FEIS ILE (The Islay Festival) Distillery Program

[JAB]

Distillery Program

Saturday 22nd May - Lagavulin

Distillery Tours
Take a tour of the distillery, see our distillers at work and view the unusual pear shaped stills. Starting at reception and finishing in No.3 warehouse with a "warehouse dram'. Times: 12:15, 13:00, 13:45, 14:30, 15:15, 16:00. Cost: £6.00.
Warehouse demonstration
A behind the scenes look into our bonded warehouse. Starting at reception, accompany Iain and Billy to No.1 warehouse. This is a demonstration of warehousing skills and maturation. Come along and share a dram with our Lagavulin angels. Times: 12:30, 14:00 and 15:30. Cost: £10.00 (24 per group)
Masterclass - Peat and Smoke
A grist of world class whisky, coupled with tasty bites, by Distillery Manager - Peter M Campbell - in our Malt Mill. Times 12:00, 14:00 and 16:00. Cost: £15.00.
Bookings
Please e-mail tricia.macintyre@diageo.com with the following information:

Your full name
Address
contact telephone number & convenient time to call you (daytime only) to take payment
the class(es) you would like to attend
Number of spaces you require
NB: Tickets for Lagavulin, Caol Ila and The Maltings can be booked & issued at the same time.



Sunday 23rd May - Bruichladdich

Gates Open 12 noon

Master Classes £25.00 and must be pre-paid.
Jim McEwan's Whisky M/C - 1.00pm (full)
Andrew Gray's Rum M/C - 3.00pm
Distillery Tours
Ewald's Cocktails
Malt Bar
Shop
Special Valinch
Islay Ales
Local crafts/stalls
Local charities providing food/snacks
Courtyard Ceilidh featuring:
◦The Archie McAllister Band
◦Norma Munro
◦Robin Laing
◦Islay Pipe Band
◦Ella's Highland Dancers
◦Islay High School Wind Band
◦Paula Davidson - Belly Dancer
◦Islay Line Dancers
◦Bouncy Castle

Port Ellen Maltings

Maltings Process for Beginners
4 tours - 0900, 1000, 1100, 1200. 15 persons per tour "strict maximum'. Tour length - 45 minutes. Cost £7.00 (includes booklet on history of Port Ellen, and maltings process).

Bookings
Please e-mail tricia.macintyre@diageo.com with the following information:

Your full name
Address
contact telephone number & convenient time to call you (daytime only) to take payment
the class(es) you would like to attend
Number of spaces you require
NB: Tickets for Lagavulin, Caol Ila and The Maltings can be booked & issued at the same time.


Monday 24th May - Caol Ila

Please note there will be a complimentary frequent bus service running from Ballygrant Hall to Caol Ila throughout the day. There will be NO PARKING on site.

Distillery Tours
Come and watch the distillers at work, tending the six copper stills, while one of our guides knowledgeably takes you on our magical journey from barley to new make spirit. Ticket entitles you to 2 drams and a voucher redeemable in the shop. Times: 09:30, 11:00, 12:15, 13:00, 13:45, 14:30. Cost: £6.00
Untenanted Cask Demonstration
Ever wonder what a cask does on its day off from maturing marvelous spirit? How it recharges its batteries and springs backs to life? Come along and our Iain McArthur will give you an insightful look into this art and the magic that takes place inside the cask. This demonstration will be followed by a dram from our duty paid cask. Times: 12:00, 14:00 and 15:30. Cost: £10.00.
Masterclass
Mr. Caol Ila himself (Billy Stichell) presents some of the finest whiskies on the planet. Times: 10:00, 12:30 and 14:30. Cost: £15.00
Bookings
Please e-mail tricia.macintyre@diageo.com with the following information:

Your full name
Address
contact telephone number & convenient time to call you (daytime only) to take payment
the class(es) you would like to attend
Number of spaces you require
NB: Tickets for Lagavulin, Caol Ila and The Maltings can be booked & issued at the same time.



Tuesday 25th May - Laphroaig


Laphroaig Cask Tasting - £25.00
with John Campbell, Distillery Manager and Robert Hicks, Master Blender - 10.15am, 11.45am, 1.30pm & 3pm. Join Distillery Manager John Campbell and Master Blender Robert Hicks in the Friends of Laphroaig lounge for a Special Laphroaig Cask Tasting of different ages.
FULL STRENGTH Texa Tasting - £10.00
10.00am, 11.15am, 12.30pm, 2.15pm, 3.30pm. Join Master Ambassador Simon Brooking and Laphroaig Distillery Host David Adams aboard Islay's Sea Safari for a Full Strength Tasting, Trip to Texa along with Tales of the Sea (weather dependent). On Board enjoy: Laphroaig 10 Years Original Cask Strength, Laphroaig 10 Years Cask Strength Batch 001 and Laphroaig 10 Years Cask Strength Batch 002.
Laphroaig Sensory Tour - £10.00
10.30am, 11.30am, 12.30pm, 2.00pm, 3.00pm, 4.00pm. Come and challenge your senses to explore what makes Laphroaig unique. Walk your way through each of your 5 senses exploring Laphroaig from the inside ending with a food pairing.
Laphroaig Distillery Tour £4.00
10.00am, 10.45am, 11.30am, 12.15pm, 1.00pm, 1.45pm, 2.30pm, 3.15pm, 4.00pm. Come and tour Laphroaig Distillery. Follow your tour with a dram of Quarter Cask and don't forget to take home your special edition Laphroaig Open Day glass, only available on our Open Day.
Also on the day
Come and enjoy Cookery Demonstrations from "The Whisky Kitchen"? authors Graham and Sheila, where you will be able to get your copy of this award winning cookbook signed.

Enjoy live music from singer and songwriter Brigid Kaelin.

Additional Laphroaig events during Feis Week
The Gathering: Sunday 23rd May at 6.30pm - £25.00
Followed by The Gathering Barn Dance. For full details, see the PDF version of this programme, or visit our Web site.
Cairdeas Tasting 11.00am - £15.00
Join us in the Friends of Laphroaig Lounge for a tutored tasting, comparing Cairdeas expressions from 2008, 2009 and 2010
Monday, 24th May with John Campbell
Wednesday, 26th May with Simon Brooking
Thursday, 27th May with Vicky Stevens
Friday, 28th May with Simon Brooking

Source, Peat, Malt - Experience Laphroaig Hands-on. 1.00 pm - £20.00 (Spaces limited to 6)
Trek up to Laphroaig's valuable water source, cut peat from Laphroaig's fields and return to the distillery to turn the malt in Laphroaig's traditional floor maltings. Along the way enjoy: Laphroaig 10 Years Old, Laphroaig Cask Strength and Laphroaig Quarter Cask.
Monday, 24th May with Simon Brooking
Wednesday, 26th May with David Adams
Thursday, 27th May with Simon Brooking
Friday, 28th May with David Adams

Guided Distillery Tours - £4.00
Saturday, 22nd May and Sunday, 23rd May - 10.00am, 2.00pm
Monday, 24th, Wednesday, 26th, Thursday, 27th, Friday, 28th May - 10.00am, 11.30am, 2.00pm, 3.30pm
Saturday, 29th May and Sunday 30th May - 10.00am, 2.00pm
The visitor centre is open from 9.30 am to 5.30pm Monday - Friday, and 10.00am to 4.00pm Saturday and Sunday.

Booking is advised for all the events listed. Please telephone 01496 302418 or email visitor.centre@laphroaig.com to reserve your place. Payment is required in advance.


Wednesday 26th May - Bowmore,

Special Bottlings 2010
Eddie MacAffer has specially selected, numbered and signed the first 500 bottles of "Tempest' to celebrate 25 years of the Fèis Ìle. This small batch release will be on sale at the Distillery Visitor Centre from 10am on Saturday 22nd May. To formally mark the 25th anniversary of the Fèis Ìle, we have created just 100 bottles of an exceptional 25 year old Bowmore. Every bottle will be individually signed and numbered by Eddie MacAffer and will only be available from the Distillery Visitor Centre from 10am on Wednesday 26th May.
Explore the Bowmore Inner Core - Times 09:30, 10:30, 11:30, 14:30, 15:30 - Price £8.00
Join our Bowmore tour guides as they take you on a journey of Islay's first distillery. Throughout the tour there will be opportunities to taste different Bowmore expressions and talk to the Distillery Craftsmen who create our unique spirit.
The Bowmore Blas Masterclass - "The Core' Master Class - Times 09:00 (earlybirds get the bacon rolls!), 11:30, 14:00 - Price £15.00
Join the famous Bowmore Blas Class for a unique tasting session with the Bowmore cognoscenti - our very own Distillery Manager Eddie MacAffer and Head Distiller David Turner. Sample the Bowmore Core range of 12, 15, 18 and 25 in our famous Maltbarns.
Gasda Blasda - Whisky and Food Masterclass - Times 10:00, 12:00, 15:00 - Price £30.00
Experience a culinary whisky journey pairing some of Bowmore's newest releases with various food styles to create some of the most unexpected and mouthwatering combinations.
The "Ultimate' Masterclass - Time 19:00 - Price £125.00
Join Eddie MacAffer (Distillery Manager), David Turner (Head Distiller) and Iain McCallum (Master Blender) in Bowmore's legendary Number One Vaults (our coastal warehouses below sea level). During this unique masterclass, there will be opportunities to sample some very rare and special Bowmore spirit followed by a local seafood buffet in the Visitor Centre.
A Fond Farewell - Time 17:00
Bring the day to a close at the Visitor Centre for the debut performance of the Spirit of Islay Pipe Band.
Special Fèis Week Craftsman Tours
In addition to our Open Day events, we are also running special Craftsman Tours on Monday 24th May at 10:30 and Thursday 27th May at 14:00. These Tours cost £40.00 per person.

Islay Ales

Open Day in Islay House Square, Bridgend - 10.30am until around 7pm. All Day Events, including beer tent, pub games, barbecue and children's activities. Free Brewery tours all day and quality merchandise for sale. Enter our competition and win great prizes!


Thursday 27th May - Isle of Jura,

The programme for Jura Distillery will appear here.

Kilchoman

A Manager's Tour and Tasting in the warehouse will be held at 9.30am from Monday to Friday during the Festival but should be booked in advance: £15.00 per person.

Open Day
9.30am - Manager's Tour and warehouse tasting - £15.00 per person.
11.00am - Nibbles and Tipples with Martine Nouet - Cost to be confirmed.
2.30pm - Talk and tasting in the warehouse of various ages and expressions of Kilchoman by Dr James Swan. £20.00 per person.
An Exclusive single cask bottling will be available from the distillery on our open day only!!

General tours will be held throughout the day and all events are available for advance booking on our website using the contact us page.

We are pleased to welcome Pigtown Fling, a traditional folk music trio from Argyll, who will be playing throughout the day.

A Bar, Seafood Bar and Barbecue will be available from 11.30am


Friday 28th May - Bunnahabhain

Distillery Tours: Hourly by demand - no appointment required
Tours carried out by various members of Distillery Staff. All Tours - £4.00 per head
Bunnahabhain Masterclasses: 10.30am and 3.00pm
Learn the art of blending with a Bunnahabhain Brand Ambassador. Limited to 18 people each session. £15.00 per head - booking required.
Black Bottle Cocktail Class: 10.30am and 1.00pm
To be held in Distillery filling store. Learn the art of cocktail making with Darroch Ramsay, Black Bottle Brand Manager. Limited to 24 people each session. £12.50 per head - booking required.
Black Bottle Blending Game: 3.30pm
To be held in Distillery filling store. Learn the art of Black Bottle blending with Darroch Ramsay, Black Bottle Brand Manager. Limited to 24 people each session. £15.00 per head - booking required.
Mini Highland Games on Green in Front of Holiday Cottages: 11am - 3pm
Come along and have a go at the Mini Highland Games: Archery, Mini Golf, Welly Hurling, Tossing the Caber. Prizes for the best in each category.
Skerryvore
Scottish band Skerryvore will perform in the square at Bunnahabhain throughout the day: 12 noon; 2.30pm and 4pm
Local Arts and Craft Stalls
Barbecue with the famous Bunnahabhain Burgers expertly cooked by Islay Masters Swimming Club
Scallops cooked in Bunnahabhain 12 year old by Francois
Islay Oysters by Craig
Informal whisky tastings and chat with our Sales and Marketing staff


Saturday 29th May - Ardbeg

The programme for Ardbeg Distillery will appear here.

[JAB]

Islay Information

Islay offers the visitor a warm welcome and has a unique pace of life. For more information about how to get here, where to stay and transport on the island please follow the links below. Please note that we cannot make travel or accommodation arrangements for you.

Buses from Buchanan Bus Station, Glasgow to the ferry terminal at Kennacraig are operated by Scottish Citylink.

Full details of the ferry service are available from Caledonian MacBrayne.

Flybe operates a regular service from Glasgow airport to Islay.

For travel on the island, bus timetables are available on Argyll & Bute Council's Web site. Alternatively, car hire is available from www.islaycarhire.com and D & N MacKenzie.

There are also several taxi services:

Carol MacDonald +44 (0) 1496 302155 Mobile: 07775 782155 or e-mail: cmd2155@aol.com
Fiona's Taxis +44 (0) 1496 302622 Mobile 07808 303200
Lamont's Taxis +44 (0) 1496 810449 Mobile 07899 756159
Stuart Doyle +44 (0)1496 850170 Mobile 07771 921157 CAN PERSONALLY RECOMEND
For the more energetic, several places offer cycle hire, including

Bowmore Post Office +44 (0) 1496 810366
Port Ellen Playing Fields Association Mobile 07831 246911.
Jim Lutomski, who also carries out cycle repairs. Mobile 07760 196 592
For information on accommodation and all things Islay, visit Islay Info

[Alastair]

I wish i was going now after reading your posts JAB. Some great info there which is handy to keep for future reference.

Alastair

[JAB]

glad to say i will be there.