Guest post - The Spellers give advice about visiting Islay during Feis Ile

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.... ;)

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 

( http://whiskyspeller.blogspot.ca/ )

"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?

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!

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

More on Feis Ile... Guest opinion - the infamous Steffen Bräuner

OMG He cracks me up!!!

So in continuation with my Feis Ile review and stories it's time to share another point of view from someone who has been to Islay 5 times but this was his very first Feis Ile festival. If you don't know Steffen Bräuner, by golly please get to know him. He's probably one of the funniest if not smartest bloggers I've ever met. Here is the blog he wrote about his trip to Feis Ile for 2015:

http://danishwhiskyblog.blogspot.dk/2015/06/feis-ile-2015.html

 I also asked Steffen to answer my 10 question survey that I had sent out to a few people who attended as I felt it was important to get as many opinions (from first timers like myself and Steffen to hardcore fans) Here is what he thought:

1. Do you think every whisky geek should attend Feis Ile at least once?

"Feis Ile is one the major whisky festivals in the world. If you were to make a survey I would guess most enthusiasts will have this in their top 3. I think this already answered the question! I wouldn't go every year because I like to visit many different whisky festivals. Of course, I can't do them all every year but I come back now and again."

2. What do you think is the best option for accommodations during the festival and why?

"I feel the best option is to get a cottage. Go with a group. Bring some whisky. Invite some people over. Drink some whisky. It's quite nice if you have a private dramming place for the evenings if nothing much else is going on." 

3. What was the best distillery day for you and why? 

"This is a tough question to answer. The distillery days are more less similar. I managed to get around Caol Ila, Laphroaig, Bruichladdich, Ardbeg and Lagavulin. All distillery days and distilleries will have some special events, but they just sell out too fast. It would help if events capacity matched the interest.  

Laphroaig stood out for me. It had an ongoing set of mini tastings, around 5 different ones I think, if not more. All were three drams for a tenner, with different themes. These tasting went on all day and you couldn't book them in advance. But there was plenty. This was a great idea in my opinion. Laphroiag also offered the best whiskies for me and I really enjoyed all their anniversary bottlings: Cairdeas 2015, the new 15yo and the new 21yo.

Caol Ila and Lagavulin had similar events, on a much smaller scale though, where you could taste 2 or 3 casks samples in a blind tasting quiz. Also a very good idea."

4. What distillery day did you not enjoy and wouldn't recommend? 

"I didn't like Bruichladdich day at all. All events were basically sold out before they even hit the internet, and the possibilities to taste some interesting whiskies at the event were quite limited. For gods sake, take the whisky out of the events and make something fun available on the day itself as well. The few whiskies you could try were not my favourites, and for me personally I go to whisky festivals to try whiskies."

5. What did you appreciate and enjoy the most about visiting Islay?

"All the nice people I met and all the good whisky they brought along."

Our whisky hike up to the American Monument - HIGHLY RECOMMENDED (I didn't forget Peter this time!!)

6. What about a visit to the youngest distillery - Kilchoman, would you recommend it? 

"I did not visit Kilchoman because… I have some issues with Kilchoman, and this trip didn't help, it just got worse. Anything they bottle not from ex-bourbon is terribly terribly sulphured for my palate (but not for most others), so this is a distillery I just can't get along with. A few odd things happened for me with this distillery as well when I was on Islay, some of them my own fault, but it all builds up to the fact that I will never be a big fan, to say it mildly."

7. What surprised you the most about this festival?

"The thing that surprised me the most about Feis Ile and/or Islay was the generosity of other festival guests, and the amazing whiskies they brought. A big part of the quality of this festival is created by the people attending."

8. What is the most valuable piece of advice you can give to someone about Feis Ile? 

"Start planning well ahead, probably 2-3 years in advance if you can because you need accommodations, which can be hard to find. I would also make sure to go with a group, as you have to spend 9-10 days on Islay if you want to experience the whole festival. That's a long time, and not much happens on Islay, which might suit some better than others. All the other times I have been to Islay was outside the festival and just 3-4 days every time, but the festival visit was my favourite."

9. Budget...?

"I don't usually do budgets but I guess the trip was cheaper than most other whisky trips I do. We didn't spend a lot of money on restaurants and bars, which, for me, has a huge impact on lowering the price of a holiday. Home cooking and private dramming can make a holiday cheap."

10. If someone said they only had one day to spend on Islay during Feis Ile  what would you recommend?

"Driving around to as many distilleries as possible to get some bottles, because… One day is way too short for Islay!! Both inside or outside of the festival dates. I would try to hit as many distilleries to get whisky. Not necessarily the festival bottling as there are a lot of other good offers. Bunnahabhain just introduced a very good 'bottle your own facility" with three casks, which in my opinion were some of the better offers. In fact these bottle your own Bunnahabhains were better than their festival bottlings. 

I would also make sure to get around the distillery day that just happens to be on the day you are there, just so you can experience the festival mood and if possible try to find in a Lagavulin Warehouse Tour. It's available outside of the festival timeline as well. I love it so much I've done it several times."

Well there it is, one of the most well travelled whisky people I know and love. It's funny how sometimes opinions can be so opposite. From my perspective I disliked Laphroaig day, loved Bruichladdich day and thought the Kilchoman day was superb!?  We agreed on a lot of the other stuff though like the kindness and generosity of other whisky enthusiasts from around the world. In the end, Steffen and I think the same which is sometimes if you simply take the focus OFF whisky, some pretty amazing things happen that usually involve fantastic whiskies...  Go figure!? All I can add to what Steffen thinks is that for me, Steffen, Bryan and yes Peter (I always seem to forget that poor guy) MADE my Feis Ile quite a special and amazing visit. I highly suggest you go with a group of people you like and bring out the best in whisky and friendships!

Here's to the lovely people we meet during the festivals we attend and may those friendships continue to grow over the years! I personally cannot wait to Spirit of Speyside where I will get to see many of the same people I hung out with at Feis!
May your whisky adventure be as full and wonderful as mine! I have a few more Feis Ile reviews to post. Up next was my day on Jura which was one of the most unforgettable days on my Scotland trip and a review from Ansgar and Thomas Speller, whisky writers/bloggers from the Netherlands. 

Huzzah my fine whisky fiends!!!

Lassie