There are a lot of contests out there, but not many have anything to do with whisky. Fortunately for us, some good folks from the Isle of Islay have launched Spot the Whisky Barrel.

On August 12th, an empty whisky barrel will be dropped from a plane off the coast of Port Ellen. Your job is to guess where the barrel will be five minutes after hitting the water. The person with the closest coordinates will win up to 250,000 British Pounds (that's about $500,000 U.S.). Don't know anything about wind speeds and water currents? Fear not. There are 280 other prizes you can win... from one week's lodging at the new Islay hotel during the annual Whisky Festival (for 5 years)... to hogheads and bottles of the finest Islay malts... and you can always take the cash equivalent of your winnings.

With support from the area's finest distilleries (Ardbeg, Bruichladdich, Bunnahabhain, Kilchoman, Laphroaig, and Jura), the contest will help raise funds for the rebuilding of the old Islay Hotel. In addition, 100,000 Pounds will be donated to island charities.

The entry fee is 25 Pounds (about $50 U.S.). Enter before it's too late. The contest is open to the first 60,000 entries.