KELP AND CROFT


Anyone thinking of settling on Skye needs at taste for peaty water as brown as tea, and must be prepared to share their lives with paraffin, fish, seaweed and damp oil skin coats. You'll need to speak Gaelic for the important things in life and have a relish for the occasional measure of good, invigorating whisky.

Life on Skye has traditionally been a crofters one, of scraping out a living on small, poor quality holding. A bad harvest ment turning to that great provider, the sea. Kelp could be harvest for glass and soap making, and there are always bounties of lobster, oyster, salmon and prawn.

Many of the old ways have gone. But one nineteenth century industry is still alive and thriving - the making of Talisker Single Malt, the unique Skye whisky.

The Talisker Distillery was founded in 1830 by two doctor's sons, Hugh and Kenneth MacAskill from the neighbouring island of Eigg. Soon the distillery became the hub of its own little community at Carbost on the island's remote west coast. This is the heart of MacLeod country and even today one third of the workforce are drawn from the clan.

By 1900 it had its own pier, tramway and tied cottages. There was even a distillery store where the workers could purchase necessities with special token switch made up part of their wages. Modern road making has ment that this remote distillery is no longer only accessible bye sea. But just as the malted barley must be ferried across the water, Talisker realize to this day on the sea for an all-important ingredient in its famous product.