Craig Archibald and his father Tony began farming oysters as a sideline to their cattle, sheep, barley and oats, on the shores of Loch Gruinart on the north of Islay in 1988. The spats, aged about 3-6 months, arrive on the island and grow until they are about two years old. They have been described in print and verbally all over the island as ‘the greatest oysters in the Northern hemisphere’; they are indeed almost uniquely plump and juicy. The reason for this is because the two must-haves for oyster cultivation are an abundant supply of clear water and plankton, the oysters’ staple diet. Loch Gruinart has both. The Archibalds farm the Pacific oyster which can be eaten all year round, unlike the native European oysters which breed during the summer months. And it is not only the year-round availability that makes them so sought after, it is their year-round consistent quality.
