Scotland Travelogue May 20th (Day 4)

Because I had gone to bed early the day before, I managed to wake up unusually early in the morning. I went for a 40-minute walk along the coast with Campbell's Master, who loves walking. It was my first clear day in Scotland, and the weather felt very pleasant. I had breakfast around 8 AM. I chose a full Scottish breakfast, which I didn't get tired of. Although the menu was almost identical to that of the previous hotel, Creag Ghallair, I found the taste here to be different. The flavor here was slightly more refined. I checked out around 9 AM and headed to Dewar's in Cargowald near Auchtermuchty. The weather was a bit gloomy, but it felt Scottish in its own way. Although the scenery was desolate and atmospheric, driving on a sunny day is still very pleasant. I arrived at Dewar's shop and office around 10 AM. At Dewar's, I was able to taste various cask samples, including younger ones and long-matured ones. The owner of Dewar's is associated with Bowmore, having bottled Bowmore once at the whisky fair. However, since the management changed to Beam Suntory, all previous connections have apparently disappeared. After that, I went to Garvean, which is relatively close to Auchtermuchty. It felt like a huge factory, and you can't get an overview of the entire facility from afar. The distillery itself, Ile Bay, located within it was also quite large. Additionally, the exterior looked very different from what I had imagined for a Scottish distillery. *Even when photographed from far away, the entire Garvean couldn't be captured in one shot. *The building with blue roofs at the back is said to be Ile Bay's distillation facilities. From there, we headed to Ardrossan Harbour and took a ferry to Islay. We drove our cars onto the large ferry, which had a broken exit gate on one side, forcing us to back out halfway. It was an amusing situation. From there, we drove towards the Loch Lomond Distillery. As expected for a tourist spot, I encountered many elderly people trekking through the scenic area. There were also many sheep around. Driving along almost a single road for about 30 minutes, we finally arrived at the Islay Distillery. Before getting out of the car, it started raining quite heavily again (laughs). Nevertheless, the distillery, including its visitor center, was very clean and beautiful. Louise guided us through the facility, explaining every step of the distillation process in detail. We were also given samples to taste, including freshly made wash and water from the source. *The small stream with a peaty color is Islay's Mother Water. *From the entrance to the pot still, all necessary equipment is arranged on one floor. The tasting for bottling had three items. They were carefully selected, and each was an excellent sherry cask that was hard to compare. I stayed until the distillery closed around 5 PM. After that, I traveled with Louise on a ferry (which was significantly delayed and caused some anxiety) to the Kintyre Peninsula. We cut through it from east to west towards Kenmore, then took a ferry again with our car heading finally to Islay. The parking area was full, and there were quite a few campers. We departed around 9 PM. It was a two-hour journey with meals on board. A significant portion of the passengers seemed to be heading for the Islay Festival, and compared to the last time I took this ferry, there were more enthusiasts on board. Talking with everyone made the two hours fly by, and we finally arrived at Port Ellen on Islay around 11 PM. It's been a while, but as expected, everyone's spirits lifted upon arriving at Islay. Of course, mine did too. Because we arrived in the middle of the night and it was pitch dark around us, we moved to a trailer house right next to Bruichladdich. I had never been here before, but it's a multi-person accommodation facility used annually, feeling like being inside a large camper van. I was surprised to find it much more comfortable than I had imagined. *Although a bit messy, there was a wide sofa in the living room where three people could sleep. There were also two bedrooms, a kitchen with a shower and toilet. We raised a toast together, but I intended to go to sleep immediately. However, we ended up chatting and drinking until after 2 AM before finally going to bed. During the Islay Festival, each distillery has designated days. Tomorrow is Lagavulin Day, and since this year marks the 200th anniversary of Lagavulin, it's our main event for this festival. We need to wake up early to buy commemorative bottles. #ScotlandTravelogue2016