On the way home we visited the Black Isle Brewery.  Despite its name, the Black Isle is not an island, but a peninsula, surrounded on three sides by water – the Cromarty Firth to the north, the Beauly Firth to the south, and the Moray Firth to the east. On its fourth, western side, its boundary is delineated by the rivers Conon and Beauly. 

 The Black Isle has long been famous for the quality of it's malting barley.

At the brewery, we were welcomed by a friendly team, headed by Marian and enjoyed a short tour.  Organic malt and hops are used in the brewing process.   The hops are imported from the New Zealand or the USA.  Any waste from the brewing process is fed to the blacksheep and goats. The brewery is well worth a visit, it's handy for Inverness airport, which is easy to negotiate and the beer is among the best I've tasted.  

My favourite was the Black Isle Blond.  At 4.5% ABV, it's described as a continental style lager beer with a light biscuity palate and fresh grassy aroma. 

For more information see http://www.blackislebrewery.com/