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From peaty whiskies such as Ardbeg and Caol Ila, to lighter drams from Bunnahanhain, Islay has something for all whisky tastes including the range of Fèis Ìle 2024 Festival bottlings
Fèis Ìle is Islay’s renowned whisky, culture and music festival, and runs this year from the 24 May until 1 June.
Each of the nine Islay distilleries have their own festival day which can include tours, tastings and live music.
Here we take a look at what festival bottlings are on offer and how you can snap up a bottle.
This year, fans can pick up a limited edition 29 year old whisky from this Islay favourite.
The Lagavulin Skies of Fèis Ìle - priced at £2,500 - is inspired by one of the world’s most spectacular displays in the night sky, the aurora borealis, which can often be seen on Islay.
With its deep amber hue and intense fruity notes, this release has been finished in a heavily charred Amoroso-seasoned American Oak hogshead cask.
Only a limited number of bottles will be available at Fèis Ìle and each one will be personally hand filled and signed by Distillery Manager, Jordan Paisley.
For those looking for something a bit more budget-friendly, there’s also a Lagavulin Fèis Ìle 2024 10-Year-Old, for £175.
Some fans may remember that a 'prototype' of this extra-heavily-peated stock was exclusively previewed for a lucky few during the Lagavulin Malt Mill experience at last year’s festival.
The dedicated team at the distillery utilised malt with higher peated levels than usual and matured its resulting liquid in refill, heavily charred and first fill ex-bourbon American oak hogshead casks to create this powerful expression.
Revealing savoury maritime nuances of iodine and dry seaweed with an underlying strong smoke, this complex bottle remains true to the beloved Lagavulin profile cherished by fans.
Both these bottles will be available from the distillery from 25 May.
There will also be a very limited number of the Lagavulin Fèis Ìle 2024 10-Year-Old available next month at malts.com.
Ardbeg day marks the end of the festival, and this year will be held on Saturday 1 June.
At this time, fans of the whisky can buy the latest release, Ardbeg Spectacular.
The whisky has been wholly matured in port barrels and is priced at £110.
It'll be available from the Ardbeg distillery during Feis and to Ardbeg Committee members and the Ardbeg website (but if you like the sound of this, you can also buy a bottle via Hard To Find Whisky. Click here to secure yours.
There’s not one but three Feis bottlings available from Bunnahabhain this year.
These three limited-edition expressions include a 14-year-old Ruby Port Cask Finish, a 19-year-old Mòine Madeira Finish, and a 23-year-old Triple Sherry Wood Finish.
Each release has been specially created by veteran Distillery Manager Andrew Brown and Master Blender Julieann Fernandez.
Bottled at a robust 58.7%, the 14-year-old Ruby Port Cask release is truly Bunnahabhain but with a twist.
Sharing similar characteristics to sherry, Ruby Port is packed full of candied fruit notes which impart flavours of cinnamon and plum complementing Bunnahabhain’s creamy and malty spirit harmoniously.
Originally filled into Bourbon casks before being transferred into Ruby Port Hogsheads to finish, this delicious dram delivers bold flavours of cherries and dark chocolate, with big hits of red berries that lead to a lingering and spicy finish.
It is priced at £120 and is available online, from the Bunnahabhain Distillery and selected global specialist retailers.
Bunnahabhain’s 19-year-old Mòine Madeira Finish is a special peated release from the distillery that is limited to only 881 bottles.
Distilled in 2004 and rested in Bourbon casks before being transferred into the finest Madeira Hogsheads, this spirit was finished under the coastal influence of Warehouse 8, to deliver a perfectly balanced combination of deep, peppery smoke and rich, sweet Madeira wine.
Bottled at 51.2% ABV, this dram is brimming with notes of stewed fruits and nuts, with a lingering tail of smoke. Exclusively available from Bunnahabhain Distillery and online stores.
It's priced at £199 and is available online, and from the Bunnahabhain Distillery.
Finally, the 23-year-old Triple Sherry Wood Finish is a cask strength release that unites the very best sherry finishes synonymous with Bunnahabhain.
Distilled in 1999, the spirit was then transferred into a trio of sherry casks: Amontillado, Manzanilla and Oloroso.
With an ABV of 53.3%, the result is an exceptional burst of sherry with notes of creamy fudge, vanilla pods, and a hint of tobacco—a truly distinctive dram to celebrate near and far.
It's priced at £400 and is available online, from the Bunnahabhain Distillery and selected global specialist retailers.
This year Caol Ila is offering a 13 year old - priced at £185 - as its festival bottling.
The whisky has been finished in ex-Ruby Port French Oak casks sourced from the Douro Valley in Portugal.
The team say that the flavours are enhanced by a harmonious interplay of dried fruit sweetness and smoky undertones that is slowly overpowered by the saltier smoky notes.
Inspired by the rich history of the island and the waters between Caol Ila and neighbouring Jura, the Caol Ila Fèis Ìle 2024 13 Year Old is a bold fusion of maritime notes and chilli spiced Mediterranean flavours.
This limited edition whisky will be available from the distillery from 27 May.
There will also be a very limited number of the Caol Ila Fèis Ìle 2024 available at Malts.com
