My favourite story about the Spellers is the one I tell about my mother's reaction when I explained in 2014 that we were staying with people in Scotland we had met on the internet. Of course, to my mother's generation meeting individuals on the internet is just as bad as hitchhiking on a freeway and getting in a car with a total stranger. It didn't matter that Graham and I had an online relationship with them for about a year beforehand or that we had skyped a few times over coffee/breakfast routines, etc.. (I didn't even try to explain skype to her!?) But I digress.... ;)
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| Friends & adopted family! |
The Spellers quickly became friends. We've been through some interesting trips with them and we've survived the fantastic, the bad and the ugly together. I consider Ansgar a sister of sorts and Thomas makes me laugh until my ribs hurt. They are not just 'virtual' friends anymore, they are family to me and for as long as I live I will ensure that we get to hang out at every opportunity. This year marks my 3rd road trip with them and I couldn't be prouder to have them featured on my blog. The Spellers travel, blog and experience their entire whisky journey together - always. That's pretty cool I think and gives a perspective that is different than most as it forces them to constantly work as a team, evaluate options together and in the end their choices often make for the best #whiskyfabric opportunities. I asked them to answer my questionnaire about Feis Ile as they were 'pros' having been there more often then the rest of us. I couldn't have imagined being on Islay without them, they truly made the experience magical for all of us in the house we rented together.
Without further ado... The Spellers
"Johanne
asked us to share our opinions about the Feis Ile 2015 festival, the island and
the people. She knows us a little so it may explain why she gave us questions
to answer instead of letting us babble on about details that were not related
to the point she was hoping to make, like did you know that Graham and Johanne
were married by Jim McEwan during the trip to Feis Ile, peanuts aren’t really nuts
at all and milk comes from cows? (Some of these facts are untrue.) Here we
go...
The most enjoyed and
appreciated things about visiting Islay?
Easy, Islay
is awesome. People living there are living on Islay time; if things do not turn
out as expected today, they might tomorrow. If there has been a storm, chances
are half the island is without water or electricity, and common sense dictates
you roll up your sleeves and help your neighbours, loved ones, or the people
you do not know.
Besides
that, the nature and wildlife are superb. You might not know it as a whisky
enthusiast, but besides its whisky, Islay is well known for the (rare) bird
population, and attracts many birdwatchers year round. Put on a rucksack and
your hiking shoes and you can do many days without seeing any lifeform save the
many sheep and deer (even more so when you are to include the neighbouring
island of Jura), enjoying the raw and untouched nature.
The best kept secret of
the island?
The mythical 'steering wheel wave'. It is impossible not to join in after fifteen minutes in
your car. ;)
Should every whisky geek
attend Feis Ile at least once? Or maybe every year?
Short
answer: yes, and then no. Longer answer: yes, we think every whisky geek should
at least once to do this pilgrimage and enjoy the festivities the distilleries
pull out of their top hats. There are eight distilleries in a relatively small
area, nine if you include Jura again, which also has their own festivities
during Feis Ile too. In one long and enduring week, every day has its own
distillery theme, and next to these events, there are many more organized by
the locals. Should a whisky geek do this every year? No. At least not for us.
We have been to Islay three times, two of which during the festival, and we
find the magic of the island is quite different without the whisky minded
people. Better? We don’t know, but (even) more relaxed? Most definitely. We
have already said we are taking a break from Feis Iles to come, and will be
returning to Islay off-season at some point. At another point we will most
likely be there again during a festival week though, even if it would be only
for the many #whiskyfabric meetings.
Best options for accommodations
during the festival?
If you are
on a budget, the obvious choice is to stay in one of the camping areas, or,
with more certainty of dry feet, the Hostel in Port Charlotte. If you manage to
book on time, the best options are the luxury cottages in Bowmore, at Octomore
Farm or at the Ardbeg distillery, but you will burn a big part of your whisky
budget there. For us, the best option was to rent/share a self- catering
cottage.
Bringing our
own car made it easier to pick a location just outside the larger towns. It
allowed us to save a few dollars, enjoy nature as well as the peace and quiet
the island offers. This site helped us a lot in our search, but
be aware of spots that are pointed out as “romantic, nostalgic or with old
features” can also indicate the utilities may be somewhat... ehm... primitive.
You have to be aware and prepared that on the island a storm can be cut off by
a storm or that the water supply to the cottage comes from a burn up the hill
and if it has not rained for a bit, the water simply runs out.
If you are not
bringing your own car you will have to depend on public transport so we
recommend staying in Port Ellen or Bowmore where access to the bus is easiest.
If you consider renting a bicycle be very aware the hills are steeper then they
seem and the wind so much stronger then you might think. It also rains on
Islay, but unlike other places we have visited, it does so horizontally (not
kidding). It is much easier to plough through the torrential weather and
stampedes of cows/ sheep crossings in the safety of a car.
Ok, so you are at Feis
Ile. What distillery day is than the first or last on the list to visit?
Where to go
for sure? Easy -> Bruichladdich and Ardbeg. They are the biggest parties
during the festival and are a guarantee for a lot of fun. Bunnahabhain gets a
mention on the go-to list. Good people there, throwing together a great
atmosphere.
What day to skip? We would say on the current experiences we had
that would be Caol Ila. It was fun but we could not feel the passion and fun
flowing around the courtyard as we did during the other distillery day
festivities and we also skipped Bowmore day because, well, we are just not big
Bowmore fans.
What to recommend if
you only have the 3 first days, or just 1, to spend during Feis Ile?
If you can’t
make it to Feis Ile for the whole festival but only the first days then make
sure to have a little dance and some drams with Pinky at Lagavulin, eat some
fresh fish at the Seafood Shack, do a tour at the Port Ellen maltings (only
available during the festival) and end with an ‘Artisan Octomore’ burger and
dram at Bruichladdich. Don’t go if you only have one day to spare for the
island during Feis Ile because you will only end up changing the rest of your plans
and calling in sick so you can stay the whole week to do more. The island is
not that big, but it does take time to get from the one side to the other and
you will want to stop to roll around in the peat bogs to make peat angels or
chill at one of the beautiful white beaches. In both cases you will start
banging your head against a wall in regret when you are only there for a quick
visit. Quick anything and Islay do not match.
Kilchoman. Visit, yes or no?
After doing
this a few times we would not recommend doing so during the festival. That is
based on our own experience due to:
ZE ZHERMANZ*!
You see,
first there is the small fucking road with all the potholes and when you think
those are done you find more potholes as well as walls, corners you can’t look
around, sheep, idiots with humongous camper vans and don’t even think of spaces
to try and pass. Yes… We went there, but for us, not ever again during the
festival. There are simply too many idiots that think they are on the German
Autobahn so, we will pass and recommend the same for anyone thinking of going.
The best distillery tour received on
Islay?
The best
ever distillery tour on Islay we received was also the one we sort of gave at
Laphroaig during their Feis Ile 2015 day. Sharing the #whiskyfabric passion and
love and showing our friend Jo Lawson around her favourite Islay distillery was
amazing. We started backwards (starting at the stills, ending not making malt angels on the malt
floor), just having lots of fun and laughs. Those are the lasting memories that
make our Feis Ile experiences a success. Where to wander off to for some other
great tours? Go to Bruichladdich for a warm welcome, or to Ardbeg, Lagavulin or
Bunnahabhain. All with their own charm, history and wonderful tour guides.
Of the people we were fortunate
enough to meet on Islay, _____ stands out the most because...
The island
may be called the Queen of the Hebrides, but she houses some wonderful kings
and queens. We were fortunate enough to have met "La Reine de
L’Alambic"
(the queen of the stills) Martine Nouet before, and were invited to her house
where we met Norma Munro with her golden voice. The lady with
the shop besides Islay Ales sold us some amazing marmalade, and the woman in
the tiny soap store in Bowmore explained in detail how we could easiest go to
the young lady running Outback Arts, beyond the road to Kilchoman. We were
welcomed at (almost) all of the distilleries as if we were family, were driven
around the island by Bruichladdich’s own Carl Reavey and had one or two drams
with our Canadian, English and Dutch friends at the house we shared with them,
and last but not least, with many of the Austrian, Danish, German, Japanese,
Israeli, Belgian, American, and too many other nationalities to mention
#whiskyfabric friends.
Most valuable piece of
advice? And something about budget…?
It sounds
crazy when you know what we said so far about Islay and planning, but plan
ahead as much as possible on accommodations during the festival. One year in
advance is not crazy, especially when you may be coming over with a group. Keep
in touch with distilleries and monitor social media about Islay and the
festival program(s), and make sure you book the ferry well in advance. Don’t wait
until the last minute to make arrangements and most of all: don’t try to do too
many events. Take some time to breathe in the Islay air. This Islay website is not always the quickest to be up to date but gives good
feedback on how and what is there.
Budget wise?
Well, set a budget because you will be tempted to buy all the distillery
festival bottlings, especially when you are driving your own car (trust us, we
know). Set yourself a reasonable budget in advance, keep track of your
purchases and stop when you reach your limit. Most important: when you buy a
bottle, open it and share it, either during the festival, or back home with
your friends that could not make it to come with you. Please do not sell the
bottles for a quick buck, and give the wrong example.
The most surprising thing about Feis
Ile and/or Islay?
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| Winds - 80km/h - not kidding!? |
Not Feis Ile
per se, but Islay - like the rest of Scotland, has some surprises up her
sleeves. When you do not like the current weather or location, drive another
five minutes and your surroundings will most likely have changed from the rough
seashore to an (almost) Caribbean beach, including weather type. Once you have seen the colour of the Bruichladdich bottle in Loch Indaal, or the
beautiful village of Portnahaven with waters dancing with shimmering sun or the
forests beyond Ardbeg distillery you might know what we mean. Locals pouring you a generous dram (often at 11 in the morning), handing you a dry towel (weather permitting) or as we mentioned before experiencing the magic of the steering wheel wave, these are only things you experience when on Islay.
Go there. As so many before us and many more to come... Make
that pilgrimage, you won't regret it!
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| Bruichladdich Day crowd madness ;) |
With love,
Thomas and
Ansgar Speller
WhiskySpeller
*not just Germans, tourists in general, including
ourselves.
And so I saved the best of the guest blogs about Islay/Feis Ile for last. I think Ansgar and Thomas provided the most complete list of what to do, expect and possibly experiencing if you do decide to go. But.. if you've been following along, you'll note we have all pretty much said the same thing:
1. Don't wait until the last minute to book anything (especially accommodations).
2. Expect the island to be brimming with idiots, friends, whisky and delays... LOTS of delays.
3. Plan your days carefully as there is so much to do, see and share.
I do hope these guests blogs as well as my own musings give a better indication of what to expect when on Islay during Feis Ile. It's a magical place where anything can happen, including meeting some of your biggest whisky heroes as well new ones!
Cheers,
Lassie
