FEIS ILE TO REMAIN VIRTUAL THIS YEAR

 Feis Ile 2021 cancelled again

The end of May is usually a time for celebration in the whisky world – it’s time for Fèis Ìle, the Islay Festival of Malt and Music. A week-long celebration of Scotland’s most distillery-packed island, with whisky, music, dancing and more. It’s a great week, but not one that’s particularly compatible with current social distancing policies in this long drawn out battle with the virus. So, the distilleries have again taken the party online– it’s time for The Virtual Fèis Ìle.

Festival week (Saturday-Saturday: a long week) is usually very simple: there are nine distilleries on Islay, and each gets a day of celebration – newcomers Kilchoman and Ardnahoe share the Wednesday. Things are sticking to the usual schedule in 2021, but now there’s no running around the island to get to your tours and tastings – you just need to open a new tab in your web browser.

BIG PEAT PEATRICHOR INAUGURATES SCOTCH FESTIVAL SEASON

                                                                                                                                          IMAGE COURTESY WHISKY.DE

Douglas Laing & Co has unveiled the latest addition to its Big Peat range, Big Peat Peatrichor Feis Ile 2021. Created specifically for annual Islay festival, the Scotch follows last year festival edition, A864. Since the Feis Ile 2021 has been cancelled for the second year in a row, Douglas Laing will be marketing it globally, though there are only 5,190 bottles.

In their official release brochure, the portrait shows rain falling on the Big Peat Peatrichor, the latest release of the heavily peated Islay Malt Scotch Whisky. The family company Douglas Laing & Co. presented this limited special edition on 12 May 2021 as their summer edition 2021. It will be launched this month. The word Peatrichor describes the musty earthy scent produced with rain falls on dry earth / soil as stated in the Douglas Laing press release explains, and cites the well-known saying "Today’s rain is tomorrow's whisky ”as reason enough to dedicate a whisky to the characteristic rainfall on Islay.

A marriage of Single Cask Single Malts only from Islay, Big Peat has been producing multiple releases through the ages. The 2010 version was composed of single malts from Ardbeg, Caol Ila, Bowmore and Port Ellen. The bottler is known for pasting unique comical labels on their Big Peat editions. This particular version won the title 'Best Blended Malt Scotch Whisky' at the World Whiskies Award 2010.

As with every edition of Big Peat, the label and packaging of the Big Peat Peatrichor have been designed to match the name and topic. The familiar Big Peat clown shows up in a typical yellow raincoat here and he patiently lets the Islay rain fall down on him - with a pinched face and a pained expression, but that's his normal expression, we are told.

The release of the Big Peat Peatrichor is the starting post for a new ‘Peated’ campaign, which is to bring life the smoky Islay Blended Malt’s position as the "ultimate taste of Islay". The campaign will include tasting initiatives in Europe and Asia as well as virtual events and ramping up of their digital marketing via their social media channels.

As a brand, Big Peat is obsessed with both spirit quality and provenance. This latest release and accompanying marketing campaign brings to life the ultimate distillation of Islay and is definitely unmistakably Islay in style with notes of peat smoke, damp earth and a leathery charm, the Press Release elucidates.

Bottled at 53.8% ABV, unchill-filtered and with natural colour, Big Peat Peatrichor will be made available worldwide at a price equivalent to £44.50 ($63) USD. Drinkers should anticipate notes of damp soil, salty sea air and fresh leather on the nose.  The palate delivers rich, earthy peat smoke and runs to a satisfyingly long classically “Islay” finish. 

RELATED INFORMATION

Last year’s Feis Ile bottling, the A846, honoured a “legendary” road that links whisky fans to distilleries across the Scottish island of Islay before steering up through Jura. “A journey along the A846 is a rite of passage for Islay whisky lovers, and a road that carries countless memorable moments for many,” according to Douglas Laing.

The Big Peat A846 is aged for 8 years and bottled at 46% ABV. The singularity with the highway is pointedly obvious. It is made without any added colouring and is non-chill-filtered. On the nose, the whisky features notes of “peat, smoked ham, and a fresh seaside saltiness”. The palate brings “chewed leather, streaky bacon and rock salt” accompanied by notes of Madeira and smoked ham on the finish.

In March, the family firm behind Big Peat announced a bottling in honor of the heroes of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the centre of the release is a charitable intention. The Big Peat “Heroes” Limited Edition will result in a bulk sanitiser donation to the value of £10,000 to a leading UK charitable organisation by Douglas Laing & Co.

THE 1846 

Every year, Douglas Laing releases a new Big Peat whisky for the Fèis Ìle festival and the tradition was continued in 2020 with the new Big Peat 8 Years Old A846. Even though last year’s festival was changed to an online format, the independent bottler felt necessary to release a new whisky in celebration.

Whilst Fèis Ìle – Islay’s annual festival – exists in an entirely different virtual form this year, Douglas Laing (and Big Peat) wanted to mark the occasion the best way they know how – with a particularly innovative limited edition, featuring a cracking story and spectacular spirit within.

The year’s bottling honours the A846, a “legendary” road that links whisky fans to distilleries across the Scottish island of Islay before steering up through Jura. A journey along the A846 is a rite of passage for Islay whisky lovers, and a road that carries countless memorable moments for many.  

The Big Peat 8 Years Old A846 is aged for eight years and bottled at 46% ABV. It is made without any added colouring and is non-chill-filtered. On the nose, the whisky features notes of “peat, smoked ham, and a fresh seaside saltiness”. The palate brings “chewed leather, streaky bacon and rock salt” accompanied by notes of Madeira and smoked ham on the finish.

BOTTLINGS FROM OTHER PARTICIPANTS

Ardnahoe – Open day Friday 28th May 2021 Bottle TBD

Lagavulin – Open day Saturday 29th May 2021 11 YO ABV N/K

Bruichladdich – Open day Sunday 30th May 2021, Two Bottlings. See below. 

Caol Ila – Open day Monday 31st May 2021 Bottle TBD

Jura – Open day Sunday 6th June 2021 Bottle TBD

Laphroaig – Open day on Tuesday 1st June 2021

• Laphroaig Cairdeas 2021 Pedro Ximenez Casks (58.9%) Photo: See below. The Laphroaig Cairdeas 2021 will be PX Casks (Cask Strength). It’s a triple casked whisky – starting with 1st fill ex-bourbon casks, moved to Quarter casks and eventually finished in European Oak Hogshead PX casks.

Bowmore – Open day on Wednesday 2nd June 2021

Bowmore 18 Year Old Fèis Ìle Limited Edition (51.2%, 2865 bottles, £135)

• This Feis ile bottling from Bowmore is an 18 Year Old whisky at 51.2%. 2865 bottles are available via online ballot to those with valid UK shipping address. Matured in First fill Oloroso casks.
• Interestingly enough, the official picture shows Feis Ile 2020 on the bottle so those bottles were probably bottled before Covid-19 for Feis Ile 2020 which got cancelled and Bowmore didn’t join the other distilleries in releasing a Festival bottling on-line.

Bowmore 23 Year Old Vintage 1996 Fèis Ìle Limited Edition (50.8%, 155 bottles, £365)

• The second and premium level Bowmore Feis Ile bottling. Like the 18 year old, the label in the picture shows Feis Ile 2020. First Fill Bourbon single cask.

Kilchoman – Open day on Thursday 3rd June 2021

Kilchoman Feis Ile 2021 (2,832 bottles, 56.3%)

• Eight 100% Islay casks for this year’s release, two 2011 oloroso sherry butts and six 2012 bourbon barrels. The casks were filled with 20ppm 100% Islay spirit, distilled from Optic and Publican barley varieties, harvested at Kilchoman in 2010 and 2011.This Single Farm Single Malt was matured in our onsite dunnage warehouses before being bottled at cask strength; 56.3% abv.

Bunnahabhain – Open day on Friday 4th June 2021

Bunnahabhain 2013 Moine Bordeaux Cask Finish (59.5%, 5166 bottles), Distilled 10/10/2013 and bottled 25/11/2020.

Bunnahabhain Distillery may have seen plenty of changes since they started making exceptional single malts there in 1881, but some things remain the same. Dedication, determination and the wisdom to know that special occasions deserve special single malts.

Carefully matured inside the peaceful coastal distillery, its golden depths swirl with gentle notes of oily peat, rich spices and dark grapes, intertwined with just the faintest hints of cocoa and warming chilli. As well as lingering on the tongue, its delicately balanced flavour lives long in the memory – just like Islay’s famous festival.

• Colour: Burnt Amber
• Nose: Light toasted oak, red fruits leading to a sweet, dark fruit jam and a hint of dry smoke.
• Palate: Peat smoke, oak spice, dark grapes, cocoa and red chili, with a delicately balanced sweetness and acidity.
• Finish: Long and sweet, with hints of red wine and over-ripened grapes.

Bunnahabhain 2001 Marsala Cask Finish (53.6%, 1333 bottles) Distilled 08/10/2001 and bottled 19/01/2021.

Bunnahabhain has taken one of their best whiskies and let it gently slumber in casks that once held the finest Marsala fortified wine. The result is a sublime symphony of Sicilian flair and Scottish tradition; exotic aromas of cherries, liquorice and tobacco giving way to the sweetest rhapsody of fruit, nuts and the faintest breath of spice and comforting leather.

• Colour: Toasted Oak
• Nose: Dried fruit, honey and Morello cherries, with hints of red grapes, walnuts, liquorice and tobacco.
• Palate: Sweetly dry flavours of stone fruits, red apple, vanilla, honey and cloves, with a touch of oak and roasted nuts.
• Finish: Dry and short, with subtle hints of tobacco, leather and spice.

Ardbeg – Open day on Saturday 5th June 2021

Ardbeg Scorch (46%)

• Dragon Charred casks (One level up from Alligator). A committee release bottled at 51.7% will be released sometime before the festival.

Bruichladdich – Open Day Sunday 30th May 2021

Bruichladdich went whole hog this year, despite the Feis Ile being virtual. They had two whiskies on offer:

1. Laddie Origins Fèis Ìle 2021 (56.3%, 3,000 bottles, £150), Their Official Bottling
Unpeated Bruichladdich. On sale via Ballot.

Celebrating 20 years of milestones with a series of liquid firsts, Laddie Origins recipe draws unpeated single malt from 13 casks, across 12 vintages,6 barley types and 9 different cask types. Hand-selected by Adam Hannett, the new man in charge of spirit, production and brilliance, Bruichladdich Head Distiller, this recipe contains the first ever taste of biodynamically grown barley, which in itself is a Scotch single malt first! Triple distilled Bruichladdich as well as casks containing some of their oldest barley-exploration spirits have also been selected for this commemorative liquid journey.

Bruichladdich is the progenitor of the No Hidden Measures campaign and hopes it can add a “new level of transparency” to single malt Scotch by highlighting some of the “under-observed factors affecting flavour”. While they cannot divulge the year of distillation of each component due Scotch laws, they do share their epic liquid attributes in three broad categories:

SPIRIT FROM BRUICHLADDICH’S FIRST EVER:

BIODYNAMIC CROP
Spirit distilled from biodynamically grown barley by Richard Gantlett at Yatesbury Farm,1st fill bourbon cask.

X3–TRIPLE DISTILLATION
Unpeated Bruichladdich spirit from their first dally into triple distillation, 1st fill bourbon cask.

YEAR OF BRUICHLADDICH, AFTER RESURRECTION
From their year of resurrection, some of the first Bruichladdich unpeated spirit to run from their freshly polished stills, 1st fill bourbon cask.

OLDEST REMAIINING STOCKS OF BARLEY FIRSTS:

ORGANIC
Grown with minimal intervention by William Rose at Mid Coul, Inverness, 2nd fill bourbon cask.

ISLAY BARLEY
From their Islay-growing farming partners, from the first year of this Islay barley project, 1st fill bourbon cask.

ORKNEY GROWN BERE
The oldest stock remaining of our Orkney grown six-row ancient landrace. First fill bourbon cask.

REGIONAL TRIALS FROM BLACK ISLE
From their single estate, northern contingency of our Regional Trials experiment. 1st fill bourbon cask.

CASK EXPLORATIONS:

PEDRO XIMENEZ SHERRY FROM FERNANDO DE CASTILLA
Commemorating the partnership with Jerez bodega FdC, 1st fill PX sherry butt, Scottish Mainland Barley.

FRENCH RED WINE: PAUILLAC
From the year Remy Cointreau invested behind Bruichladdich, 2nd fill Hogshead from the Pauillac region of France, Scottish Mainland Barley. 

FRENCH EAUX DE VIE
From the Cognac region in France, 1st fill French Eau de Vie cask, Scottish Mainland Organic Barley.

FRENCH SWEET WHITE WINE: SAUTERNES
Islay grown barley distilled and then matured in a 1st fill Sauternes casks.

FRENCH RED WINE: RIVESALTES
From the early years of their Islay barley project, matured in 1st fill Rivesaltes red wine cask.

FRENCH WHITE WINE : CHENIN BLANC
Distilled from organically grown barley, matured in 2nd fill bourbon to 2nd fill Chenin Blanc hogshead.

LADDIE ORIGINS:7 YRS MIN/MULTI-VINTAGE CUVEE/ 700ML/3,000 BTLS/ 56.3%ABV/DESIGNED AND SOLD WITHOUT TIN

2. Bruichladdich Fèis Ìle 2021 Single Cask (17 Year Old, 59.2%, 840 bottles, 500ml, £150)

On an occasion like this, Head Distiller Adam Hannett takes the opportunity to hand-select a single cask of extraordinary quality from their warehouses. For their Feis Ile 2021 celebrations, he has chosen a 17-year-old, unpeated Bruichladdich, matured full term in an “incredible” 2nd fill sherry cask. Despite the experimental nature when it comes to maturation, with their warehouses filled with over 200 different cask types, sherry casks are some of the rarest found at their distillery. Distilled in 2003 from 100% Scottish barley, this 50cl single cask release is limited to 840 bottles and is bottled un chill-filtered and E150A free at 59.2% ABV.

Empathy with this singular cask out of the distillery’s vast stock can only be achieved through regular, systematic sampling in the warehouse. This means extracting the bung and drawing liquid from the cask with a valinch, then carefully evaluating the spirit by nose, taste, mouthfeel and eye. It is an intellectual exercise requiring a clear head, intense concentration, and a rigorous approach to note-taking. The spirit is constantly changing as it matures and an understanding of the rate and character of the change can only come from experience and constant monitoring.

Laphroaig Cairdeas 2021 Pedro Ximenez Casks (58.9%)

Beam Suntory’s Laphroaig 2021 Càirdeas edition, Pedro Ximénez Cask was launched at the virtual Fèis Ìle Festival on schedule. The expression, which is limited to 3,500 nine-litre cases, will be available via the brand’s website and through selected US retailers from 1 July. The liquid in the non-age statement iteration has been triple matured, first in ex-Bourbon barrels, then in quarter casks before spending time in European oak Hogshead casks that previously held Pedro Ximénez Sherry.

The whisky was unveiled just ahead of the Féis Íle. The blend creates a ‘complex expression full of character’, bottled at cask strength to ensure ‘rich and intricate flavours’. It has smoky aromas of grilled bacon, as well as manuka honey and oak spices. Tasting notes are nutty, combined with a blend of toffee and cinnamon on the nose. The finish is described as hot, spicy and salty.

The Càirdeas series takes its name from the Gaelic word for ‘friendship’. "We don't make friends easily, but when we do, they're for life," as they say. When you make Laphroaig purchases, you'll be able to collect points and progress through three levels of membership. Each year, a limited-edition bottling is crafted by distillery manager and fifth generation Islay native, John Campbell, available exclusively to Friends of Laphroaig. As a Friend of Laphroaig one is given an honorary lifetime lease on a plot of land (an entire square foot) close to its all-important water source – the Kilbride Stream.