendly face who welcomed us to have a look around and when we were ready, have a sit at the table reserved for our tastings. The shop is really nicely organized. They have a nice amount of merchandise for the fan who wants to display their love of Bunnahabhain Whisky. They also had a very diverse selection of bottles for purchase, in various sizes as well. Every one I asked to try, was available for sampling and given with a smile :) Our tasting was explained by Mark, who was super knowledgeable and fun. He had hand-selected all of our pours and did a terrific job of giving us a diverse set of whiskies. Bunnahabhain is known for not having peated whisky, a rare thing on Islay, and most of our pours held true to that. If you're on Islay, make sure to get over to visit these kind people who make s a great product.

This northernmost distillery on Islay is known for its unleaded whisky. However, in recent years…read morethey have started to re introduce peat into their whisky and have come up with several limited releases that resemble a bonfire on the palate. I highly recommend their warehouse 9 tour because you get to try and purchase a special release only available for participants on that tour.

We came for the tour and left with a new appreciation for how whiskey is made! Bushmills has been…read morearound since before the Pilgrims and their slogan "We're not the best because we're the oldest, we're the oldest because we're the best" definitely shows. Tours are the main attraction here and take a little over an hour. You're treated to a walk around the grounds, through the production buildings, storehouses and then get a taste of something that's been around as long as my car! (the 12 and 14 year whiskeys were great!) It's super informal and the tour guide was very nice. The tasting room was lovely and the gift shop had some great options including some whiskeys that were born in the 1900s! The only bummer is that there's no restaurant here, so plan accordingly. Luckily there are plenty of options in the area. Come out here for the Giants Causeway and drive in for the Bushmill! You'll be happy you did.

We only stopped here for a bathroom break so no time for a tour of the actual distillery. The only…read morereason why I have a lot of pictures is because I walked around and took pictures of the gift shop, restaurant and outside areas. I was only there for 20 minutes lol. I didn't eat any food there.

This is a great day out on Arran, especially if it is a rainy day!…read more Very knowledgeable staff and great drinks. I love their whisky, they do some amazing top notch ones, but I love the Arran Gold more. This is many many many times more superior than baileys liqueur. Arran gold is their mighty fine whisky with honey and cream, that's it and its damn tuppy tasty :0) Nice cafe in the distillery, nice grounds and beautiful location, it is a must visit on the Island

Waste of time and money. Did the tour with a small group of eight. The start was fine, but once…read morewe got into the distillery we could not hear a thing our guide said. I motioned that I could not hear him and he spoke one word louder and then was lost in the noise. There was way too much mechanical background. They need to have a loud speaker so people can hear. Now mind you this was not an old "hard of hearing" group, the fifteen year olds could not hear him either. The tour goes outside after the distillation house. You see the barrels outside, but never go into the warehouses. Not sure what the point was of the old weathered barrels. All the other distilleries I have visited you get to see the warehousing and smell the angel's share. I would skip this one.

The experience here is truly reflective of Irish hospitality. Greeted on entrance to this old and…read moreauthentic Irish building by good drinks and the smell of beautiful food. I had the smoked salmon to start followed by amazing seabass thermidor. Both were beautifully prepared and presented. This is a hidden gem on the north coast, buried in historic Bushmills, The distillers arms is somewhere to hunt out.

This is a great place to stop for a bite before or after a tour of the neighbouring Bushmills…read moredistillery. The meals are generous and really tasty. The atmosphere was comfortable and warm. The service is warm and friendly. My only complaint was that it was a bit slow. BF and I made it in just at the edge of the Sunday brunch price break. We didn't have anything to drink besides water, but even that was classy, served with triple citrus wedges. The soup was warming and lovely, and my lamb shank was falling-off-the-bone tender. Served on a bed of champ, with extra potatoes on the side. We finished with a Baileys creme brulee which was spot on. BF's coffee was served with a minty chocolate. Prices were very reasonable for the quality and quantity of food we got. It was a chilly Sunday and they had every reason to take their time; as soon as we told them we were in a bit of a rush at the end, the servers got us the bill quickly and we were able to be out of there fast. If you like potatoes with your potatoes, lovely food, a warm atmosphere with art and jazz, and a crackling wood fire while you wait for a table, choose the Distiller's Arms.

New distillery on the Isle of Harris . Situated in the heart of Tarbert by the ferry terminal ,…read moreit's an impressive new build . Inside is imposing but tasteful at the same time . Tours operate 3 times a day and best to book ahead . The distillery at present is only producing gin , their whisky doesn't, come on stream till 2020 . Harris gin is very smooth and can be drunk neat like The Botanist from Islay . It is infused with sugar kelp and the shop sells small bottles of sugar kelp aromatic water which you can add according to taste . The distillers recommend adding a wedge of pink or red grapefruit or lime . The tour costs 10 pounds which is slightly expensive . Their gin is sold only direct from their website or distillery . It is also available in pubs and clubs pubs . It retails at 35 pounds thus placing it in the premium gin bracket . It is currently available in a single 70cl size only . Their is a lovely cafe attached to the distillery which is worth a visit , good food and nice staff .