Liquor: Fighting the Scotch Tide

There are two things a Highlander likes naked, and one of them is malt whisky. —Scottish proverb

Such an observation will provoke no argument on the tiny Hebridean isle of Islay, which rises out of the sea like a briny Brigadoon 15 miles off Scotland's west coast. Most of the 4,000 inhabitants exist by producing some of Scotland's finest malt whiskies, up to 65 of which are married in a single blend to give famous Scotch brands their distinctive smoky bouquets. The island's eight distilleries, bearing such names as Bruichladdich, Lagavulin and Bunnahabhain,...

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