Great distillery. Venue was nice snd staff friendly. Would definitely visit again if we return to…read moreIslay.

Stopped in for lunch after a morning tour at Lagavulin. We were promptly seated and the staff was…read moreterrific. The food was also good. The only thing that was a bit mid was the apple strudel. Cute spot that's well worth a visit if you're in the neighborhood.

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.

We're from America and had no idea what to expect from a Scottish country inn. It is charming in…read moreevery sense of the word. You get up in the morning, get pampered with a big Scottish breakfast. I liked to take a walk around the driveway afterwards and I saw deer a few times. The pub is downstairs, but around the corner, so inn guests have a little space from the comings and goings. Speaking of the pub, they have 400 whiskeys on their list, and a number of flights. It's also nice to go curl up on the couch next to the wood stove on a cool evening with a good book in the hotel living room. There's a dog and a cat in residence who are pretty sure that they run the place who are very good company. Dinners are large portions, I was more comfortable with the appetizers, especially the Kintyre smoked mussels. What really touched my heart was I'm gluten free, and they went out of their way to get gluten free bread and crumpets for me. I did not expect it. That's the first time I've gotten to have bread before a meal outside my home. Usually, I sit there while I watch everyone else eat theirs. I'll never forget that. One more unforgettable part of Ballygrant is going for a walk on a clear night. There are so many stars...

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.

Top notch distillery on Islay. Tour was great. Staff super friendly and the scotch is top notch…read more Would love to visit again.

An exceptional visit. Instead of being located along the water to facilitate transport of their…read morewhisky, Kilchoman is located on a farm in the hills of Islay. The five mile drive on a single lane road through pastures with sheep and cattle is reason enough to visit. The staff have a strong sense of pride in their 100% Islay orientation. There also is a small cafe with surprisingly good sandwiches.

A fun tour. The grounds are relatively compact, but you can see and learn a lot on their tour. They…read moreare one of three distilleries on Islay that malt barley. You have a chance to rake the barley. The tour guides are engaging and knowledgeable. The tour was the only one of the four distillery tours we took on Islay along the water that didn't include a photo opportunity of a white building with the distillery name in bold black letters. There are some interesting artifacts to see in the exhibit area.

Hands down one of my favorite distillery tours. Tour guides are funny and knowledgeable. The tour…read moreis about an hour but is packed with so much content for instance the malting floor and the famous Warehouse No. 1. Bowmore is on me if the fee Islay distilleries that still takes part in the in-house malting process. The tour ends in their oldest warehouse from the eighteenth century. This warehouse is special for a number of reasons. First, it is the oldest on Islay. Second, it only matures special and limited releases. Lastly, it houses two barrels gifted by the former Queen Elizabeth. When it came time for the tasting they only give you samples of their core range. Maybe you can try some special releases on a different tour. So I guess I'll have to go back.

This review is for the hotel's bar area only. We actually did not stay here, as we were already…read morestaying at a different hotel. We went to The Islay Hotel's bar for a few drinks while waiting for our reservation to become available at a seafood restaurant right across the street. We had gotten there an hour ahead of schedule after walking back into town from a distillery. The bar area, which is separated from the actual restaurant, wasn't at all busy so we were seated right away. It was this exact location where I learned that apparently all restaurants in Scotland don't allow carry out service on Sunday's. I think this was the first time I've had coffee and an alcoholic drink at the same place at the same time, which is a little unusual for me. The three of us had a cup of mocha first, with my parents eyeing the amazing coffee machine that they had at the bar. After we finished our coffee, we moved on to their alcoholic drinks, where I had their Inch's Apple Cider and my dad had their Belhaven Best Amber Ale. I've been on the mocha/cappuccino train during this entire trip and the mocha I had here was really good. The Apple Cider, which was made with real British apples, was excellent. Apple Cider is one of my favorite alcoholic drinks, so this really hit the spot. I didn't get the chance to try the Belhaven Best because I'm not the biggest fan of dark beers, but my dad said that this was one of his favorite beers so far during this trip. I'm happy that we got the chance to hang out at the bar here before heading back to the restaurant for our scheduled reservation, rather than waiting outside in chilly, windy weather.

Fantastic food and great service at this restaurant in Port Ellen. Loved the calamari, lamb shank…read moreand desserts too. Book in advance for the restaurant but it is first come first serve for the bar.

I thought i reviewed this spot. This is a must stop distillery. It's a new distillery and…read morelooks nice. It is clean and a great main area. The store has a bar and food and all kinds of great things to buy. The store also has some exclusive bottles. The service there was what you'd expect, very friendly and high end. Treating all customers really well. This is one of the newer distilleries on Islay. Anyhow it was awesome. Really enjoyed the stop and all the stuff I bought.

Cool distillery with some nice views of Jura and the sea over in Port Askaig. They carry a good…read morerange of whisky and will gladly pour you a few free drams of the core range (and any specials, which vary) just for stopping by. Personally, I was a fan of the "Moch." Friendly staff (Emma was very nice) who are super knowledgeable and accommodating and have some fun stories to tell too. Stop by!

Atmosphere and service are great. Very friendly staff and some cozy corners and unique seating…read moreareas in this establishment. The food was unfortunately on the bland side. We enjoyed the appetizer of Guinness and onion soup and the Inn's bread but they weren't as special as the menu descriptions made them out to be: the whiskey and smoked cheese roll was hard to tell either of those flavors but the butter and pesto were very good. The soup was fine but I guess we had high expectations for it to be better than your average French onion soup. Again for entrees I think the menu descriptions built up our expectations but everything seemed even more bland than the apps. The BAHARAT SPICE RUMP OF IRISH LAMB was cooked well but was pretty flavorless even with the hummus and sauce and the lamb fat potato stack just soft potato. The unique piccolo peppers were the only thing that provided some pop to the dish- maybe it wasn't seasoned properly? The filet with the Bushmills whiskey black pepper cream and roast mushroom tomato and rocket was seasoned a little better but the cream was lacking some punch. Good but not great. It all sounds good but doesn't feel like elevated cooking especially for the price. Finally the desserts were split. We ordered a shot of the Bushmills 10 yr to go with the butterscotch sundae which made the sundae perfect. Without it I'm thinking way too sweet. The milk and honey delice was disappointing. We ate the ganache and left the rest. The crust had a strange herb like flavor that was very unappealing.

This is a beautiful restaurant and the service was impeccable. But it is very expensive for both…read moredrinks and food in comparison to other establishments in town. It is probably why the local folks we met did not recommend it because it was expensive. But overall we had a good experience and cannot complain about the quality of the food or service.