Known as the "Queen of the Hebrides," Islay is the archipelago's third-largest island. The island offers the same stunning scenery as many of the other islands in the Hebrides, but what sets it apart are its eight working whisky distilleries. Considered by many to produce some of the world's best whisky, the distilleries are known for producing a distinctively peaty beverage where the malt has been dried over peat cut right from the islands' mossland. Visitors can taste the whisky and observe the production all year round, but a great time to visit the island is during the last week of May, when the Festival of Music and Malt takes place.