What you should know:

• The world's most famous Islay whisky festival is back for 2022!
• Fèis Ìle (pronounced 'feish eel') is the biggest annual Scotch event that all whisky lovers who love peat should know (essentially an age-appropriate Coachella festival for those above 30)
• Every year, Islay distilleries release hotly-anticipated limited edition expressions to commemorate the Fèis
• These limited bottles are known to be high-quality, consistently praised by veteran critics and highly sought after
• Over the years we have seen a number of good Fèis Ìle expressions from especially Lagavulin, Bunnahabain and Caol Ila. 
• Let's look into the exciting 2022 Fèis Ìle line up!
• Updated on 29 May: See details on Bruichladdich and Jura bottlings!

This is the Islay Festival that every whisky fan should know  

The Scottish Isle of Islay has a modest population of three thousand people. Since 1984, every May, all eyes in the whisky world fall on the Isle where the Islay distilleries come together and welcome close to 10,000 screaming visitors for a week-long festival where single malt and music is enjoyed.

 

The Islay Festival of Music & Malt – or in Fèis Ìle (pronounced 'feish eel')- is one of the biggest annual whisky events of epic proportions. For over a week, whisky lovers at the Isle enjoy live music, whisky tasting and cocktail masterclasses, distillery visits, dancing and dining. 

This is essentially the Coachella festival for whisky-lovers, and it’s a little more age-appropriate as you pass into your thirties or forties.

As visitors fill up, the isle’s beautiful beaches become adorned with tents and caravans. There're masterclasses featuring exclusive Islay whiskies. There're exciting line-ups of distillery tours. There's live music and dance, and for the adventurous, cave exploration or powerboat trips along the isle’s coastline.

The one thing that brings everyone together for an entire week is a shared love of Islay whisky.

Annual Fèis Ìle special edition bottles

Above all, the most anticipated item is the release of highly prized limited edition the bottles by each Islay distillery (and independent bottlers too) to commemorate the Feis. These special festival bottles are known to be high quality and consistently praised by veteran critics.

These limited edition expressions are so highly sought after that hours-long queues have formed outside the Bowmore and Bunnahabhain Distilleries for instance, with many people camped out overnight to be the first in line to buy the Fèis Ìle edition bottles in the morning.

And because not everyone can make it to the festival, past Fèis Ìle bottles have become highly coveted collectibles when released in the secondary market. Each bottle’s price tends to double or quadruple after the festival.

What bottles can we expect this year? 

Ardbeg Distillery - Open Day on 4th June 2022

 Ardbeg Ardcore

 The long-awaited Ardbeg Ardcore will finally be out! This release is named the "Ardcore", and is supposedly a "smoky, spiky spirit fit only for the most Ardcore of fans”. Geddit? Great.

This one seems like Ardbeg's answer to Lagavulin's Guinness-cask finished Offerman Edition which won the award for top whisky of 2021 from the Whisky Advocate. In fact, it's distilled from whole different type of barley - Black Malt Barley - which is super heavily roasted barley malt.

Large, full-sized barley kernels are selected so they can withstand the heavy roasting. It is then roasted in a kiln for about 4 hours in excess of 200 degrees Celsius.

This is like taking more and more trips to the tanning bed (Image Source: Jay's Brewing Blog)

 This type of malt is typically used for porters, stouts and also “dunkel” versions of Pilsners. Guinness stout is a great example of the use of black malt barley.

Black malt famously imparts distinctive notes of dark chocolate, brittle toffee, aniseeds and charcoal, which are notes you can find in the likes of Guinness stout as well. 

Early on we saw an overly-fermented Ardbeg. Now we have a sunburnt malt Ardbeg. Is this just another cover for distillery staff falling asleep on the job? We jest.

According to Ardbeg, this would be quite punchy with aromas of dark chocolate and brittle toffee clash, amped up notes of aniseed and charcoal elbowing their way to the fore. It's probably Ardbeg's way of telling the Guinness Offerman Edition "I'll do you one better!" 

This will be bottled at 50.1% for the Committee Release and 46% for the mass release. The 46% Abv version will be available to buy from Ardbeg Embassies, authorised retailers and the distillery visitor centre, for around £125. Click here to learn more about Black Malt Barley and the Ardcore expression.

Click here for the Ardbeg Ardcore's availability in your country.

Read about Ardbeg Distillery: the Islay distillery with the best marketing team.

Bowmore Distillery - Open Day on 1st June 2022

In Bowmore tradition, 2 bottles would be released this year.

Bowmore 15 Years Old 1st Fill Bourbon

It's hard to go wrong with a bourbon cask Bowmore. For the festival, Bowmore would be releasing a 15-year-old Bowmore matured in 1st fill bourbon cask. This would reportedly have notes of ripe exotic fruit, vanilla, green apple and toffee. 3000 bottles would be available at £135 per bottle.

 Illustration only - not actual bottle.

Bowmore 25 Years Old 1996 Vintage Oloroso Cask

Next up, there'll also be a Bowmore Vintage 1996 matured in Oloroso sherry cask for a quarter of a century. This  offers the perfect blend of complexity and elegance, with notes of dark rich chocolate, stewed fruits and Seville oranges. 250 bottles would be available at £490 per bottle.

Illustration only - not actual bottle.

Click here for more information on Bowmore's Fèis Ìle open day and further information on the bottles.

Bruichladdich Distillery - Open Day on 29th May 2022 [Ballot Now Open till 12:00 BST on 1st June 2022]

Bruichladdich has two limited expressions dressed in electric colours for us.

Bruichladdich Rock'ndaal 01.1

Every year, Bruichladdich celebrates its distillery's Rock’ndaal festival which coincides with the broader Fèis Ìle celebrations. The distillery arranges for exclusive headline acts, epic musical talent and events that happen in its courtyard.  

The first of its two expressions meant to commemorate the distillery's festival is the Rock'ndaal 01.1 – a marriage of unpeated Bruichladdich, peated Port Charlotte and heavily peated Octomore from several different vintages. True to the distillery's terroir-focused DNA, this is made from 100% Islay-grown barley. Bourbon matured- one can imagine this would have all the bright sweetness, salinity and pepperiness from typical Bruichladdich expressions, with an added layer of smoky complexity from the peated spirits. This looks good.

Comes in at 50% Abv with an outturn of 2,500 bottles at the price of £125 each. To ballot for this bottle, register for an account at https://community.bruichladdichdistillery.com/login, validate your account  and access the online balloting hub.

Bruichladdich Rock'ndaal 01.2

The second limited edition is the Roch'ndaal 01.2 with a similar composition of Bruichladdich, Port Charlotte and Octomore from different vintages. This one however, has been matured and finished in five different casks of European oak seasoned with some of the finest wine and sherry. This is much darker, with some of the typical Bruichladdich maritime notes but with greater depth of rich dark fruits, flavours and spice. This is an enticing expression.

Also comes in at 50% Abv with an outturn of 2,500 bottles at the price of £125 each. To ballot for this bottle, register for an account at https://community.bruichladdichdistillery.com/login, validate your account  and access the online balloting hub.

Bunnahabhain Distillery - Open Day on 3rd June 2022

Bunnahabhain would be releasing 3 rather more interesting expressions.

Bunnahabhain Abhainn Araig

The first has a name that sounds like some arbitrary grunts from a viking, until you realise it's just the suffix of the word "Bunnahabhain". The Abhainn Araig is named after the "Araig River" in Scots Gaelic - a river located on the isle of Islay which feeds into the Margadale River, the spring water source for Bunnahabhain Distillery. It is a velvety rich dram matured in ex-Bourbon and PX sherry octave casks to create an unpeated, sherried, bold and complex dram. Apparently, this had underwent a rather high degree of PX sherry maturation, which Bunnahabhain's thicker distillate is able to stand up to. 

This is bottled at 50.8% Abv and would be available at £95.00.

Bunnahabhain 2004 Mòine Tokaji Cask Finish

The second is a sweet and smoky Mòine Tokaji Cask Finish expression. "Mòine" is used by Bunnahabhain to refer to its peated spirit. This was distilled in 2004, then matured for over 10 years in whisky refill casks before being finished for just over a year in sweet Hungarian Tokaji white wine casks (pronounced "to-ka-ee"). This reminds one of Glenmorangie's famous Cake expression which used the same style of maturation.

This would have notes of smoky vanilla pods, white chocolate, lemon zest and smoky pear, with a fruity, floral finish that fades into freshly sawn oak wood and distant smoke.

This one's bottled at 52.2% Abv. 1693 bottles would be available at £199 per bottle.

Bunnahabhain 23 Years Old 1998 Calvados Cask Finish

The third is one of my favourite styles - an unpeated 23-year-old Calvados finished whisky. This one was matured for over 20 years in less active casks by the shores of the Sound of Islay. It's then finished for 2 years in casks that once held sweet and fruity French Calvados Brandy which was made from apples.

This one is powerful, sweet and fruity with lots of green apple and pear candies. Some signature cereal, oily notes of Bunnahabhain and more toffee mixed with dried fruits. 

This one's bottled at 49.7% Abv. Available at £400 per bottle.

Click here for more information on Bunnahabhain's Fèis Ìle open day and further information on the bottles.

Caol Ila Distillery - Open Day on 30th May 2022

 Caol Ila 15 Year Old Virgin Oak Finish

From Diageo's stable, Caol Ila Distillery would be releasing a 15-year-old expression that was matured in the standard refill American oak hogsheads, but finished in virgin American oak casks.  

Just like the Lagavulin 12 from this year's Diageo Special Release, this also uses virgin oak casks - the new oak being more active and would impart much more oak lactones - which should result in amped up notes of vanilla, caramel and toasted coconut flakes. This should taste older than 15 years too with much more spiciness. 

As discussed earlier, Scotch distilleries generally shun virgin oak casks and go with ex-bourbon or sherry casks to avoid the astringency of new oak. This expression has a fairly standard maturation regime with a touch of new oak - we'd be interested to see if Caol Ila finds the balance for this one.

According to Diageo, this is extraordinarily punchy and sweet-spicy, huge in spirit, and very well-structured Caol Ila. It has a lightly oily and smooth texture and a delightfully clean yet unexpectedly sweet initial taste, a shake of salt mid-palate adds balance and there is a peppery kick at the back as you swallow, as the oak spice gently makes its presence felt. The finish is long, smoky and lightly drying, the smoke edged by spice with smoked meat and medicinal hints both lingering in the aftertaste

This one's bottled at 55.2% Abv. Available at £165 per bottle. This should soon be available directly from Diageo at this link. 

Jura Distillery - Open Day on 3rd June 2022

Jura Fèis Ìle Edition 2022 

Jura's festival bottling appears to be a fairly straightforward story – a 14-year-old single cask expression that had been fully-matured in a refill ex-sherry butt. 

This imparts an orange gold colour and has an aroma of Cocoa dusting, warming sweet spice, prunes soaked in Armagnac, crystal malt, dried peach, green banana and bitter orange. In the mouth, you get dried stone fruits, sweet citrus, chocolate mint, medium roasted coffee and pistachio and finally a finish led by a citrus blossom lift.

This comes in at a punchy 57.1% Abv at £145 per bottle. This should be available directly from Jura at this link by Saturday 4th June 2022. 

Kilchoman Distillery - Open Day on 2nd June 2022

Kilchoman 16 Year Old

Kilchoman Distillery's Fèis Ìle release is a groundbreaking expression matured in first-fill bourbon casks. Wow thats groundbreaking. Now, before you throw shade, we add that this is a 16-year-old Kilchoman - the oldest ever released by the distillery which only began operations in 2005. Bourbon barrel Kilchomans tend to reflect a classic Islay malt character and fresh florals, with aromatic smoke, burnt lemon peels, vanilla, distinct coastal influences and tropical fruits.We expect this expression to be a slightly amped up version of this picture, with probably more spice due to its higher Abv.

This one comes in at 52.1% Abv. Around 900 bottles would be available at £150 per bottle. 

Click here for more information on Kilchoman's Fèis Ìle open day and further information on the bottle. 

Lagavulin Distillery - Open Day on 28th May 2022

Lagavulin 12 Year Old Virgin Oak Finish

Probably the most well-known Islay whisky brand from Diageo's stable is the Lagavulin, which would be releasing a 12-year-old virgin American oak-finished expression. This one has been matured for about a decade in standard refill American oak hogsheads before finishing in virgin American oak casks.

This is said to be an unusually rich, full-bodied and sweet Lagavulin. Initial taste is very sweet and very spicy, with a drying mouthfeel. A touch of brine and powerful oak spice that sharpens the sweetness. A good drop of water really emphasises the smooth sweetness and as if released by it an ashy smokiness comes through in waves, backed more respectfully now by the oaky wood-spice.

One could guess that this would be from roughly the same batch as the Lagavulin 12 from the Diageo Special Release 2022. Both are 12 years old, both involve some degree of virgin oak, and even their Abvs are very comparable - this Fèis Ìle expression comes in at 57.70% Abv while the Special Release comes in at 57.3% Abv.

Around 3,702 bottles would be available at £165 per bottle. This should soon be available directly from Diageo at this link. 

Read about Lagavulin Distillery: The Lord of the Isles here. 

Laphroaig Distillery - Open Day on 31st May 2022

Laphroaig Cairdeas 2022 Edition Warehouse 1, First-Fill Maker's Mark Cask

And who could forget the distillery that shares a sibling's rivalry with Lagavulin. Laphroaig Distillery's Fèis Ìle bottling is another one from their Cairdeas series (pronounced "car-duhss"). This bottle would be matured exclusively in first-fill Marker's Mark bourbon casks, and aged in Laphroaig's famous Warehouse 1 which sits right by the Islay shoreline.

By no means does this aging process sound groundbreaking, but Laphroaig is not one to score with the press and chase the glitz with highly unusual or experimental maturation styles. It's generally been known for consistency and simple things done right. After all, that the whisky is made well and tastes great should be the primary focus of distilleries. I'll add that the Laphroaig Càirdeas series from 2013 through 2021 has consistently be rated well. We have no reason to think this would not turn out well.

This comes in at 52.2% Abv. Click here to learn more about the Laphroaig Càirdeas series.

Click here for more information on Laphroaig's Fèis Ìle open day and further information on the bottle. 

Stay tuned for Ardnahoe

We expect to see official bottlings from 1 more distillery - Ardnahoe, but they have yet to provide clearer details. We'll be updating this space as more details are released - stay tuned to this page! Bookmark it!

Our take

We are most excited to try the 16-year-old Kilchoman, followed by the intriguing Ardbeg Ardcore, and then the virgin oak-finished Lagavulin and Caol Ila.

I suspect many eyes would fall on the Kilchoman. Despite its relative youth, since its establishment in 2005 the distillery has quickly become an important part of Islay’s whisky landscape and won critical acclaim for a number of its releases. And so far, most Kilchoman expressions people come across tend to be non-age statement releases. We have high hopes for the 16-year-old. 

The Ardcore is another whacky experiment from Ardbeg that intrigues many of us enough to fork out money to get our hands on one due to the affordability of it. It's quite frankly a wild card, but we want to know how it tastes all the same. Damn it Dr Lumsden!  

Finally, while the virgin oak theme is untraditional, it is nonetheless a theme that has been relatively well-explored by Scotch distillers the likes of Benromach and Benriach. We aren't quite sure why Diageo is aggressively pushing out its virgin oak-themed expressions on all fronts this year. We think it'll either be a flop (in which case it makes logical sense for Diageo to get rid of all that undesirable virgin oak stock at one go), or it'll be a pleasant surprise to us. And that keeps us on our toes.

Which bottling would you be eyeing?

@charsiucharlie