Isle of Islay – 5

A pot or wash still is filled about two-thirds full of a fermented liquid called wash with an alcohol content of about 7–12%. The still is then heated so that the liquid boils. The liquid being distilled is a mixture of mainly water and alcohol or ethanol. At sea level, alcohol has a boiling point of 78.4 degrees Centigrade whereas water boils at 100 degrees Centigrade. Therefore, the alcohol evaporates at a higher rate than water. This means the concentration of alcohol in the vapour above the liquid in the still is higher than in the liquid itself. This vapour travels up the swan neck at the top of the pot still and down the lyne arm, after which it travels through the condenser (also known as the worm), where it is cooled to yield a distillate with a higher concentration of alcohol than the original liquid. After one such stage of distillation, the resulting liquid, called “low wines”, has a concentration of about 25–35% alcohol by volume. In a single malt whisky these low wines are distilled again in another pot still and yield a distillate with a higher concentration of alcohol.

The tasting area at Caol Ila has the finest view of any, looking out over the Sound of Islay towards the Paps of Jura. This is the water across which the Feolin ferry heads from Jura on a regular basis to Port Askaig. With its higher elevation, the tasting room allows visitors to appreciate the tides and the currents that are flowing in both directions at the same time. 

The next thing for me to do was to catch the ferry over the Sound Of Islay to Jura. I could see the bus had already arrived and was waiting for the passengers to come. Everything is so well organised.