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Travel / Archive
May 29, 2006 18:40:21 | in General
From Jose de San Martin to William Wallace, from pisco to scotch
(by Allan Laing, The Herald)
It is not the easiest of journeys, to go from Islay to visit Islay.
But yesterday, after a 7500-mile trek, the mayor of a remote Peruvian community arrived at a remote Scottish community to be feted as guest of honour at a whisky festival. Miguel Roman Valdivia is the civic leader of Islay, a small town on Peru's Pacific coast. Until recently the people of the Hebridean island of Islay were unaware that they had a namesake in South America.
But then Mark Reynier, the managing director of Islay distillers Bruichladdich, started researching the kind of rock from which emerges the water they use in their whisky. He discovered that precisely the same Gneiss rock is to be found on the Arequipa region of Peru. And the rest, as they say, is geography. When he looked at the map, Mr Reynier was astonished to discover that the area boasted a town called Islay.
Further investigation confirmed that, not only did they share a name, they also shared other qualities.
Among them are some beautiful beaches, outstanding geological features, tourism industries, and a reputation for the distillation of strong drinks (in the Peruvian Islay's case, a grape brandy called Pisco).
The whisky boss decided to invite the Peruvian town's mayor across for this year's open day at the distillery. Dressed appropriately in a kilt which was presented to him on his arrival, Snr Valdivia raised a dram to his newly-found doppelganger. It was, he declared through an interpreter, a delight to be on Islay. He brought with him the best wishes of the people of, er, Islay. The folk on Islay, he said, were very friendly, very hospitable, and very loving. A bit like the folk on, well, Islay.
So how on earth did the Peruvian town get the name Islay? Well, according to the mayor, the ancient Incas called it Risla. This evolved into Isla and then, in the 1830s when a British merchant vessels arrived there, it became Islay.
Before the mayor leaves to return to Islay tomorrow, he will formalise a twinning arrangement between the communities.
tags : Peru tradition gastronomy tourism Scotland Islay Pisco Scotch Whisky
It is not the easiest of journeys, to go from Islay to visit Islay.
But yesterday, after a 7500-mile trek, the mayor of a remote Peruvian community arrived at a remote Scottish community to be feted as guest of honour at a whisky festival. Miguel Roman Valdivia is the civic leader of Islay, a small town on Peru's Pacific coast. Until recently the people of the Hebridean island of Islay were unaware that they had a namesake in South America.
But then Mark Reynier, the managing director of Islay distillers Bruichladdich, started researching the kind of rock from which emerges the water they use in their whisky. He discovered that precisely the same Gneiss rock is to be found on the Arequipa region of Peru. And the rest, as they say, is geography. When he looked at the map, Mr Reynier was astonished to discover that the area boasted a town called Islay.
Further investigation confirmed that, not only did they share a name, they also shared other qualities.
Among them are some beautiful beaches, outstanding geological features, tourism industries, and a reputation for the distillation of strong drinks (in the Peruvian Islay's case, a grape brandy called Pisco).
The whisky boss decided to invite the Peruvian town's mayor across for this year's open day at the distillery. Dressed appropriately in a kilt which was presented to him on his arrival, Snr Valdivia raised a dram to his newly-found doppelganger. It was, he declared through an interpreter, a delight to be on Islay. He brought with him the best wishes of the people of, er, Islay. The folk on Islay, he said, were very friendly, very hospitable, and very loving. A bit like the folk on, well, Islay.
So how on earth did the Peruvian town get the name Islay? Well, according to the mayor, the ancient Incas called it Risla. This evolved into Isla and then, in the 1830s when a British merchant vessels arrived there, it became Islay.
Before the mayor leaves to return to Islay tomorrow, he will formalise a twinning arrangement between the communities.
tags : Peru tradition gastronomy tourism Scotland Islay Pisco Scotch Whisky
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