Loch Indaal
Hole Indaal, also written Lochindaal, is a bay of the Scottish island of Islay. It extends between the Oa and Rhinns Point peninsula at the southern end of the Rhinns of Islay peninsula. Laggan Bay is a bay in the south east side of Loch Indaal. In some literature, only the northern part of the bay between Laggan Point and the opposite shore south of Port Charlotte, ie the north-west of Laggan Bay section is called a hole Indaal.
From the Atlantic Ocean to the south ranges hole Indaal nearly 20 km in the north- north-easterly direction into the island. From an original length of nearly 13 km there Indaal tapered hole initially almost eleven kilometers to then Laggan Bay to open up again a bit. The narrowest point of hole Indaal lies with a width of 2.5 km approximately at the level of Port Charlotte.
Administratively hole Indaal inherent as part of the unitary authority Islay Argyll and Bute. Historically it was part of the traditional county of Argyllshire today.
Indaal hole is surrounded by a nearly 60 -km-long coastline. The coast is mostly flat with some long sandy beaches, for example, at the head of the bay and along the Laggan Bay. At the Oa peninsula but also occur cliffs. Along the shores of Loch Indaal with Bowmore is the capital of the island, where 862 residents live under a quarter of the island's population; also the towns of Port Charlotte and Bruichladdich. Hole Indaal from the south and north of Loch Gruinart form an isthmus, the Rhinns of Islay almost separated with a width of four kilometers from the main island.
On Islay whiskey production was of great importance since the 19th century. Therefore, Islay is performed even as their own whiskey region. Of the two now eight active distilleries on the island on the coast of Loch Indaal - the Bruichladdich distillery in Bruichladdich and Bowmore distillery Bowmore. Historically, it was with Lochindaal (also known as Port Charlotte ) and Octomore two other nationally important distilleries, which were, however, in 1929 or 1860 closed.