Sans the "e".

A few years back I began cultivating my whiskey collection, which for me meant following whiskey connoisseur Instagram pages, becoming a rewards member at my favorite discount liquor warehouses, and creating an account on the app “Distiller” to see what others were tasting. This became super helpful as I narrowed in on the flavor profiles I enjoyed most (which continue to change through time for me btw). Early on I was a fan of the vanilla, oaky, brown sugar type flavors, and avoided whiskeys that were spicy, smoky, or peaty, for a long time, until one of my favorite local stores advertised a small, sort of boutique, scotch for sale.

The description in the advertisement piqued my interest heavily. It described a scotch produced from an island off mainland Scotland, which has only one road, one community, one pub, and one distillery. I had to look it up. Turns out the island of Jura has a population of about 200 people, and most of the jobs on the island are associated with the scotch distillery, appropriately named Jura Whisky (no “e”, typical of the Scots). I highly recommend checking out the website, it really is a neat place with a unique microclimate. Although they do stress that it is not the easiest place to produce scotch, they claim it is the best! There is something so intriguing about the idea of living on a remote island off the coast of Scotland, working in a distillery making a unique name for itself, alongside beautiful Scottish landscapes. Sounds quite surreal when comparing it to the rustle and bustle of the northeast US. So much so to me, that I began planning a trip to visit with one of my best friends! 0-100 too quick? I’ll explain why I became even more fascinated and what inspired this spontaneous trip planning…

So after I learned everything about the island of Jura, I was curious to learn what made scotch, scotch, particularly in the island regions that made their product so unique that it could support life there for hundreds of people. The answer is peat. Peat (or peaty) is commonly used to describe a particular earthy flavor associated with some scotches. It also is typically combined with a smoky flavor; this is the classic dominant flavor profile of whisky coming out of the Scottish island region. Simply enough, peaty flavor comes from peat; basically the bogs of the earth on the islands, made up of decomposed organic plant matter. Interestingly enough, peat burns similarly to coal, and was historically used to heat homes since it is such a vast resource on islands such as Jura or Islay (unlike say trees). At some point through time, Scots began using peat in the malting process, burning it underneath barley to dry it out and stop the germination process. Because peat burns very smoky and odorously, the barley absorbs all that smoke odor, giving it a distinct smell and flavor. Some speculate the use of peat only began because of the sheer abundance, and lack of other fuel sources on the islands. Today, although modernized, this process still exists to create the same historic flavor the world knows and loves.

All of this history made me even more curious, so I began learning more about the distilleries on Islay in particular, how they differentiate themselves, and even how their whisky is meant to be enjoyed (smelled, twirled, observed, smelled again, and tasted). Islay is said to be the birthplace of whisky and is home to some of the most revered distilleries in the world -- for a great mid-range price point bottle try Laphroaig 10, but if your looking to spend a little extra, get yourself the 16-year Lagavulin, you wont regret it -- but I digress.

With this new found appreciation for the history and the products produced from this amazing place, I found myself enjoying scotch and even other whiskey types, more and more. It is true that sometimes whiskey is just whiskey, produced by a mass manufacturer, designed to be mixed in a cocktail, and intoxicate you quickly. Whiskey in most cases, however, tells a story, a story of where it comes from, how old it is, who inspired it, and so on. It is sort of like a journey for all who partake. So there is your challenge. Break out of your comfort zone and experiment with new things, hobbies, flavors, styles, etc. If we don't challenge ourselves to learn and grow, we just won't. There are things worth exploring in this world, human beings are awesome, the mind is incredible. Seize the day!

Hope you enjoyed the week end read,

Dionisio III