Whisky and water: a perfect mix

There are worse ways to explore Scotland's west coast than by travelling in a flotilla. Richard Jones went on the classic malts cruise

It was a Talisker moment. Standing on the summit of a fern-strewn hill, almost embarrassingly modest in stature by local standards, with one of Scotland's finest single malt whiskies in our hands.

The murky weather that had spoilt the morning was beginning to clear, revealing a spellbinding panorama featuring all the raw, natural beauty of the West Coast of Scotland.

In the foreground the Sound of Jura, liberally dotted with mini islands of various shapes and sizes; behind it the sprawling, largely uninhabited island of Jura itself; to the south-west the incredible island of Islay, the Irish Sea and, ultimately, Ireland; and in the centre of the piece, a group of strangely silent and, frankly, awe-struck journalists, here to experience one of the self-styled most important events in the Scottish sailing calendar, the Classic Malts Cruise.

If a bar stocks a decent selection of single malt whiskies, in whatever part of the world it happens to be, chances are you'll find the Classic Malts of Scotland.

The range consists of six distilleries - Cragganmore (Speyside), Dalwhinnie (Highland), Glenkinchie (Lowland), Lagavulin (Islay), Oban (Coastal) and Talisker (Island) – each specially selected to represent one of the classic whisky regions.

The Classic Malts Cruise began back in 1994 to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Oban Distillery. Now firmly established as a regular sailing fixture, the event takes place over two weeks in late July and centres around the three coastal...

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• By : Richard Jones
• In : Drinks
• Issue : 14
• Page : 68
• Words : 1,401