365 Days of Solitude: Whisky, Whisky, Whisky

We pick up in Islay, Scotland and try to find the hostel that never came to be. Quick! What's the song reference?

Last week I made my first excursion into "the real world" since arriving on Iona in mid-March. Normally a third visit to Oban would not be cause for any particular celebration, but his time around I was going to meet Luke who had just arrived from Amsterdam. Europe was a bit of a stopover for him because his final destination for this trip was China to rock climb. But to complete his training in preparation for this time there, he first had to come meet up with his bro in Scotland. The itinerary was left up to my discretion with the sole requirement being that we get to visit any of the Tallisker, Lagavulin, or Laphroaig distilleries. Because Lagavulin and Laphroaig are both located on the Isle of Islay (pronounced "I-la") this seemed like the best destination. Islay is home to six other distilleries besides these two most famous ones so there wouldn't be a lack of chances to imbibe in the "water of life" (as the Scots call their beloved whisky).

Like anything good that Luke and I do together, or just anything we do together, convenience and comfort were not the two highest priorities. But because of the precedents of the Alaskan hunting/kayaking venture, the hungover slog to the top of the Sandias via bicycle the day after Luke's 21st birthday, and bike epic from Albuquerque to Santa Fe ski area, I knew that even if it wasn't the most physically comfortable journey, it was going to be a legendary time and there was going to be a good story to tell at its conclusion.

Due to a lack of hostel accommodation on Islay, Luke and I borrowed a tent from John that was reportedly last used sometime in 1985. Since it had been clear, pristine spring weather for the three preceding weeks I didn't see much importance in setting up the rain fly along with the tent, but luckily common sense prevailed on Luke's part. Lo and behold, in the middle of the night I woke up to the sound of rain, which would continue for the next two days straight, and knew that I would be hearing about it in the morning. You would think with me having spent close to a month in Scotland and Luke being from Alaska that we would make sure that all of the gear we brought with us was waterproof, but sadly this was not the case. Despite his foresight on the tent fly, he hadn't brought any waterproof shoes along with him and I had forgotten to pack a waterproof coat. You live and you learn....and you get wet.

We spent the full day Thursday trekking and hitch-hiking around Islay to different distilleries - first it was Caol Isla where we started our day with a tasting of four different ages of their whisky, topped by a taste of a special edition, twenty-four year old, sherry cask aged dram. Some say leave the best for last, but this was definitely a case of start with the best! Not that our next two stops of Lagavulin and Laphroaig were a disappointment by any means, they just weren't the same as the Caol Ila special. That being said, Lagavulin had the coolest distillery out of the lot and because we had visited Caol Ila as well, we were able to get a free tour. During the tour we had the chance to taste the wort (the stage prior to distillation in whisky making, which up to that point mirrors the production of beer) which tasted exactly how you think a peat-smoke beer would!

It was something of a mad dash first back to Oban, then to Iona, on Friday and Saturday. But after multiple hours on ferries and buses we made it back to the hostel. The weather continued to be inclement but breaks in the downpour provided opportunities for me to show Luke around Iona. This evolved into Luke leading me around Iona in search of rocks to climb - who would have thought that Iona could be a destination for bouldering?

Heeeeeeeeey!

My favorite distillery.

Second favorite.

Ah nothing like a whisky tasting at 10:00AM!

The castle ruins on the left provided the campground for the evening.

And the Lagavulin provided the campfire!

Looking out from the Dunyvaig Castle ruins.

"I see.........whisky!"

Leaving Port Ellen the next morning, Oban bound.

Luke's plan for Oban's first skyscraper.

The architect himself!

Back on Iona, scoping out the rocks.

Nothing like climbing with the threat of falling into frigid water to help you stay focused.

He assured me, that going shirtless was absolutely necessary.

Wait for it....

Next bouldering problem (no water beneath this one).

Rocking it out. On a hard climb. Notice Luke's stoney face.

Keeping the climbing shoes dry.

My climbing feat of the day - crossing this fence. And yes, I did manage to jump it without injury, or as I like to say, "pulling a Ben Lande and breaking my elbows".