Stuck At Home Whisk(e)y Video Watchlist: Islay Whisky Documentary

Editor’s Note: With an increasing number of individuals now spending more time at home because of the coronavirus outbreak, one needs a range of activities to pass the days. Part of this can be learning more about the whisk(e)y lifestyle through online video. It is with this in mind we bring you the Stuck At Home Whisk(e)y Video Watchlist, an ongoing curated video list chosen from sources such as YouTube. So pull up a chair and a dram and we hope you enjoy.

Today’s Video: Islay Whisky Documentary

• Source: YouTube
• Length: 20:11 minutes

“I recorded the short documentary to submit for my final grade in MA Multimedia Journalism at Glasgow Caledonian University last year. I was tasked with coming up with a 20 minute TV documentary on a topical subject; I wanted to focus it on something that mattered to me, and one debate I have grown up around is the ever-increasing levels of tourism on the Scottish islands.

“I’ve witnessed first-hand the growth of whisky tourism, having grown up on the island and been a distillery employee. I personally love the busy season and especially the week in which Feis Ile takes place, but I was also well aware of the drawbacks that can be experienced by locals, so I wanted to capture the two sides to the argument. It just so happened that the timescale for the project began as the whisky festival kicked off, so I tried to illustrate the excitement and party-like atmosphere that comes with that, and then the sudden peacefulness and – I suppose – normality that exists on the island in the aftermath.

“I thought I knew all there was to know about the history of my home, but completing the project certainly opened my eyes to certain aspects that I wasn’t totally aware of before; I’m of an age where Islay whisky has only ever really prospered, so I felt it important to draw attention to the impact the industry’s decline a few decades ago had on the island and its people. The whole thing is certainly an important discussion to be had, and I’m glad I got the opportunity to encapsulate it in some form!”