The Islay & Jura Whisky Trail: Peat, Sea and Ten Distilleries on One Island
The trail at a glance
| Distance | ~40–50 miles on Islay + ferries; ~135 miles Glasgow–Kennacraig |
| Time | 4–5 days to tour it properly (plus the crossing) |
| Distilleries | 11 on Islay + 1 on Jura |
| Getting there | CalMac ferry Kennacraig → Port Ellen or Port Askaig (~2h) |
| Best time | Spring–autumn; Fèis Ìle (the Islay festival) is late May |
| Our take | Book the ferry early — and everything peaty sells out at festival |
Islay (say “eye-la”) is the promised land for lovers of smoky whisky: a small, wild Hebridean island with eleven working distilleries strung around its coast, most of them making the peaty, maritime, medicinal malts the island is famous for. Add the ferry-hop to neighbouring Jura and you have one of the greatest whisky trips on earth — but it takes planning, because Islay is a long way from anywhere and the ferries and tours fill up fast.
Getting there
The drive down the Kintyre peninsula to the ferry port at Kennacraig is about 135 miles from Glasgow — a beautiful run in itself along Loch Fyne. From there CalMac sails to either Port Ellen (handy for the south-coast distilleries) or Port Askaig (handy for the north-east and Jura). Book the ferry as far ahead as you can, especially with a motorhome.
The south coast — the big peaty three (and a ghost reborn)
The single most famous stretch of whisky coast in the world runs east from Port Ellen along the Kildalton shore: Laphroaig, Lagavulin and Ardbeg, three whitewashed distilleries within a couple of miles of each other — you can walk or cycle between them. Right in the town is the reborn Port Ellen, the legendary “ghost” distillery brought back to life in 2024.
Bowmore, the Rinns & the new one
Central Bowmore, the island’s capital, has the oldest distillery, Bowmore (1779), right on the loch, and its famous round church. Just south, near the airport at Glenegedale, is Islay’s brand-new Laggan Bay. Across Loch Indaal on the Rinns lie progressive Bruichladdich and the lovely farm distillery Kilchoman.
The north-east & the Jura hop
Up by Port Askaig sit three more — Caol Ila, remote Bunnahabhain, and the newest, Ardnahoe, with its famous view. From Port Askaig a tiny ferry crosses the fast Sound of Islay in five minutes to Jura, where almost the whole population — and the Jura distillery — cluster in the single village of Craighouse beneath the Paps.
Overnights, food & the practical bit
Islay has campsites at Kintra and Port Mor and several hotels; the Port Charlotte and Bowmore areas are good bases, with the Peatzeria and a handful of good island eateries. As ever, keep a sober driver — the distilleries will bottle a driver’s dram to take home — and book tours ahead, doubly so around the Fèis Ìle festival in late May when the island fills up.
More whisky
- The full picture: Scotch whisky — regions, distilleries & the oldest of all.
- Every Islay distillery has its own page, linked from the Islay section of that guide.