2025 Fèis Ìle Bottlings
- Miona Madsen
- May 24
- 5 min read
Updated: May 28

Fèis Ìle, held from Friday, May 23, to Saturday, May 31, 2025, is dedicated to celebrating all things Islay, especially its whisky and the people who make it. This year, nine of the 10 operational distilleries on the Scottish island, as well as some Islay whisky brands, are expected to release at least one bottling to celebrate the festival. In addition, the neighbouring island of Jura will join the festivities as usual.
Find below what whisky releases have already been revealed.
Ardbeg Smokiverse
The first one this year to announce its Fèis Ìle bottling was Ardbeg. In celebration of the festival's last day, also known as Ardbeg Day, as well as the 25th anniversary of the Ardbeg Committee, the distillery released a limited edition Smokiverse.
The single malt is made with 'high-gravity' mash, which entails using less water in the mashing process, said to intensify the flavour-active compounds known as acetate esters, resulting in ‘a fruitier and more tropical spirit’. Aged in ex-Bourbon casks, the Smokiverse is bottled at 48.3% ABV and is available from 31 May with a suggested retail price of £93 (US$124).

Image by Ardbeg
Ardnahoe Fèis Ìle 2025
The second Islay Festival bottling in its history, Hunter Laing-owned Ardnahoe Distillery unveiled a six-year-old single malt aged in first-fill Bourbon barrels. The release is offered at 59.8% ABV, limited to 1,116 bottles, and priced at £85 (US$115).

Image by Ardnahoe
Big Peat Fèis Ìle 2025
Independent bottler Douglas Laing has been making its Big Peat blended Islay malt since 2009. The brand released a 2010 vintage blend matured in refill hogsheads for this year's Islay Festival. The blended malt includes whiskies from Caol Ila, Bowmore, Ardbeg, and Port Ellen. (We find it problematic to claim to have Port Ellen in a 2010 vintage, but that's what the producer states in the blend.)
Bottled in 2025, the blend promises around 15 years of ageing and is bottled at 50% ABV. The limited edition bottle is available for £70 (US$95).

Image by Douglas Laing
Bowmore Fèis Ìle 100% Floor Malted Barley
This year, Bowmore celebrated Fèis Ìle with an eight-year-old single cask bottling made with floor-malted barley and aged in a Sherry cask. Offered at 56% ABV, Bowmore Fèis Ìle 2025 has a suggested retail price of £120 (US$163).

Image by Bowmore
Bunnahabhain The Westering Home Collection - Turas Math
For the 2025 Fèis Ìle, Bunnahabhain Distillery released two new unpeated limited edition bottlings as part of its Westering Home Collection: Turas Math No.2 and No.3. The two expressions follow in the footsteps of No.1 (2008 vintage 15-year-old aged 10 years in Manzanilla casks and finished five years in refill barrels), which was revealed earlier this year.
Turas Math No.2 is a distillery exclusive release matured in a combination of ex-Bourbon and Palo Cortado Sherry casks. Offered at 58.4% ABV, the expression is limited to 1,438 bottles and retails for £95 (US$123).
The second release, Turas Math No.3, was distilled in 2005 and carries an age statement of 19 years. Finished in Armagnac casks, the distillery exclusive release is offered at 50.2% ABV and limited to 558 bottles. The single malt has a retail price of £375 (US$509).

Images by Bunnahabhain
Bruichladdich Fèis Ìle Port Charlotte Rock’ndaal and Octomore Polyphonic
In 2025, Bruichladdich Distillery released two smoky limited editions for the festival:
Port Charlotte Single Cask Rock’ndaal and Octomore Polyphonic.
Not only is the Port Charlotte a limited release, but it is also the first single cask expression released under the label. Malted to 40 ppm, the single malt was aged 19 years in Islay in a Moscatel Sherry cask and offered at 53.3% ABV. Port Charlotte Rock'ndaal 2025 is limited to 667 bottles and retails for £275 (US$363).
The second Fèis Ìle release from Bruichladdich, Octomore Polyphonic, is a 15-year-old expression - the oldest age-statement bottling under the label. The expression's ppm has not been defined since the single malt is a combination of previously released whiskies. Polyphonic includes spirit from Octomore 6.3, peated to 258 ppm; Masterclass 8.2, aged in wine and Amarone casks; Masterclass 8.4, matured in virgin oak; spirit made from barley from Octomore Farm, laid in first-fill Bourbon barrels in 2007; the distillery's 2019 Fèis Ìle bottling; and finally, spirit from the distillery’s rare inventory, with components from a 2005 first-fill Grenache single cask and a 2009 second-fill Sauternes single cask.
Offered at 54.9% ABV, Octomore Polyphonic is limited to 2,500 bottles and retails for £300 (US$396).

Images by Bruichladdich
Caol Ila eight-year-old Fèis Ìle 2025
For 2025 Fèis Ìle, the island's biggest distillery, Caol Ila, released an eight-year-old single malt. The whisky was initially aged in refill casks and PX- and Oloroso-seasoned casks, and finished in new Colombian oak casks. Limited to 1,476 bottles at 55.8% ABV, the Caol Ila retails for £110 (US$148).

Image by Caol Ila/ Diageo
Elements of Islay
Yet to be revealed
Jura Fèis Ìle 2025
For 2025, the distillery on the neighbouring isle of Jura offered a single cask Fèis Ìle exclusive bottling aged 17 years in an Oloroso Sherry butt. The whisky was distilled in September 2007 and bottled at 55.3% in May 2025. Limited to 300 bottles, the single malt was only available from the distillery during the festival for £135 (US$183).

Image by Jura
Kilchoman nine-year-old Fèis Ìle 2025
Kilchoman Distillery released a nine-year-old single malt for the Fèis Ìle 2025. Peated to 20ppm and distilled in 2015, the whisky is made with 100% Islay barley. The 2025 release was aged in two refill Madeira hogsheads and bottled at 57.5% ABV, limited to 615 bottles.

Image by Kilchoman
Lagavulin 15-year-old Fèis Ìle 2025
Diageo's Lagavulin Distillery unveiled a 15-year-old limited release for the festival. The whisky has been finished in Moscatel de Málaga casks. The Lagavulin Fèis Ìle is limited to 1,596 bottles at 55.7% ABV and has a suggested retail price of £240 (US$322).

Image by Lagavulin/ Diageo
Laphroaig Càirdeas Lore Cask Strength
Exclusively available to Friends of Laphroaig, the distillery's members club, Càirdeas has been an annual release since 2008. For Fèis Ìle 2025, Laphroaig released Càirdeas Lore Cask Strength, which, like the name suggests, is a cask strength version of the distillery's Cask Lore expression (formerly known as just 'Lore'). The core range expression is a blend of whiskies aged seven to 21 years in ex-Bourbon, European Oak, Oloroso Sherry, and quarter casks.
Offered at 59.6% ABV instead of the Cask Lore's 48%, the limited edition retails for £.

Image by Laphroaig
Mac-Talla 2025 Amarone Cask Edition
Morrison Scotch Whisky Distillers celebrates the Islay Festival with a limited edition non-age-statement Mac-Talla single malt aged in first-fill Amarone della Valpolicella wine casks from northern Italy. The brand is taking part in Fèis Ìle for the third consecutive year. Mac-Talla 2025 Amarone Cask Edition was drawn from only two casks and is offered at 53.8% ABV. The limited release retails for £78 (US$104).

Image by Morrison Scotch Whisky Distillers
Thank you for reading The Whisky Ardvark. Please check out some of our other informative articles below.
Comments