The Isle of Islay — an island off the coast of Scotland — has a population of around 3,000 people.
But that doesn't stop it from being a key piece of the billion-dollar scotch whisky industry.
There are nine distilleries on Islay, some owned by conglomerates like LVMH and Diageo, and two more are set to open. Scotch whisky is easy to find on the island; there are even cases lining the airport waiting room.
Multiple people from Islay, from our taxi driver to former distillery workers, still spoke about a cask of Scotch whisky from Ardbeg distillery that was bought by an unnamed collector for $20 million back in 2022.
We were recently there to visit the reopening of Port Ellen. This distillery has only operated for 17 of the last 94 years but has become a cult favorite with whisky aficionados.
The distillery shut down in 1983 and has been sitting dormant, housing casks of aging whisky ever since. Renewed interest in the liquor and diminishing stocks led parent company Diageo to pour £185 million ($230 million) into reopening Port Ellen and another distillery, Brora, and improving its Scotch whiskey experiences.
We visited Port Ellen on the day it reopened in March to find out why people pay thousands of dollars for its single-malt Scotch whisky.