Tasting Panel Notes

We gathered on the Islay shore and lit a bonfire barbecue (with newspapers) and a wood-fired pizza oven; our noses anticipated margherita pizza (with a smear of yeast extract), shellfish pan-fried in butter and caramel toffees retrieved from the ash. Later on, someone threw herbs and seaweed on the embers. Our palates were not disappointed – as we savoured grilled honey-glazed pork chops,  goat’s cheese and bacon on brioche buns and smoked paprika potato wedges. These were followed by overdone choc-chip cookies, ice cream cones with raspberry sauce and sherbet lollipops – all with the constant background of delicate sweet smoke and sea breezes whispering over the grassy machair dunes.