© The Islay Festival of Music and Malt

Welcome to the 2023 edition of the Feis Ile bottles guide!

The festival is back to normal operation for the 2nd year in row after the COVID-19 years.

As usual it’s recommended to bookmark this post as this page will detail all the available information on the festival bottles and will be update each time more details will be revealed.

Updates:

04/06/2023 – Added A few single casks and more details for various bottles
19/05/2023 – Added Bruichladdich Official Feis Ile bottle
16/05/2023 – Added Dramfool Official Feis Ile bottle
15/05/2023 – A couple of updates and added Elements of Islay Feis Ile bottle
03/05/2023 – Added Jura Feis Ile bottle
02/05/2023 – Added Lagavulin, Caol Ila and Douglas Laing Big Peat Feis Ile bottles
01/05/2023 – Added Bowmore Feis Ile bottle
27/04/2023 – Updated SMWS and Ardnahoe bottles and filled up a few more details for existing bottles
24/04/2023 – Initial (and late published) update with Ardbeg, Laphroaig, Bunnahabhain and some indie bottlers

Let’s get to the list of Feis Ile 2023 bottlings and the available information, all sorted by Festival dates:

Lagavulin – Open day on Saturday 27th May 2023

• Lagavulin Fèis Ìle 202314  Year Old (58.4%, £220)

Lagavulin Fèis Ìle 2023 14-Year-Old is a unique bottling, matured  in a balanced combination of American and European Oak and, for the first time, finished in Armagnac casks.

Bruichladdich – Open day on Sunday 28th May 2023

• ROCK’NDAAL 02.1 (50%, £135)

Unpeated 15 Year Old Bruichladdich single malt. Matured in a mix of Bourbon and Sauternes casks, it is the ultimate expression of Bruichladdich, made with fully traceable organic barley

• ROCK’NDAAL 02.2 (50%, £165)

A rich dram with depth and complexity, this 2006 Port Charlotte vintage (15 Years old) has been matured in a mix of refill wine casks and Sherry butts.

• Bruichladdich ROCK’NDAAL Valinch 18 Year Old (55.7%, 1200 bottles, 500ml)

1st fill port pipe

Caol Ila – Open day on Monday 29th May 2023

• Caol Ila Fèis Ìle 2023 13 Year Old (60.4%, £185)

The limited-edition bottling has been matured in Pedro Ximénez / Oloroso seasoned butts, imparting delightful, sweet and fruit notes that complement the peat and peppery spice typical of the Islay distillery

• Caol Ila Feis Ile Distillery Exclusive 20 Year Old (52.9%, UNPEATED, £650)

Cask #33

Laphroaig – Open day on Tuesday 30th May 2023

• Laphroaig Cairdeas 2023 White Port and Madeira (52.3%)

The Laphroaig Cairdeas 2023 is back to cask games. this time it’s a combination of white port and Madeira casks. Three quarters is finished in second-fill Madeira casks, with the final quarter coming from first-fill port casks.

I can only guess that the same Madeira casks that were used for Cairdeas 2016 version are re-used here, so if that’s true, those casks are likely 7 years old.

Also of note: This will be the first Cairdeas release from new Distillery Manager Barry MacAffer.

• Laphroaig Bottle Your Own 2005 18 Year Old (54.5%, £400)

Amonillado Cask, 339 bottles

Bowmore – Open day on Wednesday 31st May 2023

• Bowmore Feis Ile 2023 18 Year Old (52.8%, £200, 3500 bottles)

Matured in Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez sherry casks.

1750 bottles will be released for sale on Saturday 27th of May at 10am, the remaining 1750 bottles will be released for sale during our Distillery Open Day on Wednesday 31st from 10am.

• Bowmore Bottle Your Own (61%, Virgin Oak #3777)

Ardnahoe – Open day on Wednesday 31st May 2023

• Kinship Series Feis 2023

The 2023 edition of Kinship series will be available for the festival. The 2023 collection contains the following bottles:

Highland Park (aged 27 years, 52.5% abv)
Bowmore (aged 27 years, 48.1% abv)
Bunnahabhain (aged 33 years, 48.8% abv)
Caol Ila (aged 33 years, 44.5% abv)
Bruichladdich (aged 18 years, 61.5% abv)
Laphroaig (aged 25 years, 54.2% abv)

Kilchoman – Open day on Thursday 1st June 2023

• Kilchoman Feis Ile 2023 10/11 Year Old 100% Islay Casks (52.1%, £115, 1159 bottles)

The Fèis Ìle 2023 Release is a vatting of three casks distilled from Publican barley grown, malted and distilled at Kilchoman in 2011 and 2012. Kilchoman founder, Anthony Wills, personally selected two bourbon barrels and one sherry butt to be vatted together and bottled at natural cask strength.

Bunnahabhain – Open day on Friday 2nd June 2023

• Bunnahabhain Fèis Ìle 2023: Canasta Cask Matured (51.2%, £95.00)

This whisky has been fully matured in rare William and Humbert Canasta sherry casks.  These casks once held a blend of Oloroso (75%) and Pedro Ximenez (25%) sherries.  Using these Canasta casks to mature our whisky has given us the best of both worlds with layers of flavour; Oloroso sherry is spicy, whereas the Pedro Ximenez is a lot sweeter.

This release has no bottles count information and based on last year, we can assume this bottling (along with the 1998 Manzanilla), will be made available globally beyond Bunnahabhain shop and distillery shop.

• Bunnahabhain 17-Year-Old Mòine Triple Cask (52.6%, £225.00, 1740 bottles)

The first was distilled on the 2nd of February 2004 and lay in American Oak casks before being transferred to first-fill Oloroso sherry hogsheads on the 22nd of July 2013 to finish. The second was distilled on the 10th of November 2004 and fully matured in ex-bourbon barrels.  The final whisky was distilled on the 16th of February and filled in American Oak casks before being transferred to finish in the finest rum barrels on the 7th of December 2017.

• Bunnahabhain 1998 Manzanilla Cask Finish (52.3%, £450.00) 

This Limited Edition whisky was distilled on the 28th October 1998 and filled into American Oak casks before being transferred to first-fill Manzanilla sherry casks on the 25th May 2016 to finish.

Manzanilla sherry is famed for being coastal, salty and nutty – characteristics that are similar to our Bunnahabhain spirit.  Although lesser known and not produced as often as some other sherries, it’s something our Master Blender and Master Distiller love to use with our whisky.

Jura – Open day on Friday 2nd June 2023

• Jura Single Cask #1777 (58.9%, £120)

Cask 1777 from Warehouse 2 was hand picked by Graham Logan the distillery manager  – a first-fill bourbon. 200 or so bottles

Ardbeg – Open day on Saturday 3rd June 2023

• Ardbeg Heavy Vapours (46%, £120)

For the first time ever at Ardbeg its whisky has been distilled without a purifier – the apparatus on the still responsible for maintaining Ardbeg’s unrivalled balance between extreme peat and floral fruitiness.

This creative experiment by Director of Whisky Creation, Dr Bill Lumsden, has allowed the heaviest and untamed vapours to rise up the still during the distillation process, before being captured, matured and bottled. On the nose, intense and aromatic smoke rises with hints of sweetness. On the palate, surges of bittersweetness disturb ashy coal dust, peppermint and cardamom, before clouds of dark chocolate and eucalyptus roll into disguise Ardbeg’s iconic balance.

There’s also a committee release at 50.2%

• Ardbeg Single Cask No. 2787 16 Year Old (56.8%, £650)

The whisky was distilled on Thursday 20th July 2006 under the close watch of Distillery Manager Stuart Thomson. Then it was laid down in a second-fill Oloroso sherry cask, chosen to temper the smoky, balanced spirit with a gentle sherried style.

• Ardbeg Single Cask No. 2447 11 Year Old (58.2%, 637 bottles)

Distilled 31/8/2011, 1st Fill Amontillado Sherry (full maturation)

SMWS (Scotch Malt Whisky Society)

No official Feis Ile releases, but as usual the SMWS celebrates the festivals season with a few dedicated bottles for all the spring festivals.

• HONEYSUCKLE PETRICHOR – 14 Year Old Caol Ila (Distillery 53) in celebration of Islay Whisky Festival 2023 (56.8%, 2125 bottles) – 1st fill & refill PX & bourbon hogsheads
• THE FINESSE OF A FRAGRANT FURNACE – 18 Year Old Bowmore (Distillery 3) in celebration of Islay Whisky Festival 2023 (56.9%, 1173 bottles) – 2nd fill bourbon & oloroso hogsheads
• THE EDGE OF MIDNIGHT – 14 Year Old Caol Ila (SMWS 53.447) in celebration of Islay Whisky Festival 2023 (57.6%, 277 bottles) – 1st fill american oak PX hogshead
• SOUND OF SINGING SAND – 9 Year Old Bunnahabhain (SMWS 10.241) in celebration of Islay Whisky Festival 2023 (58.8%, 287 bottles) – 2nd fill PX hogshead

• LOCK, STOCK AND TWO SMOKING FUNNELS – 8 Year Old Glen Scotia (Distillery 93) in celebration of Campbeltown Malts Festival 2023 (60.2%, 1276 bottles) – 1st fill bourbon barrels

• There’s Sand in my sourdough – 8 Year Old Glen Scotia (SMWS 93.201) in celebration of Campbeltown Malts Festival 2023 (60.2%, 215 bottles)

• VISCOUS VELVET – 15 Year Old Mannochmore (Distillery 64) in celebration of Spirits of Speyside Festival 2023 (53.1%, 2119 bottles) – 1st fill & refill oloroso, PX & bourbon hogsheads

• A PLUNDGE INTO CHOCOLATE SPONGE – 14 Year Old Allt-a-Bhainne (SMWS 108.67) in celebration of Spirits of Speyside Festival 2023 (56.4%, 228 bottles)
• MASSIVE OAK EXTRACTION – 14 Year Old Macallan (Distillery 24) in celebration of Spirits of Speyside Festival 2023 (63%, 2554 bottles) – 1st fill & refill oloroso & PX butts & hogsheads
• BAKE-OFF – 14 Year Old Blair Athol (Distillery 68) in celebration of the Highland Spirit 2023 (53.5%, 1173 bottles) – 1st fill & refill oloroso & bourbon hogsheads
• DARK ’N’ STORMY CRÈME BRÛLÉE – 6 Year Old (Grain Distillery G16) in celebration of the Lowland Spirit 2023 (50%, 1300 bottles) – 1st fill #4 char & toasted heads

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  Dramfool

  • Lochindaal 2009 13 Year Old (60.8%, £180, 195 bottles)
  Not just a rare spirit, but one with a unique story. We are honoured to have been chosen to release the personal cask of Duncan McGillivray. A man of many talents and engineering legend, who not only got the stills and machinery working in those early Bruichladdich days in 2001, but kept it running and producing the now famed range of whiskies. Right hand man and great friend of Jim McEwan who always reminds us the huge role Duncan played in getting ‘Cinderella back and ready for the Ball’.
  Not just Duncan’s personal cask, but cask number 1 of the second and FINAL ever distillation of Lochindaal in 2009!! Truly the beginning of the end for this now much loved spirit. The oldest Lochindaal we have ever bottled and one that certainly continues to impress. We have bottled at cask strength, non chill filtered, and as ever natural colouring, neither Jim or Duncan would have let us do otherwise!

Douglas Laing

• Big Peat Feis Ile 2023 The Smokehouse Edition (48%, £65/€70)

Finished primarily in rich, robust red wine barrels

Mac-Talla

• Mac-Talla Feis Ile 2023 (54.6%, £72)

We have a newcomer to Feis Ile bottlings scene!

Matured in PX Butts and Hogsheads, from 26 casks.

Elixir

• Elements of Islay Beach Bonfire (57.2%, £79.95, 288 bottles)

This blended malt whisky is matured in new oak, bourbon refill and sherry casks.

Only 288 bottles of Beach Bonfire will be available, exclusively at the Islay Whisky shop