We wake up early for some coffee and croissants, then catch a ferry to the Isle of Sky.

We are incredibly lucky to get a clear sky, which is rare out here. When we arrive we plan on circling the whole island, but first we stop at the Talisker distillery. The road to the distillery  is full of strange props.

The whiskey making process at Talisker is slightly different from the process at Oban.

1. At Talisker, they soak the barley in water, then take it out to and germinate.

2. As the barley germinates it expands, and while expanding the starch converts to sugar.

3. After the barley germinates, they let it dry.

4. Once the barley is dry they smoke it in Peet(decomposed plant matter that burns). At Talisker, they use Peet instead of  wood because the area’s soil is very rocky.

5. They move the smoked barley to a big coffee grinder where the barley is soaked in hot water. Then they add yeast to the mix and the fermentation process has started. Fermenting the barley converts the sugars to alcohol.

6. The alcohol is distilled to increase the concentration, then transferred to wooden barrels where it will sit for ten years.

All the barrels from Scotland are used for whiskey, and the American barrels are used for bourbon.

After ten years, 30%  of the alcohol evaporates(angels share). All that’s left to do is bottle the whiskey and there it is, Talisker Whiskey!

When we are leaving we meet some hard core travelers from Germany.

Once we leave the distillery, we drive around the island. It’s an incredible drive! There are hardly any trees, but there are rolling hills covered in flowers and mountains in the background

There are even more sheep and cows chilling in the middle of the road.

We drive to a 200ft cliff called Kilt Rock. It’s a sheer drop down into the ocean, so instead of jumping off we practice throwing rocks into the water. Next, we drive to the foot of a large mountain, and hope that we can climb to the top.

The only problem is that there isn’t a trail or a single tree, so you have to rely on your balance and the rocks to escape being blown off the mountain.

We manage to hike up though and the view makes the climb totally worth it!

After our long hike, we continue are drive around island. We stop at some old ruins to chase some sheep and relax. 

After our break we get keep driving to finish the circle, We run in to some cool rock towers built  of rocks jutting into the ocean.

We end our circle in Portree, the island’s main town which the locals refer to as “The Village”.

After we find a place to park ,we walk down the windy streets to the harbor to  get some fish and chips. Then we throw some chips to the seagulls.

Since the seagulls ate most of our chips, we go to a sit down restaurant to get more of our favorite staple.

After a great meal we head back to the car to enjoy our great view and sleep.