The price starts at £239 and includes transport in a mini-coach, the ferry crossing and an extremely knowledgable driver-guide. The Islay & Whisky Coast tour with Rabbie’s lasts four days and departs from Edinburgh two to three times a week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday). Their Scotland tours leave from Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, Aberdeen, Manchester and London and last between one and seventeen days. Groups are kept to 16 people maximum and transport is always in comfortable mini-coaches with A/C and panoramic windows. Rabbie’s offers small group tours of Scotland. However, the easiest way is to visit Islay on a whisky tour is by joining a guided tour – then someone else can do the driving and you can enjoy all the whisky you want! Rabbie’s Islay Tour There is also an airport on Islay and Loganair operates direct flights from Glasgow. The crossing to Port Ellen takes about 2h 10m while the crossing to Port Askaig is slightly quicker at just under 2h.
#OBAN DISTILLERY TO ISLE OF JURA HOW TO#
How to get to Islay & how to get around?Ī Calmac ferry crosses over to Islay from Kennacraig near Tarbert and lands either in Port Ellen (south Islay) or Port Askaig (north Islay). Islay lies west of the Kintyre peninsula and south of the Isles of Mull, Colonsay and Jura. From its southernmost point at the Mull of Oa (pronounced Oh), you can see the coast of Northern Ireland, which is only 24 miles away. It is part of the wider region of Argyll and the Isles. Islay is the southernmost island of the Inner Hebrides on the west coast of Scotland. YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: A Beginner’s Guide to Trying Scottish Whisky Islay Whisky Tour FAQ Where is Islay? and of course my verdict of the tour – is it worth it?.some practical advice and packing tips,.I was lucky enough to visit Islay with Rabbie’s and try this whisky distillery tour for myself. Since your driver-guide makes sure you get from one distillery to the next and arranges tours and tastings on your behalf, you can concentrate fully on your tastebuds.
#OBAN DISTILLERY TO ISLE OF JURA FULL#
Rabbie’s offers the perfect solution – a 4-day Islay tour from Edinburgh (more info here)! The Islay tour includes two full days on the island and the opportunity to visit many of the distilleries on your list. There is zero tolerance for drinking and driving in Scotland, but even if there was no law, it would not be a good idea to get behind the steering wheel on a self-drive tour around Islay’s distilleries.
There is just one problem: who is going to be the designated driver? Laphroaig, Lagavulin and Bowmore are only just the beginning! There are nine distilleries on Islay and even though it is the fifth-largest island in Scotland, that is still a lot! All these distilleries offer tours and tastings and if you are into your uisge-beatha, there is no way around visiting all of them. These whiskies win awards, are featured in popular culture and inspire many people to visit Scotland and Islay and see where it all comes from. Every whisky-lover is familiar with the smoky taste of an Islay whisky, typical for whiskies made with peated barley. The distilleries on Islay produce some of the most popular and most successful whiskies in the world. The Isle of Islay is such a region that is inseparable from its whisky distilleries.
The Scottish Gaels called it uisge-beatha, the Romans aqua vitae – both means “water of life” and refer to Scotland’s liquid gold: whisky.Īnd indeed, whisky gives life and glory to many parts of Scotland where connoisseurs and craftspeople have perfected the art of making single malt and blended whisky. This post contains affiliate links which I may make a commission from. Don’t fret – Scottish small tour provider Rabbie’s has the perfect solution: a 4-day Islay Whisky Tour from Edinburgh! Read on to find out whether it’s worth it or not! When it comes to food and drink, Scotland is first and foremost famous for one thing: whisky! Distillery tours and tasting the Scottish single malts are essential experiences on any Scotland trip and no region attracts more whisky-lovers than the famous Isle of Islay.īut of course, road trips and whisky tasting do not go hand in hand.