The reason we were on Islay was mostly to do with me. Justine loves Scotland, but I love the scotch that they make on Islay. It is typically peaty and smoky, and I love it! There are many distilleries here, with a history dating back as far as anyone can remember. The official distilleries date back to the early 1800s, and I was hoping to get to see as many as possible. But we also wanted to do some other things, including some sightseeing and hiking in the Scottish countryside. It was a lot to try and pack into a couple of days. And we had the notorious Scottish weather to deal with.