Scotland’s whisky islands are facing a tough post-Covid recovery period

Off the southwestern coast of Scotland, a group of small islands is home to some of the most unique and celebrated whiskies worldwide.

Whiskies from distilleries like Ardbeg, Lagavulin, and Laphroaig are adored by connoisseurs across the globe, from Japan to New York, and from Australia to St. Petersburg. Remarkably, these three iconic distilleries are not just on the same island—Islay—but they’re also positioned along a narrow two-mile stretch of road on Islay’s southern coastline.

Not far away, across a 500-meter channel of water, the island of Jura also produces whisky, known for its less smoky, more herbaceous profile, made in a largely uninhabited landscape.

Closer to the mainland is the mountainous island of Arran, which is special for being the only whisky-producing island that produces both Highland-style whisky on its northern shore and Lowland-style whisky on its southern edge.

These rugged, mist-covered islands, constantly battered by the Atlantic’s fury, play a crucial role in Scotland’s whisky industry, which in turn is vital to the nation’s economy.

A safeguarded industry

Just as France ensures the survival of its champagne industry in the Champagne region, Scotland made every effort to protect its whisky sector during the Covid lockdown.

How did Covid affect these islands and the whisky they produce?

The three key whisky islands—Arran, Islay, and Jura—were completely isolated during the UK’s lockdown. Only ferries carrying essential supplies, which account for 99% of what the islanders rely on, were allowed to dock.

The only individuals permitted to leave the islands were those with medical emergencies.

As a result, the whisky islands remained free of Covid-19, despite nearby areas like Glasgow and Cumbria on the mainland experiencing significant outbreaks.

However, the islands still faced hardships. As non-essential businesses, all distilleries in Scotland were mandated to close by March 29, 2020.

The impact on the local economy was inevitable. Around 10,000 people are employed in Scotland’s whisky industry, with the majority—7,000—working in remote regions like the Highlands and the islands.

“During the lockdown, all distillery employees were placed on furlough,” says John Campbell, manager of Islay’s Laphroaig Distillery. “The island was very quiet, and it was peaceful to take walks without encountering anyone.”

Founded in 1815, Laphroaig typically produces over 2.5 million liters of its signature smoky, peated whisky each year and is proud to be “by appointment” to Prince Charles.

The empty roads meant a complete absence of tourists. With distilleries closed, all visitor centers and hotels also shut their doors. Islay's annual whisky festival, Fèis Ìle, which typically sees the island's population swell from 3,000 to 10,000 in May, had to be canceled.

Shut doors

“The weather this spring was stunning, and I spent a lot of time on the beach with my son,” says Jane Deakin, manager of Islay House Hotel, the island’s most impressive mansion. “But we were forced to close for four months.”

“Whisky tourism is crucial for us. In 2019, the Whisky Association recorded over two million visitors to Scottish distilleries, and about a tenth of those—around 200,000—came to stay on Islay. I estimate it will take us two to three years to recover the losses from the lockdown,” she adds.

Linda Maclellan, owner of the renowned Bowmore Hotel and one of Islay's best seafood restaurants, describes the current situation as “quite grim. All the distilleries are back to making whisky, but only Ardnahoe is currently offering tours to visitors.”

The whisky experience on Arran, with its rugged landscape, wasn’t much better. Fortunately, the island’s two modern distilleries, Lochranza and Lagg, were designed for one-person operation. As a result, they received special permission from the Scottish government to resume production early, on May 12.

At Lagg, which produces Lowland whisky on the southern coast of the island, manager Graham Omand quickly got the distillery’s automated system back in action. “I was in my office, and there was just one staff member in the distillery, maintaining social distance. We started mashing again right away on May 12, and by the following Monday, May 18, we were able to begin distillation once more,” he explains.

However, not all distilleries on the island were as fortunate.

‘It’s simply lost’

On Islay, Laphroaig is a much older and more intricate distillery, meaning manager John Campbell needed to bring in three staff members to restart production. “As a result, we didn’t reopen until May 29, the day after Scotland lifted its lockdown,” he says.

Older distilleries didn’t always fare well after such a long shutdown. Many have been modified and expanded over the years, and their operations rely on a delicate balance maintained by continuous production. “It took six weeks to get everything back to normal,” says John Campbell. “We hadn’t been closed for this long in over 40 years. I estimate we lost around a million liters of whisky, and that loss is irreplaceable, no matter how many hours we work. It’s simply lost.”

Visitors to Islay typically head straight to Port Ellen, where Ardbeg, Lagavulin, and Laphroaig are located along the coastal road. However, while Ardbeg and Lagavulin have reopened for tastings, they are not offering distillery tours. Laphroaig, on the other hand, remains closed to visitors. Neither have Caol Ila, Bruichladdich, nor Bowmore opened their doors yet.

Likewise, on the island of Jura, which lies less than half a kilometer east of Islay and is home to a single distillery also called Jura, there are no plans to welcome visitors yet.

It doesn’t appear that whisky tourism will be making a quick recovery on the islands. Over on Arran, the Lagg distillery reopened its shop to the public on July 21, followed by its café two weeks later, operating under a “pre-booking only” system.

“We had planned to restart distillery tours on 14 September,” says Graham Omand, “but new government restrictions limiting gatherings to no more than six people from two households made it impossible, even though we were only going to offer two tours a day with cleanings in between.”

Instead, Lagg is now offering guided tastings in a room that Graham describes as “spacious enough for two groups to maintain distance while savoring the whisky we have on offer.”

Whisky shortage

Although visitor center admissions add only a small percentage to a distillery’s overall earnings, the influx of foot traffic can still be significant.

In 2019, 120,000 visitors went to the Lochranza Visitor Centre on the north coast of Arran, where they enjoyed a modern, attractive café (currently closed).

“We’re lucky that we’ll hit our annual target of 500,000 liters by the end of the year, with no additional costs,” says manager David Livingstone.

“It’s unfortunate that we can’t offer full distillery tours right now. But the safety of our customers and staff is our top priority. Once the lockdown is completely lifted, we’re excited to welcome visitors again so they can experience the magic of distillation firsthand,” says a spokesperson.

A post-lockdown issue is the actual shortage of whisky on some of these islands this autumn. While production must legally occur on the home island, the filled whisky barrels are always shipped off to bottling facilities on the mainland.

The lockdown has disrupted supply chains, which means you currently can’t buy a bottle of Laphroaig on Islay.

It’s not available in the supermarkets, nor can it be purchased at the Laphroaig Visitor Centre, which remains closed.

Islanders are now facing a peculiar situation: millions of liters of Laphroaig whisky are aging in casks on the island, yet in Port Ellen, less than two miles away, Isaias Fuentes Cuartero, bar manager at the Islay Hotel, laments that he cannot find any Laphroaig to buy. “I’m actually considering buying bottles on Amazon,” he says.