LAGAVULIN

ISLE OF ISLAY

Dating from 1816 and housed in a sequence of white-washed buildings with a distinctive twin-towered roof, Lagavulin has a long-running rivalry with the nearby Laphroaig distillery. Although the two distilleries are only a mile apart, the water and the peat each uses are sufficiently different to create two very distinct whiskies. The 16-year-old Lagavulin is considered by many to be the benchmark for a great Islay whisky.

malts.com

Where to stay

Recently reopened, The Machrie Hotel is set in the dunes of Islay, six miles from Lagavulin village. Its 47 bedrooms have views across island's peat plains, over the hotel's own golf course or as far as the remote Mull of Oa peninsula. Seven miles of pristine beaches and the opportunity to spot white eagles, puffins, short-eared owls and waders make this an hotel for wildlife enthusiasts as well as golfers and whisky-lovers.

campbellgrayhotels.com