The annual Feis Ile is an almost sacred festival of malt and music on Scotland's most famous whisky island. The 8 Islay distilleries will welcome a few thousand maltlovers in the last week of May. Every distillery will present a special whisky that is exclusive to the festival visitors who got up early and had some patience.At the time of writing this blogpost (early January), most of the Festival Bottlings are still shrouded in mist. Ardbeg revealed - more or less - the 2016 edition called Dark Cove. Others like Laphroaig Cairdeas and Jura Tastival are also certainties. Let's have a look at what we know already.
Ardbeg
Date: Saturday 28th May 2016
Ardbeg Day will be held on 28th May 2016.
Ardbeg Dark Cove
- 55% ABV (or 46.5% ABV)
- Output: unknown.
- Availability: Worldwide.
- Price: unknown.
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| The first label. 46.5% ABV |
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| The second label. Special Committee Only. 55% ABV |
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| This one is about to be confirmed... |
Jura
Date: Thursday 26th May 2016
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| The four designs from which fans could choose. |
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| The winning design |
Jura Tastival 2016
- 51 % ABV.
- Available worldwide.
- Price: £85
Laphroaig
Date: Tuesday 24th May 2016
Laphroaig Cairdeas Madeira Cask
- 51.6 % ABV
- Output: unknown.
- Availability: Worldwide.
- Price: unknown.
- Matured in ex-bourbon barrels, finished in madeira-seasoned hogshead.
Bruichladdich
Date: Sunday 22nd May 2016
Bruichladdich
There will be three Bruichladdich bottlings available on Open day. Adam Hannett created a vatting from casks distilled back in 2001, when Bruichladdich reopened after six silent years. He has also chosen two provenance casks that were filled with spirit distilled from barley grown on single Islay farms, Starchmill and Dunlossit.
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| Poster Bruichladdich's Feis Ile. |
Bowmore
Date: Wednesday 25th May 2016
Bowmore Feis Ile
- ABV: 54.9%
- NAS
- Output: 1.500 bottles
- Price: £55
- Available at the distillery visitor centre from May 21
- Vatting of 4 virgin oak casks and 1 oloroso sherry butt
Bowmore Feis Ile Vintage: 25yo single malt finished in French Oak wine casks for 12 years. 200 bottles available. Price: £350.
Bowmore Feis Ile Bottle Your Own: Pedro Ximenez sherry cask filled on 20th of January 1999. Price: £100.
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| Photo credits: Peter Alexander Maclellan |
Lagavulin
Date: Saturday 21st May 2016
Lagavulin 18
- ABV: 49.5%
- Output: 6.000 bottles
- Price £125
- Vatting of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks
Caol Ila
Date: Monday 23d May 2016
Caol Ila 12
- ABV: Unknown
- Output: 1.500 bottles
- Price: £99
Kilchoman
Date: Thursday 26th May 2016
Kilchoman Oloroso sherry butt 429/2007
- ABV: unknown
- Vintage: 2007
- Output: 637 bottles
- Price: £90
- Exclusively available at Kilchoman's visitor centre 26th May 2016
Bunnahabhain
Date: Friday 27th May 2016
Bunnahabhain will present their Feis Ile whisky on Monday 23th May on a special event with Distillery Manager Andrew Brown. The complete program has been published on their website and tickets are available in the webshop.
Program:
Bunnahabhain revealed a poster of their Open Day.
Bunnahabhain will present their Feis Ile whisky on Monday 23th May on a special event with Distillery Manager Andrew Brown. The complete program has been published on their website and tickets are available in the webshop.
Bunnahabhain Moine Pedro Ximenez 12-Year-Old
- Peated Bunnahabhain
- Unknown ABV
- 2004 Vintage
- Output: unknown
- Availability distillery-only
- Price: £95
- 9 years in ex-bourbon cask, finished in Pedro Ximénez sherrycasks.
- 833 bottles
Bunnahabhain Amontillado 16-Year-Old
- Unknown ABV.
- Output unknown
- Availability: distillery-only
- Price: £250
- 10 years in ex-bourbon casks and finished in Amontillado casks.
- 250 bottles
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| Photo credits: Peter Alexandor Maclellan |
Program:
- 23 May: Launch Feis Ile botteling - £100
- Dr Kirstie's Warehouse No 9 Session - £35
- Distillery Tours - £7
- Bunnahabhain Feis Ile George & Scott Talkin' Drams Tasting Sessions 2016 - £25
- Bunnahabhain Class of 2016 - Tasting The Oldest Bunnahabhain Ever Released - £300
- Long John’s Warehouseman’s Walk - £35
Bunnahabhain revealed a poster of their Open Day.
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Douglas Laing
Douglas Laing will roam the beaches of Islay from 23 till 25 March. Their calendar has been published and looks very promising! Pilgrims get a chance to blend a true Big Peat (but only if they wear a white lab coat!
Douglas Laing's entry for Feis Ile 2016 (last year they bottled a 14yo Old Particular Laphroaig) is a limited edition of their Big Peat Blend. Only 500 bottles will be made available. The Feis Ile edition has a slightly higher ABV than the regular Big Peat: 48% ABV.
Douglas Laing's entry for Feis Ile 2016 (last year they bottled a 14yo Old Particular Laphroaig) is a limited edition of their Big Peat Blend. Only 500 bottles will be made available. The Feis Ile edition has a slightly higher ABV than the regular Big Peat: 48% ABV.
And another Old Particular whisky has been announced to celebrate Feis Ile:
Program:
- 23 May: Remarkable Regional Dinner
- 24 May: Big Peat's Be the Blender
- 24 May: Our Favourites for Feis
- 24 May: A Taste & A Tipple
- 25 May: Bridgend Brunch
Tickets are for sale via Biletto
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| Blending a Peat. Make it Big. |
Scotch Malt Whisky Society
The festival bottling of the SMWS is a 127.44 called "Cantina Mexicana". 12yo, 580 bottles (Spoiler alert: it's a Port Charlotte).
Just ordered a committee bottle dark cove - price $149.99AUD
ReplyDeleteGreat ;-) You bought it on the official web shop? You were one of the fast ones probably! I don't see it on the website anymore. Feel free to let me know what you think of it.
ReplyDeleteBought direct from the Official Australian Distributor
ReplyDeletehttp://moet-hennessy-collection.com.au/ardbeg-whisky/dark-cove-committee-release/700ml/1070915.html
Will let you know what I think of it when it arrives.
They are 8 working distilleries on Islay ;-) not 7 !
ReplyDeleteHmmm. I probably had one dram too much when I wrote the intro.
ReplyDelete