Latest news with #whiskyfans
Forbes
5 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Fèis Ìle 2025 Whisky Festival: What Islay's Distilleries Are Releasing
The Fèis Ìle, Islay's annual celebration of whisky and culture, started in the 1980s as a local festival of music and Gaelic traditions. Now, it has become a global pilgrimage for whisky fans, as distilleries across the island release limited-edition bottlings made exclusively for the event every year. With this year's festival already in full swing, here's a round-up of the official Fèis Ìle 2025 whisky releases announced so far. Some will inevitably escape this article - a few distilleries like announcing secret releases on extremely short notice. Others are available to the general public outside of festival attendees, I've included purchase links where available. Here's what Islay's distilleries are cooking up: Promotional image for Ardbeg's Smokiverse The 2025 Ardbeg Day release, "Smokiverse," is proudly marketed as a 'high-gravity' whisky - meaning that less water was used along with more grains being packed in during the brewing process, resulting in more fermentable sugars that can translate to more aromas and flavors in the resulting whisky. By maturing it entirely in in ex-bourbon casks (this article claims the age is around 10 years but no actual age is officially given), the notes from this process are brought to the fore. The Ardnahoe 2025 festival release. Ardnahoe's second Fèis Ìle release is a 6-year-old single malt matured in first-fill Bourbon barrels. Bottled at natural cask strength, this limited edition comprises 1,116 individually numbered bottles. Available exclusively at the distillery, not much information is available on its taste profile but so far all past releases from the distillery have been excellent. Matured in a single sherry cask, this 8-year-old Bowmore was crafted using 100% floor-malted barley and bottled at 56% ABV, and matured in Bowmore's No.1 Vault which is typically used for the distillery's showcase casks earmarked for great things. It's only available at the distillery. Bunnahabhain's pair of distillery-exclusive festival releases. Released for Fèis Ìle 2025, Turas Math No. 1 is the only one of Bunnahabhain's three. festival releases available outside of the distillery in select retailers. Two different types of casks were used for maturation. Some of the liquid involved was matured in Manzanilla sherry butts for the full 15 years, while the rest. Bunnahabhain matured in Manzanilla tends to be a winner as the cask emphasizes Bunnahabhain's drier, marine and salty notes. Unlike the No. 1, Turas Math No. 2 and No. 3 are available only at the distillery. The more budget-friendly option of the pair is matured in ex-bourbon before being finished in Palo Cortado sherry casks. A 19-year-old unpeated single malt was finished in an Armagnac cask which is very unusual in the whisky world. Two very different heavily peated whiskies from Bruichladdich. Octomore whiskies are famous for being some of the peatiest available. The range's festival special, Polyphonic 01, is a 15-year-old single malt made from a blend of seven distinct casks, including Grenache, Bourbon, Sauternes, Syrah, Amarone, Oloroso, and PX. It is the oldest Octomore yet bottled. No wonder the 2,500 available bottles already sold out. Given how long the Port Charlotte range has been around, I was truly surprised to read on the distillery website that this is the first ever official single cask bottling outside of its distillery shop exclusive Valinch releases. This 19 year old whisky was matured entirely in a second-fill Moscatel wine cask, and of course is already sold out. Caol Ila's release features a finish in Colombia oak This 8-year-old Caol Ila was finished in Colombian oak after maturation in refill, PX, and Oloroso-seasoned casks. It is only available at the distillery and Diageo's internet retail site (though not yet listed at time of writing), with 1,476 bottles available. 'This release explores Caol Ila's waxy character, delivering an intensely smooth, oily texture and a richer, unexpectedly sweet profile emerging from the Colombian Oak cask finish. The whisky's complex smoke is amplified by layers of spice notes and peppery warmth.' Jura isn't on Islay but because it's nearby it's included in the festivities. No need for unusual maturation here - this single cask Jura is matured for 17 years in an Oloroso sherry butt, which gave up only 300 bottles. These are available only at the distillery, a good reward for making the pilgrimage over. This is apparently a sister cask of the 2022 festival release from the distillery. 'With an additional three years maturation, #1895 builds on the complexity of our 2022 Fèis Ìle release, with notes of crystallised citrus, prune, and hazelnut together with hints of polished leather and dark chocolate from its full-course Sherry maturation.' - Jura whiskymaker Joe Ricketts Two 9 year old Madeira casks were vatted together for Kilchoman's release. Kilchoman blended together two Madeira casks to create this 9 year old whisky, of which there are only 615 bottles available and was made using barley exclusively grown on Islay. Curiously, the peating level (20 ppm) is lower than most Kilchomans. "We very rarely mature our 100% Islay spirit for its full maturation in anything other than ex-bourbon or sherry casks, so I was thrilled to find these unusual casks coming along so well. The lighter peating level allows for the bold Madeira notes to come through into the whisky.' - Anthony Wills, Kilchoman founder This year's Lagavulin was finished in Moscatel de Málaga casks. This 15-year-old Lagavulin was finished in Moscatel de Málaga casks, and is only available at the distillery with 1,596 bottles available. Like with the Caol Ila, while the official presser says the whisky will be available on as well as the distillery shop, it is not yet available at time of writing. A cask strength version of Laphroaig's Lore is the distillery's 2025 festival entry. The 2025 Càirdeas release is a cask strength version of Laphroaig's 'Lore', blending a wide variety of cask types including ex-Bourbon, Oloroso sherry, European oak, and quarter casks. It's only available at the Laphroaig distillery shop and to Friends of Laphroaig, the distillery's loyalty programme. Outside of the distilleries, some indie bottlers with a longstanding association with Islay also often release their own festival bottlings. Here's the ones announced so far: For the 2025 Fèis Ìle, family business and indie bottler Douglas Laing have released a customary festival edition of Big Peat, their iconic Islay blended malt. This year's release is marketed as a 2010 'vintage' matured exclusively in refill hogsheads and bottled at 14 years old. Knowing this…I therefore must quibble. Claiming a 2010 'vintage' implies all whiskies blended in were distilled that year, but the blend also includes some precious Port Ellen according to the Douglas Laing website, which was not in operation in 2010…regardless this should still be good value for money. 'Expect layers of sweet smoke intertwined with a salty, oceanic character, culminating in the signature smoky BBQ profile for which Big Peat is renowned.' - Douglas Laing press release. Mac-Talla's 2025 Fèis Ìle release is NAS (No Age Statement) finished in two different Amarone wine casks from Northern Italy that were then blended together.
Forbes
20-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Why Now Might Be The Perfect Time To Grab This Rare Islay Whisky
As original stocks dwindle, is now the last great chance to own a true piece of Islay history? The Port Ellen distillery is an icon of scotch whisky. Despite closing in 1983 its whisky went on to become so popular as a single malt that brand owners Diageo spent $246 million (£185 million) completely rebuilding it and the Brora distillery—that had also met the same fate in 1983. In 2024 Port Ellen officially began producing spirits once more and this year they celebrate 200 years of Port Ellen whisky. The 2024 relaunch was announced with the $60,000 Gemini; a pair of bottles of 44 year old single malt distilled before the old distillery closed. This year they have bought us more information on their ten part spirit safe and their experimental still where they are working on unlocking 'new and mysterious dimensions of smoke.' Whisky fans are now waiting patiently for the first spirit from the new Port Ellen. But if you want to taste—or collect—the iconic whisky from the original stills, you'd best act quickly. Or be willing to pay a handsome price. Port Ellen closed in 1983. It was one of 21 distilleries closed by its parent company DCL (now Diageo) during the 80s, and 12 in that year alone. It is important to understand that these distilleries weren't closed because they were bad, or boring. DCL closed them because at the time they thought of themselves solely as a blending company. The 1980s wasn't a great time to be making whisky thanks to a slow market and a lot of surplus stock. So as a company DCL looked at its distilleries and decided to close those that were surplus to requirements to them as blenders—as a business they simply assessed whether they could make something that would do the same thing, cheaper and easier elsewhere? Port Ellen's Gemini bottles offer a rare glimpse into the distillery's past—just 274 sets were released as part of its long-awaited relaunch. Port Ellen, Brora and Rosebank were amongst some of the (now) most prominent names that got the chop. Their complex styles were difficult to work with and/or the facilities themselves needed significant investment to bring them up to modern standards. These distilleries were seemingly confined to the history books, forever to be forgotten. Only, Diageo actually had warehouses full of whiskies that were no longer needed for their blending projects. In came the independent bottlers. 'I was the first to sell casks of Ardbeg, Caol Ila and Port Ellen in Italy around 1982, ' said Silvano Samarol in an Interview in Collecting Scotch Whisky, Emmanuel Dron, 2018. This was the heyday for these single malt whisky connoisseurs, who had almost free range into the forgotten depth of warehouses full of surplus stock. Some of you may remember 1983 in a more positive light as the launch of Macallan's Anniversary Malt series. In that light it seems strange that in the decade Macallan began its famous marketing push that is iconified with the Folio series, DCL closed almost half its distilleries. But while DCL was happy as a blender, managing its orchestra of whiskies to create harmonies, individual distilleries like Macallan were starting working to build themselves into soloists, carrying the reputation of single malt scotch with it. At the same time, independent bottlers like Samaroli, Cadenhead, Signatory Vintage were championing the 'pure' single cask style of single malt. Eventually Diageo realised that it didn't have to be all or nothing. In the 1990s we began to see some special single malt releases and in 1995 Diageo launched the Rare Cask Series. This specifically showcased exceptional single cask releases, from its open and closed distilleries. This became the precursor to its Annual and Special releases that would be key to the eventual reopening of Port Ellen. The Port Ellen Annual Release range was issued from 2001 to 2017 and compises 17 bottles aged from 22 to 37 years old. "When the first official Port Ellen was included in the Diageo Special Releases in 2001, it established a blueprint for reintroducing closed distilleries to whisky collectors. Until then, Port Ellen was only accessible through extremely limited independent bottlings. These new releases offered enthusiasts a chance to experience Port Ellen's distinctive smoky maritime character with the assurance of official provenance,' said David Mellor of London's wine and spirits mecca, Hedonism, in an email to me discussing the inherent collectability of Port Ellen 'More than two decades since that inaugural bottling, with Port Ellen's original stocks dwindling and new production still years from reaching maturity, these Special Releases remain among the most significant and collectible series for the distillery—both as historical artefacts and as exceptional examples of Islay whisky." 'Throughout this journey, our primary goal has always been to ensure that our releases live up to the legendary reputations of these historic distilleries, providing whisky enthusiasts with products of unparalleled quality and depth,' said Julie Bramham, Managing Director of Global Luxury and Marketing Transformation Director at Diageo, in an email exchange with me to discuss the opening of new and old distilleries across Scotland in 2024. Port Ellen reopened in 2024 and celebrated with Gemini, a $60,000 (£45,000) release of a pair of exceptional 44 year old single malts that showcase both the past and future of the distillery. This year they have introduced more information about the experimental work going on in the new Port Ellen still and one of a kind spirit safe. They have also announced a handful of exclusive distillery tours and tasting events at Fèis Ìle 2025 that range in price from £40 up to £600. If Brora is anything to go by we can expect another big release when Port Ellen's first distillate turns three. But I won't be expecting any kind of new core range Port Ellen release until the new spirit is at least five—if not considerably older. The Port Ellen distillery may be opperational again but when will we see the first official bottling of the new spirit? That means we have a minimum of five years of releases of increasingly scarce original stock. Realistically it'll be longer, as they will not want to exhaust that stock until they absolutely have to! All the while they are going to be pushing the Port Ellen brand—and if it doesn't go straight into super premium, I will be extremely surprised. That means that any new releases of Port Ellen from the original distillery are going to get more and more expensive and more and more scarce. Equally as the marketing for the new releases rolls out I'll be expecting the prices for the vintage releases to start climbing again too. Prices for Port Ellen have come down with the rest of the market, but not as steeply. If you're a fan of drinking Port Ellen it's unlikely to get any better value than right now. If you are a whisky collector, the profile of the Port Ellen value over the last few years makes it a sound purchase and the current prices make it a great time to buy. So what are you waiting for—get it before it's gone!
