Guided Islay Whisky Festival Experience May 2026

April 29, 2025July 28, 2025daviddistilled Leave a comment

Join us at Feis Ile 2026 for the Ultimate Islay Whisky Festival Experience!

Join us on the Hebridean island of Islay during the Islay Whisky Festival 2026 where you will be part of a small group of enthusiasts visiting each distillery open day and enjoying tours and tastings at as many distilleries as possible.

Week Long Experience Hosted by Industry Experts

When you join us on Islay at Feis Ile on our Guided Islay Whisky Festival Experience I will be your host for the week. I’m David Wood and I have worked in the whisky industry for more than 30 years. I’ve been involved in every aspect of the industry from managing iconic distilleries to bottling, marketing and retailing my own brands of whisky. I was a manager at the iconic Lagavulin Distillery and Distillery Manager at the mighty Caol Ila Distillery so I make the perfect host.

Islay Whisky Festival Accommodation

Our Guided Islay Whisky Festival Experience is a week long trip. If you join us you will benefit from accommodation in a beautiful farmhouse on the Rhinns of Islay not far from Port Charlotte and Bruichladdich. During the week all of your meals will be prepared by our talented chef, John Moir. There will be a cooked breakfast every day, a full evening meal and a packed lunch too.

Guided Islay Whisky Festival Experience Dates

Our Guided Islay Whisky Festival will commence at 5pm on Saturday 23rd May 2025 and run through until 9am on Saturday 30th May.

Complimentary transport will be arranged for you for Saturday 23rd May from either the ferry terminal where you arrive or from Islay Airport. Complimentary transport will be provided for you to get to each of the distillery tours / tasting and festival days on the itinerary that we will provide.

Whats Included In The Guided Islay Distilleries Experience?

Beautiful, well equipped accommodation with stunning Islay views
All food specially prepared for guests by our chef John Moir – breakfast, packed lunch and evening meals
Complimentary transport to and from distillery events and complimentary transfers to and from the ferry or plane
A full itinerary of distillery tours and tastings, and visits to island beauty spots and places of historic interest
Myself David Wood, former Caol Ila Distillery Manager as your host for the week

What Is The Cost of the Guided Islay Distilleries Experience?

We think that this is an exclusive experience. It is an opportunity for you to join a small group of whisky enthusiasts on Islay at the greatest whisky festival in the world with an industry expert as your host for the week. You will be staying in the very best of accommodation that the island has to offer and you won’t need to make any arrangements for food or transport whilst you are with us as it will all be provided for you. Please send us an email to enquire about availability and cost.

Guided Islay Distillery Experiences

I shall be putting together a comprehensive itinerary which will ensure that we visit each distillery during the week so that guests have the opportunity to buy special Islay Whisky Festival bottlings where available. We will then take part in tours and tastings at all of the distilleries.

Comprehensive Island Tour

During this exclusive trip to Islay, we will ensure that guests see as much of the island as possible in between distillery visits. We’ll take you to all of the islands beauty spots and sites of historic interest.

Contact Us

If you would like to make an enquiry about our Guided Islay Distillery Experiences, please give David a call on 07875 405 980

Islay Whisky Tour

July 31, 2018July 23, 2023daviddistilled Leave a comment

Join me, David Wood for an ultimate Islay Whisky Tour. I’ve worked in the whisky industry for many years and was Distillery Manager at the biggest distillery on Islay, the mighty Caol Ila Distillery!

Exclusive Islay Whisky Tours With a Distillery Manager

When you join us on Islay you, whether for a few days or for a week, you will enjoy luxurious accommodation throughout your stay in breathtaking scenery. We take care of all your food, all your transport whilst on Islay and all distillery tours, tastings and masterclasses.

During your stay with us, I’ll be your island guide, we’ll visit as many distilleries as you like and see as much of the beautiful Isle of Islay as possible.

Whats Included?

Luxury traditional farmhouse accommodation with stunning Islay mountain views and roaring fires
All food supplied to your requirements
All transport to and from distillery events and transfers to and from the ferry or plane
A full itinerary of distillery tours and tastings
Myself David Wood, former Caol Ila Distillery Manager as your host for the duration of your stay
The opportunity to fish for wild brown trout on the loch adjacent to the house
Deer stalking as an optional extra

Contact Us

We’d love to hear from you. If you would like to make an enquiry about our Islay Whisky Tours, please complete the form below and we will reply to you as soon as we can!

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Islay Distillery Tours With a Distillery Manager

There is nowhere quite like Islay not least because of the fact that there are no less than 8 working distilleries on this relatively small island. The new Ardnahoe Distillery will be in operation in August 2019 and more distilleries are planned.

There is so much to see, from important historical sites such as Finlaggan to the beautiful, empty Atlantic beaches at Machir Bay and Saligo. The scenery is breathtaking and the wildlife abundant, you are more likely to see golden eagle and white tailed sea eagle here than anywhere else in the United Kingdom. Islay has become the eagle island.

If you are a lover of seafood, there is plenty to wet the appetite on Islay. The local fishing fleet brings in crab, lobster and all kinds of shellfish on a daily basis, and there are always oysters available for those who wish to try them as fresh as possible straight from the brine.

Why Join Us on a Guided Islay Whisky Distillery Trip?

If you want to pack as much in to your trip as possible, whatever your time constraints may be, to visit as many distilleries as possible and enjoy the very best of distillery tastings and experiences whilst seeing as much Islay as possible, we can host and plan your trip for you to ensure you get the most out of your trip to Islay.

Each of our Islay whisky tours is different. Many of our trips are bespoke to our clients requirements. Some of our guests like to relax in front of the fire after a busy day visiting distilleries, and we’ll enjoy dinner there. Other guests prefer to enjoy the hospitality of local pubs and restaurants, meeting the locals and enjoying traditional Islay music. Whichever you prefer, we can arrange it for you.

Islay Whisky Distillery Tours and Experiences

We carefully plan your itinerary to ensure that you get the very best use of your time whilst on Islay. We try to fit in as many of the special distillery tours, warehouse experiences and tastings as possible on each Islay whisky tour. Each of the 8 distilleries has a visitor centre and each offer tours and experiences from a simple guided tour of the distillery to an in-depth masterclass with someone who works at the distillery.

Distillery Tours

On a distillery tour you spend about an hour walking through a distillery with a very knowledgable tour guide. Your guide will show you how the whisky makes the very special journey from field to table. After the tour you will enjoy drams with your guide and then be able to ask any questions that you may have about the process and the whisky.

Distillery Warehouse Experiences

We love warehouses, they are the most wonderful, atmospheric places. Each cask sleeping on an Islay warehouse is a piece of history. Each cask end has its own story to tell. Spending time in a traditional dunnage warehouse is an absolute treat, and when you are back at home enjoying a Islay dram, it is to these warehouses that you will be magically transported such an impact they have on your senses. Dunnage warehouses are often earthen floored, the atmosphere is damp and full of sea air, and whisky vapours from the casks of course, otherwise known as the angels share. We like to take guests to Lagavulin where the legend of Lagavulin, Iain MacArthur is your host on the warehouse experience. We also like to take guest to Bunnahabhain and Bruichladdich where similar wonderful experiences can be enjoyed, at Bunnahabhain guests also have the opportunity to fill their own bottles straight from the cask.

Islay Whisky Tastings and Masterclasses

In between visits to distilleries, I will be on hand to answer any questions that you might have about distilling on Islay and the whisky industry in general. Guests enjoy masterclasses where we taste rare single cask whiskies and distillery only bottlings from each of the distilleries. I’m often accompanied by my infamous wooden sample box containing rare delights from the past, and one or two cask strength drams.

Your Transport Whilst on Islay

We arrange transport for our guests while they are on Islay. We work closely with a local coach company when designing each itinerary to ensure that your Islay whisky trip runs smoothly and that your time is used efficiently. All of the drivers are extremely friendly and knowledgable, some have even worked at Islay distilleries. I always accompany guests on the coach so that I can point out places of interest as we travel between distilleries and so that I can answer any questions that guests might have. We ask guests to make their own travel arrangements to Islay, whether by ferry or plane, and we then collect from the ferry terminal or Islay airport.

Other Islay Activities

It isn’t all about the whisky (although most of it is!). There are many other activities that we can arrange for our guests. As well as sightseeing, guests can enjoy bird watching, sea safaris, fishing, shooting and stalking. All of these can be included in your itinerary should you wish. Each of our bespoke Islay whisky tours is different and we can quote to include as many activities as you like.

Book Your Bespoke Islay Whisky Trip

If you are interested in joining us for an Islay whisky trip of a lifetime on one of our Guided Islay Whisky Experiences please get in touch. We can answer all your questions about arranging your special trip to Islay. We can put together a suggested itinerary for you, just let us know the duration of the trip you require, how many guests will be in your party, any dates that you have in mind, and we will set to work!

Call David on 07875 405 980 or click here to send an email for more information or to book a bespoke Guided Islay Distilleries Experience.

We would love to host your very special trip on Islay, we hope to see you there soon.

Slainte

David

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Tasting Dinners – The Perfect Celebration

November 6, 2017November 14, 2017daviddistilled Leave a comment

Christmas is just around the corner! Our town centre festive lights are going up and it will only be a week or so before they are switched on! We are hosting more and more tasting dinners where we are working with chefs to pair whiskies and gins with food. If you are planning a celebration, a Christmas party or a dinner for your business or corporate event, we’ll host a special tasting for you and your guests, expertly pairing drinks with each course of your meal.

Whisky with Food

Whisky is great with food. Pairing whiskies with food can often change people’s mind on Scotch, it can help them enjoy those peaty or smokey drams that they thought they didn’t like. It is hard to not love haggis when paired with lightly peated whiskies such as Talisker Single Malt Whisky from the Isle of Skye or to dislike Lagavulin Islay single malt whisky when you pair the pedro ximenez Distiller’s Edition (kept in the freezer along with the glasses for a minimum of 24 hours, served in the frozen glasses after having observed it pour like treacle) with red hot sticky toffee pudding. All this is making my mouth water at the thought. Staying with Lagavulin, try it with roquefort cheese, a match made in heaven.

Pics above courtesy of Make It Matte Black.

Pic courtesy of One Little Daisy.

Whisky and Seafood

Islay whiskies, particularly peaty and smokey whiskies from the whisky capital of the world, go perfectly with seafood, particularly shellfish. The fishing industry on Islay is largely focussed on shellfish so for it to be great with Islay whisky makes it another perfect pairing.

Whisky Tasting Dinner

I hosted a whisky tasting dinner in Nottingham last week at Alea Casino. The dinner took place in the private dining room in the Marco Pierre White Steak House restaurant. The food and service was fantastic and our guests had a wonderful evening. Everyone enjoyed the whisky pairings as well as the food, here is what we enjoyed:

Scottish smoked salmon with caper berry salad and black rye bread with Lagavulin 16 year old Islay Single Malt Whisky

Roast sirloin of beef with yorkshire pudding and jus served with seasonal vegetables and potatoes with Tamnavulin Double Cask Speyside Single Malt Whisky

Sticky Toffee Pudding with frozen Singleton of Dufftown 12 year old Speyside Single Malt Whisky served in frozen glasses

During the evening we also enjoyed three other drams. There were independent bottlings of Caol Ila, Bruichladdich and Glenlossie on show too, all of which were very much enjoyed by our guests.

If you are interested in us hosting a whisky dinner for you and your guests, whether at a private party or at a corporate event, please call David on 07875 405 980 or send a message via our contact page.

Scheduled Whisky Tasting Dinners

We have a number of scheduled whisky tasting dinners taking place at various venues in the weeks leading up to Christmas 2018. We will be hosting whisky tasting dinners in Nottingham, Stoke on Trent, Stafford, Sheffield, Buxton and in the Peak District. Here are some of the events we have planned so far, please click the link for more information or if you would like to enquire about tickets.

Single Malt Whisky and Food Pairing – 6th December, South 16, Buxton.

Whiskies of the World and Nibbles Tasting – 8th December, Picture House Social, Sheffield.

Whisky Tasting Dinner – 11th December, The Moat House, Acton Trussell, Stafford.

The Moat House is selling vouchers for each of their whisky tasting dinners, we think this makes the perfect Christmas gift for the whisky lover in your life. Click here to enquire about whisky tasting dinner vouchers.

We also have whisky dinners taking place at The Moat House at Acton Trussell in January and February. We are hosting lots of private dinner events before Christmas, and many around Burn’s Night in January.

Gin Tastings With Food

We regularly host gin tastings with G&Ts paired with tapas or canapes. We recently hosted a gin and tapas evening at South 16 in Buxton which was a great success. if you would like us to host a gin tasting for you, please don’t hesitate to get in touch!

Whisky Tastings in The Peak District

November 5, 2017June 13, 2023daviddistilled Leave a comment

Enjoy a Whisky Tasting In Your Holiday Accommodation

If you are getting together with friends for a break in the Peak District, have us come to you and we’ll host a fun and informative whisky tasting in your holiday accommodation. Prices start from as little as £18 per person for me to come along and host a very special tasting for you. I used to manage one of the largest distilleries in Scotland so when I host a tasting it is authentic and the perfect opportunity for guests to learn from an industry expert, as well as to enjoy damn fine whisky of course!

The Peak District is the perfect destination for large groups to get together, whether it be a family gathering, a stag or hen party or a business meeting, there are dozens of large self catering houses available for hire on a weekly basis or just for a weekend. We regularly host stag party whisky tastings as well as hen party gin tastings, in the peak district and throughout the UK.

Whisky Tastings in Your Peak District Holiday House

We are based in the Peak District so it is easy for us to get to any location within the national park. If you book me to host a whisky tasting in your holiday accommodation I bring along all the glasses, tasting notes, and of course the single malt whiskies and set up in plenty of time for your guests getting together for the tasting.

If you would like to contact to enquire about a private whisky tasting, please complete the form below and we will be back to you as soon as possible! Alternatively please call David on 07875 405 980.

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The Peak District National Park

The Peak District National Park is a wonderful place to holiday, with breathtaking scenery and activities galore for all the family to enjoy. The Peak District became the first national park in the UK in 1951, and with excellent transport links coupled with its proximity to Manchester, Stoke-on-Trent, Derby, Sheffield, Birmingham, the M1 and the M6, it attracts millions of visitors every year.

Peak District Activities

There is so much to see and do in the Peak District, there really is something for everyone. There are miles of paths to explore, market towns to visit like Buxton, Bakewell, Leek and Ashbourne and many places of historic interest. Outdoor activities such as climbing, sailing, canoeing are very popular.

Fishing in the Peak District

The Peak District is one of the best places to fish in the UK. Many rivers rise in the hills above Leek and Buxton. Within only a couple of miles of each other the rivers Wye, Dove, Dane, Manifold, Goyt and Churnet all emerge and start their long journeys towards the sea. Having so many mountain rivers makes the peak district the fly fisherman’s paradise. The rivers of Derbyshire and Staffordshire are world famous for Trout and Grayling not least because of Izaak Walton and Charles Cotton.

We can arrange fly fishing for you, we can also arrange fishing guides. Please contact us for more information or to arrange fly fishing.

Links to Large Self Catering Houses in the Peak District

Peak Venues: www.peakvenues.co.uk

Peak Venues have many quality large group self catering houses in the Peak District National Park. They have houses that can accommodate 2 to 43 guests. Celebrate birthdays, wedding anniversaries, hen weekends, stag weekends, family reunions, corporate breaks in fabulous rural or village locations.

Large Accommodation Stag party hen party

Party Houses: www.partyhouses.co.uk

Party Houses have many top quality large self catering houses in the Peak District and across the Midlands. Again these venues are perfect for family gatherings, corporate breaks and special occasions.

We hope to see you in the Peak District soon!

David

Laphroaig – Another Awesome Islay Dram

September 24, 2017daviddistilled Leave a comment

I love peaty Islay whiskies. I used to be in charge of Caol Ila which makes 6.7 million ltrs* of peaty spirit a year so I should like peaty whisky. Caol Ila was always one of my favourite single malt whiskies before I moved to Islay so to become manager was a dream come true for me.

*That’s not strictly true as Caol Ila often produces unpeated spirit for a month or two a year. Typically known as Highland Caol Ila because the resulting spirit is made in the highland style, you can see cask ends with the word ‘Highland’ stencilled on to them in the lovely Victorian dunnage warehouse on site.

Laphroaig

I do however have a love of other Islay single malt whiskies. I have always enjoyed the majority of bottlings produced by Laphroaig, not least the rich, sweet and smokey, everyday 10 year old Laphroaig single malt whisky.

Islay Whisky Tastings

I often show Laphroaig in my whisky tastings. It isn’t everybody’s cup of tea, and I certainly wouldn’t give it to someone who was only just embarking on their journey into the wonderful world of whiskies, or to someone who had never tried single malt whisky before. For those who like a smokey peaty dram though this is an absolute belter, and of all the whiskies on Islay, when you put your nose into a glass of Laphroaig or Caol Ila (peated), there can be no mistake as to the provenance of the spirit. Islay introduces herself to the imbiber, is to the point, and instantly recognisable.

The Laphroaig Advert

Laphroaig is a marmite whisky. You love it or hate it. During my whisky tastings, I often talk about one of their recent adverts which in my opinion is the best whisky advert there has ever been. It is great to see a few old faces on the video too, old friends like Ginger Willie and farmer Sandy make an appearance.

Laphroaig Distillery Tours

We regularly arrange bespoke Guided Islay Distillery Experiences where we look after groups of guests on a week long or sometimes shorter basis. We provide all food, accommodation and transport once guests are on Islay.

You can find out about our Guided Islay Distillery Experiences by clicking here. As part of our experiences we always like to take guests to Laphroaig not least because of it’s beautiful situation in Laphroaig Bay, but also because it has a fantastic visitor centre with a good selection of tours and tastings to choose from. We also like to take guests to Laphroaig because it is one of the only distilleries on Islay to malt some of it’s own barley on it’s traditional malt floors.

You can check out Laphroaig Distillery website here and find out more information about their awesome whiskies, distillery visitor centre, and tour times by clicking here.

All pics courtesy of Joe Scrivens of One Little Daisy Photography. Joe joined us on one of our Guided Islay Distillery Experiences. You can see all of the other fantastic photos that he took during the trip by clicking here.

Hope to see you on Islay soon!

Slainte and happy drams!

David

david@distilledevents.co.uk