If you are reading this then you likely fancy yourself as a whisky drinker. Someone who enjoys exploring different brands, different styles, different flavors, different emotions. As a member of the Society, you have already been given the chance to enjoy great selections of unique single casks and can appreciate some of the differences that can be found among whiskies. Perhaps you’ve been to a tasting where a brand ambassador has walked you through a lineup of drams and were able to experience first-hand some of these differences in one evening. All this may have piqued your curiosity, but what’s next? Is there an experience for the whisky lovers out there that could intensify the tasting model and allow whisky fans the chance to spend time experiencing all this in a unique and wonderful setting? Enter Islay Whisky Festival, known locally as Feis Ile!
For those who are not familiar, Feis Ile is Gaelic for the Festival of the Isles. During this 8-day long week whisky lovers from around the world make their way by plane or by ferry to both Islay and Jura. (Editor’s note: Much like the World Series of Baseball includes just 2 countries, this festival has just 2 of the many islands that produce whisky partaking). During this time the fans get to explore some of their favorite distilleries and enjoy many unique experiences, including not just whisky, but food, speakers, music, comedy, competitions and memories that will last a lifetime. Unfortunately, one cannot simply just decide to go and then poof! everything just happens. Tickets to some events can make getting front rows to Taylor Swift look easy. This article will help explain the wonder that is Feis Ile, how to get it all together and what the experience is like.
If you plan on spending a week on Islay, finding accommodations is essential, unless you bring your own Mobile home. As Islay is a small island of just 3500 people this can be a challenge. Fortunately, there are several hotels there, and several houses you can rent. The problem is many places are reserved up to one year in advance, so you need to plan ahead. If you would like to attend in 2026 it is already the time to start looking, and, if creative, you may want to consider looking to 2027. The good news is places often open up so if you are diligent, you can find something. If going through the hotels fails you, consider looking in the many Islay groups on Facebook, whether the local groups or those that focus on the Feis itself.
Now that you have housing the next issue is getting there. Flights are limited as they are few in number, and those flights often are rather small. Not only that, but having a car there makes a huge difference. Your best bet is the Cal Mac Ferry, and the tickets for cars sell out quickly. They announce when tickets for Spring go on sale in advance, and this typically occurs in November/December, so be on the lookout.
Having a car is great but it also needs to be reserved. If you are comfortable driving a stick then there are less worries, but automatic cars do go quickly. Typically, folks fly into Glasgow or Edinburgh, and fortunately you can pick up your car at the airport and the adventure begins. It’s a beautiful drive from the airports to the Ferry, and there are many stops along the way worth making. You will pass through a few towns with some great whisky shops, and if you get to Scotland early enough you can spend a couple of days in other areas. Speyside has amazing distilleries to explore, and for those able to spare the entire week before you can even go to the Campbeltown Malts Festival. This is an amazing experience where you get to spend time at Glen Scotia, Springbank, Glengyle (Makers of Kilkerrin) and of course Cadenhead’s. The issues for housing and event tickets are like Feis Ile, but many folks combine both trips and create an incredible experience. This festival ‘starts’ the Wednesday prior to Feis but has gotten so big that there are now events as early as Monday.
Whether coming from Campbeltown, Speyside, or the airport, you eventually will drive to Kennacraig to board the ferry. Here will be the first of many queues for some, as cars line up before loading up. Once on board you can leave your car and enjoy a 2-hour cruise. There is food and drink on board, and places to sit outside (Some cigar friendly!). Here you will get to meet many new friends and discuss your upcoming adventures. Most of the passengers on Friday and Saturday are heading for the festival, and many folks will offer tips to make your experience even better.
Now that you arrived you can begin to celebrate your pilgrimage. Check into your housing and then can head to one of several amazing whisky bars or perhaps visit a nearby distillery to get your feet wet. Depending on where you are staying most hotels have nice bars, and the towns of Port Ellen and Bowmore have a few you can walk to as well. If you are hungry, you can also head to one of the local restaurants but be aware that most places take reservations or have a long wait time. It’s worth booking ahead, or getting there early, putting your name on a list and perhaps heading for a dram while you wait.
If you aren’t bored yet, let’s get to the fun part, the distilleries! The calendar has changed a little in in the 12 years I have been going, and will continue to, now that more distilleries are popping up. Currently each distillery has a festival day where most of their events are scheduled, and their limited-edition bottles are released. Currently Saturday is Lagavulin Day, Sunday Bruichladdich, Monday Caol Ila, Tuesday is Laphroaig and Port Ellen, Wednesday is Bowmore and Ardnahoe, Thursday is Kilchoman and Jura, Friday is Bunnahabhain, and the last day, the second Saturday belongs to Ardbeg.
So, what happens on these days? Basically, all the visitors head over and enjoy a day-long party. There is music, there is food, and of course there is whisky. Many places will give you tokens for a free pour or two (Included with admission tickets) and have several stands pouring the festival release and some rare and fun drams as well. A big attraction is the Masterclasses. These may occur in tents set up, in historic homes and buildings, or best of all in the warehouses themselves. As members of SMWS we have the unique opportunity to experience several single cask expressions, but the experience of having them poured straight from an active cask by someone involved in making it is one not to be missed. Some classes are large, like the Bruichladdich Masterclass hosted by Distillery Manager Adam Harnett, while others cater to anywhere from 5-30 people. These classes are great in that there are often pours that you are familiar with, as well as pours you may never have had the chance to try when they came out years prior, as well as the previously mentioned cask samples. If you are a “Peat-Head” you will be in heaven here, but quite a few distilleries do offer low or unpeated whiskies and there is something there for everyone. In the past years I was able to have a:
- 45-year-old Port Ellen drawn from the cask;
- 31-year-old Laphroaig distilled in 1974;
- 40-year-old Bowmore;
- unpeated Caol Ila single casks;
- Cask 1 from Kilchoman;
- the first Ardnahoe ever bottled;
- 40-year-old Jura;
- even some Ardbeg from the 1970s!
Often, we are able to taste future releases as well including the first Bowmore Devil’s cask, the Bruichladdich Octomore, Black Arts and 25yr Yellow Submarine, and the oldest ever Lagavulin Single Cask - the recent 37yr. As incredible as these were, sometimes you are simply surprised by a random cask. I find it amazing to have young Islay Whiskies as the peat is more vibrant, and it’s fun to taste things you have never seen and may never see again.
Tickets to these events are the big challenge. As mentioned, it is easier to get front row concert seats. The tickets are released randomly, often without much warning. It is important to join as many of the distillery clubs as you can, as well as sign up on the websites to get some warning about the drops. If coming from the US, often tickets go on sale at 4 or 5 am, and they sell out in seconds. Fortunately, some people do not buy all the tickets in their carts, and so some are released a few minutes later, so it is important to keep refreshing your browsers. Some distilleries have raffles for tickets, so you sign up and cross your fingers, and most offer tickets to some events sold only on the day, so get there early and hope for the best if you missed out prior to getting there.
Once you have your housing, car, ferry and tickets you can enjoy all your hard work. The festival is an amazing experience. When looking back during each festival you realize how incredible it is. It’s funny, everyone always tries to describe their best dram or best day of the festival, and this is quite a challenge. One minute you talk about the amazing pours in the Laddie tasting, but then you remember the 25yr Laphroaig single cask you had. But what about the Bowmore cask 666, or the Lagavulin 19yr poured in the warehouse, oh, and the Kilchoman class where you get to try old Kilchoman in first fill ex-bourbon, some unpeated? And the Jura class with Richard Patterson, or meeting Dr. Bill Lumsden in an Ardbeg Warehouse, or the Bunnhabhain Warehouse 9, or the historic first taste of Ardmore? And after all that you start over and end up again at Laddie and the cycle repeats. It truly is something you need to experience to understand.
Nights are spent unwinding, but there are smaller evening events offered by the distilleries or some whisky clubs. After meeting folks and making new friends you may luck yourself into a backyard barbeque where a brand or 2 shows up with cask samples or wind up in a bar with selections you can only dream of (at great prices). The first Monday there is even a nosing competition with samples from each place where you try to identify solely on the smell. The possibilities are endless!
The last day at Ardbeg everyone typically hangs out enjoying their theme for the day and many of the fun games and events they offer. Several folks bring their own bottles that they share, and you can learn as much about whisky from many of the regulars as you learn in the classes. A friend once said to me that when drinking whisky, the people in the room holding their drams are as important as what’s in the glass. It’s hard to describe the feeling of community you get to experience if you have not been there. There is even the ‘Islay wave’, when cars pass each other in opposite directions the drivers each wave to each other. It may be the friendliest place you will ever visit.
In summary, if you are a fan of whisky, you owe it to yourself to experience where it comes from. To go on a tour and see the stills and learn about the process is enlightening. To enjoy whisky straight from the cask, where it has been aging, discussing it with people who make it, is an emotional experience, and to share that with other fans makes it that much more special. Although it takes a lot of work and preparation, in the end it is worth it. If you are a fan of Islay whisky you owe it to yourself to make a journey to the Island, and if you are patient and able to prepare for it, coming to the Feis Ile needs to be on your whisky bucket list. I hope to see you there in the future.
Slàinte!
Matthew J. Lurin MD
Member No. 15538
