This is a great article. I visited Islay in 2012 and toured several distilleries, including Bruichladdich. I was already somewhat of a fan based on their uncon

This is a great article. I visited Islay in 2012 and toured several distilleries, including Bruichladdich. I was already somewhat of a fan based on their unconventional marketing and experimentation, not to mention the incredible Port Charlotte releases, and knew some of this story, but this article filled in the details. The only misleading part I'd point out is that the article implies that malting barley on Islay is impractical in general, but several distilleries do malt their barley on the island, notably Bowmore, which malts it on their own floors. Many of the others get their malt from Port Ellen Maltings, also on Islay. I'm really looking forward to cracking open the Octomore in my cabinet...