Yeah, Welcome the annual Feis Ile 2019 edition. I didn’t expect to work on this list so early (we’re still in 2018!) But information has already started to trickle out so that left me no option but to fire up this post
In 2019, the festival will run from late May into June 2019 (24th May to 1nd June 2018).
This post will detail all the available information on the festival bottles and I’ll update it each time more details will be revealed.
If you look for the full festival information, go to the Festival site at islayfestival.com (But best to wait till Spring 2019 so the site will update) and you will be able to find the full Islay Festival Distillery Programmes 2019 here when it will be published.
It’s a safe bet to assume that just like in previous years, we will have a lot of Feis Ile bottlings from other independent bottlers and other sources, even if many will not be using the trademarked ‘Feis Ile’ name – all will be updated in the post when the information will be released.
Updates:

02/06/2019 – Added a few Ardbeg and Caol Ila Feis Ile 2019 Single Casks
30/05/2019 – Added Kilchoman Feis 2019 bottle
30/05/2019 – Added Bwmore surprise Devils Cask Hand-fill Feis Ile 2019 bottle
26/05/2019 – Added Islay Mist Feis Ile 2019 bottle
26/05/2019 – Added Bruichladdich Feis Ile 2019 Valinch bottle
26/05/2019 – Added the third Bunnahabhain Feis Ile 2019 bottle and updated info for others.
26/05/2019 – Updated Hunter Laing Kinship 2019 bottles info
24/05/2019 – Added the Islay House Feis Ile 2019 bottle
24/05/2019 – Added the second Bunnahabhain Feis Ile 2019 bottle
24/05/2019 – Added Lagavulin and Caol Ila Feis Ile bottles
21/05/2019 – Added Loch Fyne Whiskies Islay Whisky Festival 2019 bottle
20/05/2019 – Added first Bunnahabhain Feis Ile 2019 bottle
17/05/2019 – Added Bruichladdich Feis Ile 2019 bottle details
16/05/2019 – Updated Laphroaig Cairdeas bottle details.
13/05/2019 – Added Hunter Laing Kinship 2019 info
02/05/2019 – Added Dramfool and initial info on Kilchoman Feis bottles
29/04/2019 – Added Bowmore Feis bottles (HT @RatherBeOnIslay)
28/04/2019 – Updated Big Peat and Finlaggan Feis 2019 bottles
15/02/2019 – Added Laphroaig Cairdeas bottle
03/12/2018 – Added SMWS Laphroaig bottle
22/11/2018 – Initial relase with SMWS and Ardbeg sections
So here’s the list of Feis Ile 2019 bottlings and the available information:

Lagavulin – Open day on Saturday 25th May 2019

• Lagavulin Feis Ile 2019 (19 Year Old, £150, 53.8%)

It’s matured in three types of casks: refill American oak cask, second Sherry treated American oak cask and a European oak puncheon. 6000 bottles will be available to purchase at the distillery.

‘green, mossy aromas with peppery dryness and smoky Lapsang Souchong notes’

Bruichladdich – Open day on Sunday 26th May 2019

• Octomore Event Horizon (12 Year Old, £175, 2000 bottles)

Distilled in 2007, 162.6 PPM, Fully matured in Fernando de Castilla Oloroso and PX sherry casks. On sale on the open day and limited to 2 bottles per customer

 

 

 

 

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  Photo Credit: Bowmore Hotel

  Bruichladdich Valinch 2005 13 Year Old (61.1%, 438 bottles)

Second fill sherry cask (Cask No. 9 Rot.15./144) and distilled 21.09.2005

Caol Ila – Open day on Monday 27th May 2019

• Caol Ila Feis Ile 2019 (22 Year Old, 58.4%, £130, 3000 bottles)

Matured in sherry treated freshly charred American oak hogshead.

‘fresh mint, citrus, spicy medicinal notes finished with a dominant note of spice’

 

 

 

• Caol Ila BYO Single Cask Feis Ile 2019 (28 Year Old, £375, 180 bottles)

A surprise bottle your own single cask revealed on the early hours of Caol Ila open day. Cask #9373 distilled September 1999

Laphroaig – Open day on Tuesday 28th May 2019

• Laphroaig Cairdeas 2019 – Triple Wood Original Cask Strength (51.4%, £77)

36,000 bottles produced, It has been matured in ex-Bourbon casks, before going through another period of maturation in quarter casks and ex-oloroso European oak Sherry casks.

It was bottled without chill filtration.

Bowmore – Open day on Wednesday 29th May 2019

• Bowmore Fèis Ìle 2019 (51.7%, 15 Year Old, £85, 3000 bottles)

Our exclusive Fèis Ìle release this year is a marriage of some of our finest bourbon casks. This is a whisky simply not to be missed! A release of only 3000 bottles in total. 1500 of these bottles will be available to buy exclusively from the distillery visitor centre from Saturday 25th May, with the remaining 1500 bottles being kept for release on Bowmore’s Open day, Wednesday 29th May.

• Bowmore 1995 Vintage Fèis Ìle Edition 2019 (55.2%, 23 Year Old, £325, 325 bottles)

This year’s Vintage Fèis Ìle Edition is a breath-taking 1995 23 Year Old sherry matured Bowmore. Only 325 bottles of this precious whisky will be available to buy, exclusively on Wednesday 29th May.

• Bowmore Hand fill Cask #666 (Devil’s Cask) Fèis Ìle 2019 (52.3% 22 Year Old, £275)

This year’s Vintage Fèis Ìle Edition is a breath-taking 1995 23 Year Old sherry matured Bowmore. Only 325 bottles of this precious whisky will be available to buy, exclusively on Wednesday 29th May.

Ardnahoe – Open day on Wednesday 29th May 2019

• Kinship bottles (See Hunter Laing section below)

Kilchoman – Open day on Thursday 30st May 2018

• Kilchoman Feis Ile 2019 11 Year Old (54.4%, £117, 939 bottles)

A vatting of two 11 years old casks at cask strength – one bourbon barrel and one oloroso sherry butt. The Feis Bottling will only be available from the distillery on Thursday May 30^th limited to one bottle per person.

Jura – Open day on Friday 31st May 2019

• No Festival Bottling

Bunnahabhain – Open day on Friday 1st June 2019

• Bunnahabhain Mòine 2008 French Oak Finish (57.4%, £95)

1872 bottles will be available at the distillery and on the webshop after the festival if not sold out.

The whisky matured in whisky refill barrels before being transferred to rejuvenated French oak hogsheads to finish for 5 months.

 

 

 

• Bunnahabhain 2001 Sauternes Finish (54.2%, £195)

1188 bottles are available from the last of a set of three Sauternes hogsheads  The whisky has spent the last 5 years in those Sauternes hogsheads (after 13 years in ex-bourbon casks)

 

 

 

 

• Bunnahabhain 1988 Champagne Cask Finish (45%, £450, 120 bottles)

Limited to only 120 bottles and available from 10am on the 31st of May at the Distillery Visitor Centre.

Ardbeg – Open day on Saturday 1rd June 2019

• Ardbeg Drum (46%)

 

 

 

 

 

 

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  Photo: whiskyauctioneer.com

  Ardbeg 2005 Single Cask Moscatel (52.5%, £520, 169 bottles)

Cask #4586

 

 

 

 

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  Photo: whiskyauctioneer.com

  Ardbeg 2003 Single Cask Chenin Blanc (52.8%, £480, 231 bottles)

Cask #2455

SMWS (Scotch Malt Whisky Society)

Once again, just like in 2018, we have three offerings for Feils 2019. We can assume that the bottles will be available, online at https://www.smws.com/ and at the Society’s UK venues sometimes late May or early June.

• 29.261 An evil Dutchman’s dram (Laphroaig, 21 Year Old, 50.3%, 257 bottles)

• 29.260 A visceral, elemental experience (Laphroaig, 19 Year Old, 56.9%, 507 bottles)
• 29.259 Bessie throttles a kipper (Laphroaig, 19 Year Old, 50.2%, 252 bottles)

 

 

 

 

• 3.313 Tempting trilogy of tastes (Bowmore, 14 Year Old, 54.2%, 140 bottles)

• • 10.169 Obsidian salmagundi (Bunnahabhain, 9 Year Old, 60.6%, 268 bottles

• 53.286 Salt strewn on smoky marmalade (Caol Ila, 10 Year Old, 61.0%, 279 bottles)

Hunter Laing

• Kinship 2019 (6 bottles, £4089 per set)

As expected, Hunter Laing (and Ardnahoe) will release a new Kinship series for Feis 2019. The following bottles were announced:

• • Ardbeg 1991 (26 Year Old, £875, 47.4%, Refill Hogshead)
  • Bowmore (30 Year Old £495, 47.1%, Refill Bourbon Hogshead)
  • Bruichladdich (27 Year Old, £450, 50%, Refill American Oak Hogshead)
  • Bunnahabhain (30 Year Old, £495, 48.5%, Refill Sherry Butt + Refill American Oak Hogshead)
  • Caol Ila (40 Year Old, 46.1%, Refill American Hogshead)
  • Laphroaig 18 Year Old (609 bottles, £269, 56.4%, Oloroso Refill Sherry Butt)

Dramfool

• Port Charlotte 14 Year Old (53.4%, ~£135, 299 bottles, 1st fill sherry hogshead)

The cask was personally selected for Ian Gray (the Scottish artist) by Jim McEwan. It will be launched at a new festival event (The Indie Whisky Fèis Ìle) on Thursday 30th May, 12pm – 5pm at Bowmore Hall (Admission is £25. Buy tickets here).

In addition there’s a Spirit of Speyside bottle from a “secret” Speyside distillery. It’s 25 year old whisky named “Elderly Elvis Tilting”. 51.2%, bourbon cask, 109 bottles. £135 a bottle.

Douglas Laing

• Big Peat Feis Ile 2019 (48%, 3300 bottles, £50/63.90€)

Douglas Laing is already collecting selfies for the label for the Big Peat Feis 2019 (just like 2017 had)

 

Loch Fyne Whiskies

• OMC Bowmore 17 Year Old (55.6%, £199, 120 bottles)

While it may not an official Feis Ile bottling (as the ‘Feis Ile’ moniker isn’t on the label), Loch Fyne Whiskies has selected a Bowmore 17 Year Old in celebration of ‘Islay Whisky Festival 2019’ which was bottled by Hunter Laing in their Old Malt Cask series.

It was distilled at Bowmore on Islay in December 2001. Matured for 17 years in a single refill barrel and bottled in May 2019 at a natural cask strength of 55.6% abv

Finlaggan

• Finlaggan Feis Ile 2019 (52%, £55, 700 bottles)

Finlaggan Feis Ile 2019 will be a French Oak Matured Islay single malt. It’s from 2 red wine casks vatted together and has yielded around 700 bottles at 52%. Available only at The Whisky Shop, Islay (Contact them if you want a bottle: dram@islaywhiskyshop.com)

Islay Mist

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  Photo Credit: Bowmore Hotel

  Islay Mist Feis Ile 2019 (12 Year Old, 40%, 75 bottles)

Blended whisky

Islay House

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  Photo Credit: Bowmore Hotel

  Islay House Feis Ile 2019 Bruichladdich 10 year Old (60.3%, 300 bottles)

Spent first 5 years in bourbon cask and then second maturation for 5 years in Bordeaux cask.