The most westerly point of Argyll, Islay and Jura occupy a special place in Scotland's history, home to MacDonald, 'Lords of the Isles', as well as to the famous blend of Bowmore's Whisky Distillery. The fields and hills hold an abundance of wildlife, making it an ideal spot for farming, fishing and rambling, while its ruins speak of the impact of the nineteenth-century's mass emigration and the clearances. Lord George Robertson brings his perceptive eye and lens to these different aspects of two of Scotland's most beautiful islands.

In 1885, Alfred Barnard was charged with the task of visiting and reporting on every active Whisky distillery throughout Scotland, Ireland and England. It took him two exhaustive years. In this book you will see the distilleries through his eyes. His detailed descriptions of every step in the distilling process is work that remains unparalleled to this day. But that's only part of the story. As he and his companions traveled the countryside, he fell in love with Scotland and all its grandeur as well as the lush landscapes of Ireland. As you read through this book - presented as an ebook for the very first time - you'll fall in love, as well. Part technical document and part travelogue, you're almost getting two books in one intertwined volume. Granted, this text lacks the visual beauty and splendor of the fine print editions, but the words stand up on their own and will transport you to a Victorian adventure that was, is and always will be one of a kind. This edition does not contain the additional writings of Alfred Barnard that are found in recent print editions, just the text of his original book. There are two additional chapters from his writings giving added detail for Glenglassaugh and Glenfarclas.

As an archaeologist, Steven Mithen has worked on the Hebridean island of Islay over a period of many years. In this book he introduces the sites and monuments and tells the story of the island's people from the earliest stone age hunter-gatherers to those who lived in townships and in the grandeur of Islay House. He visits the tombs of Neolithic farmers, forts of Iron Age chiefs and castles of medieval warlords, discovers where Bronze Age gold was found, treacherous plots were made against the Scottish crown, and explores the island of today, which was forged more recently by those who mined for lead, grew flax, fished for herring and distilled whisky – the industry for which the island is best known today. Although an island history, this is far from an insular story: Islay has always been at a cultural crossroads, receiving a constant influx of new people and new ideas, making it a microcosm for the story of Scotland, Britain and beyond.

"Known as the "Queen of the Hebrides", the Inner Hebridean island of Islay has attracted settlers, warriors, travellers, and tourists for thousands of years. Many of its visitors and its natives have written of the place with pride and passion, and this comprehensive anthology of their writing forms an extraordinary "biography" of Islay. Many visitors have had their imaginations captured by Islay and have been moved to write about it, among them the renowned Thomas Pennant and and Martin Martin. But Ileachs - the natives of Islay - have also been inspired to record their experience of their homeland. ..."--Book jacket.

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