Fèis Ìle 2026 was held from 22 to 31 May: ten days instead of the usual nine, for the first time in the festival’s history. The 40th anniversary edition welcomed the debut of Laggan Bay Distillery, Islay’s eleventh distillery, which opened on 2 April 2026 and featured on the final day. In all, thirteen official releases came out (Kilchoman Family Casks is a single block of four expressions), plus the two Bruichladdich Redux bottlings for the 25th anniversary. Port Ellen was the only major distillery without an official bottling: it opened with two experiences built around new make and five previously unreleased cask samples. This page covers the day-by-day programme, how the edition went and every festival bottling.
Day-by-day programme
Friday 22 May: festival opening
The opening parade started from Port Ellen Primary School at 17:00 and headed to Ramsay Hall, where the evening continued with entertainment and music. At 19:30, Country Music Hoe-Down.
Saturday 23 May: Lagavulin
Three events on the schedule. The first was a masterclass led by Rory Slater and distillery manager Jordan Paisley: five drams from experimental casks, exploring spirit character and wood influence. The second, “Past, Peat & People”, celebrated 40 years of Fèis Ìle with speakers connected to Lagavulin‘s history, including senior malts archivist Jo McKerchar. The third paired whisky, food and vinyl with global ambassador Ewan Gunn. The Fèis Ìle 2026 bottlings had already been revealed: the Skies of Fèis Ìle 31 Year Old at cask strength, £2,800 (hand-filled, distillery-only), and the 14 Year Old at £240 via UK retailers. Tickets were on sale via Skiddle. Those without tickets for the Lagavulin events could still visit Islay Rum and the Islay Whisky Vault, or try their luck at the fishing competition on Loch Gorm.
Sunday 24 May: Bruichladdich (Rock’ndaal)
Rock’ndaal celebrated its 25th anniversary with a full sold out (2,500+ attendees, general admission £30). The £150 masterclass with master blender Adam Hannett featured six single malts from previously unseen casks, limited to 500 attendees selected by ballot. On stage: Nathan Evans & The SAINT PHNX Band, Tide Lines and Cammy Barnes. The two flagship releases were Port Charlotte PC5 Redux, a tribute to the first spirit to run off the stills on 29 May 2001 when the distillery reopened, and Octomore OBA Redux, 2,500 bottles at £325: the two 25th anniversary bottlings. Those wanting a break from whisky could explore the coastline with Islay Sea Adventures.
Monday 25 May: Caol Ila
Exclusive experiences and tastings at Caol Ila, overlooking the Sound of Islay. The 2026 release is the Caol Ila 11 Year Old Don Julio Tequila Finish (“Tequila Caol Ila”): the distillery’s first finishing in ex-Don Julio tequila casks, £145. Declared notes: lively citrus, sweetness, agave, herbal accents and the distillery’s signature coastal smoke. Evening event: “The Manager’s Evening” whisky dinner.
Tuesday 26 May: Laphroaig and Port Ellen
Two distilleries in one day. Laphroaig hosted the classic open day with masterclasses, tastings, music (Rollin Drones and Papa Shandy and the Drams) and a shuttle between Port Ellen and the distillery. The bottling was the Cairdeas 2026 French Oak, fully matured in French oak, 52.6%. Declared profile: bold wood, peat fires, plum, cherry, chocolate, leather, sea salt. Friends of Laphroaig got early access. The 10 vs Quarter Cask vs Select guide breaks down how the three standard expressions differ.
Port Ellen, reopened in 2024, brought two experiences and no official festival bottling: “From the Shores to the Stills”, an evening with rare distillery whiskies, and a guided tasting of five previously unreleased cask samples showing the experimental styles distilled since the reopening.
Also on Tuesday, The Indie Whisky Feis returned to Ramsay Hall with three sessions featuring independent bottlers: Douglas Laing, Hunter Laing, Dramfool, SMWS and Lady of the Glen, among others. The entry ticket included a tasting glass.
Wednesday 27 May: Bowmore and Ardnahoe
Bowmore opened with tastings, live music from Corra (folk, rock, Celtic rhythms) and street food. The bottling was a Bowmore 2016 9 Year Old from a single Pedro Ximénez cask (no. 3756), distilled 27 May 2016 with 100% floor-malted barley.
Ardnahoe, Hunter Laing’s distillery operating since 2019, shared the day. Doors opened 12:00 to 17:00, with a shuttle from Persabus running from 11:00. Distillery manager David Livingstone led a tasting of six expressions, including the festival release. The 2026 bottling was the Ardnahoe 7 Year Old Fèis Ìle 2026 at cask strength: 59.7%, matured in ex-bourbon barrels, 830 bottles, £85, capped at three bottles per person. Skerryvore on the outdoor stage at 14:30. Evening: Folk Night at the Round Church in Bowmore.
Thursday 28 May: Kilchoman
The full programme: drams, masterclasses, tours, open tastings, music and entertainment. Three releases on Kilchoman Day: the Kilchoman 15 Year Old Calvados Finish (festival bottling, 50.9%, 637 bottles, one per person, 10 years ex-bourbon plus 5 in calvados casks), the launch of the Family Casks 1st Edition (11, 14, 18 and 20 Year Olds, with the 20-year-old the oldest expression Kilchoman has ever released at retail), and Rockside 11 Year Old Single Farm Single Malt, the first named release dedicated to the 100% Islay range. The evening moved to Ramsay Hall for “The Whisky Nosing”.
Friday 29 May: Bunnahabhain and Jura
Bunnahabhain has confirmed its 2026 release: Bunnahabhain 15 Year Old “An Cuan Garbh” No. 1 (“rough sea” in Gaelic), fifteen years in oak with a finish in White Port casks. It is the first bottling of the Westering Home Collection 2026. 51.6%, unpeated, non-chill filtered, no added colour. Declared profile from the distillery: white grapes and honeyed almonds. Same day for Jura, on the neighbouring island, reached by ferry from Port Askaig to Feolin (5 minutes). Jura’s marquee featured live music from Heron Valley, cocktails, open 10:00 to 18:00 with a free shuttle from the ferry port. Two bottlings announced: a Jura 16 Year Old Armagnac Cask Finish (ex-bourbon base, 18 months in Armagnac) and a Jura 24 Year Old Sauternes Barrique Finish for the 40th anniversary of Fèis Ìle. The evening wrapped up with the Mystery Bus Tour (destination unknown, as tradition demands) and the Clootie Dumpling Ceilidh.
Saturday 30 May: Ardbeg (Ardbeg Day)
The 2026 theme was 1960s Italian cinema: Mediterranean street food with Islay twists, vintage games, music and dancing. The bottling was Ardbeg Dolce: 47.8%, £85, matured in Sicilian Marsala dolce wine casks and bourbon barrels. Declared notes: sun-ripened oranges, apricots, dark chocolate, olives, soft smoke, salted nuts. Ardbeg Committee members got early access from 26 May. It went on general sale from 30 May at the distillery, online and at specialist retailers. The evening closed with “The Final Fling”.
Sunday 31 May: Laggan Bay and Islay Ales
The final day and Laggan Bay‘s debut at Fèis Ìle. The distillery opened across three sessions: 10-13, 14-17 and 18-21. There was no bottling (the first spirit was distilled on 2 April), but visitors could taste the new make. The festival was extended by one day specifically to accommodate this new entry. On the same site at Glenegedale, Islay Ales brewery, the island’s only one, was also open.
How Fèis Ìle 2026 went
The 40th edition was also the longest, ten days instead of nine, stretched to make room for Laggan Bay’s debut. Accounts from those on the island describe a busier festival than usual that still kept the island’s slow rhythm outside the events. The Italian group at Whisky Club Italia, based at Casa Italia in Port Ellen, picked Bruichladdich’s Rock’ndaal as the peak of the week: 2,500 people in the courtyard, live sets from Nathan Evans and SAINT PHNX, a day the distillery also livestreamed for those without a ticket.
On the bottle front, the two most anticipated releases held up in the glass. The Laphroaig Cairdeas 2026 French Oak, the first Cairdeas matured in 100% French oak across eighteen editions, was received as a successful experiment: the oak brings cherry, pomegranate and dark chocolate without burying the peat and the distillery’s saline finish. The Ardbeg Dolce, from Sicilian Marsala dolce casks, was judged a balanced play between sweetness and smoke, with several reviewers calling it approachable even for drinkers who usually avoid peated whisky.
The most awaited debut came on the final day. Laggan Bay, Islay’s eleventh distillery, opened across three sessions with a tasting of its new make: no bottling, the first cask was filled on 2 April, but visitors got a first sense of the direction manager Malcolm Rennie wants for the spirit, openly set on not copying Islay’s existing peated styles. The next distillery is already under construction: Portintruan, the Elixir Distillers project led by Georgie Crawford and Jackie Thomson, opens in summer 2026 and will be the island’s twelfth distillery.
The Fèis Ìle 2026 bottlings
The festival’s thirteen official releases (Kilchoman Family Casks is a single block of four expressions), plus the two Bruichladdich Redux bottlings for the 25th anniversary. Port Ellen was the only major distillery without an official bottling.
Laphroaig Cairdeas 2026 French Oak: 52.6%. Fully matured in French oak. Peat, plum, cherry, chocolate, sea salt.
Bowmore 2016 9 Year Old PX Cask: single cask no. 3756, Pedro Ximénez. Floor-malted barley. Distilled 27 May 2016.
Kilchoman 15 Year Old Calvados Finish: 50.9%, 637 bottles. 10 years ex-bourbon, 5 years ex-calvados. One bottle per person.
Kilchoman Family Casks 1st Edition: a four-strong block of double-digit expressions (11, 14, 18, 20 Year Olds). The 20-year-old is the oldest bottling Kilchoman has ever released. Launching on Kilchoman Day.
Kilchoman Rockside 11 Year Old Single Farm Single Malt: 46%, the first named expression dedicated to the 100% Islay range (Rockside Farm barley).
Ardbeg Dolce: 47.8%, £85. Marsala dolce wine casks and bourbon. Oranges, apricots, chocolate, smoke.
Jura 16 Year Old Armagnac Cask Finish: ex-bourbon base, 18 months in Armagnac casks.
Jura 24 Year Old Sauternes Barrique Finish: 40th anniversary edition.
Lagavulin 31 Year Old Skies of Fèis Ìle: cask strength, £2,800, hand-filled and signed by Jordan Paisley. Over ten years of finishing in heavily charred American oak hogsheads seasoned with Oloroso. Distillery-only during Lagavulin Day.
Lagavulin 14 Year Old Fèis Ìle 2026: five-year finish in the same casks, £240. Red berries, dried fruits, caramel and warm spice over Lagavulin’s signature smoke.
Caol Ila 11 Year Old Don Julio Tequila Finish (“Tequila Caol Ila”): £145. Caol Ila’s first finishing in ex-Don Julio tequila casks. Lively citrus, sweetness, agave, herbal accents, coastal smoke.
Bunnahabhain 15 Year Old “An Cuan Garbh” No. 1: 51.6%, unpeated, non-chill filtered, no added colour. White Port cask finish. First release of the Westering Home Collection 2026. Declared profile: white grapes, honeyed almonds.
Ardnahoe 7 Year Old Fèis Ìle 2026: 59.7% cask strength, ex-bourbon. 830 bottles, £85, three bottles per person.
Bruichladdich Port Charlotte PC5 Redux: £75, tribute to the first spirit to run off the stills on 29 May 2001, when Bruichladdich reopened after mothballing.
Bruichladdich Octomore OBA Redux: 2,500 bottles, £325.
Tickets and booking
The festival itself is free: no general admission ticket is needed. Individual distillery events and committee events are ticketed. The ticketing partner for 2026 is Skiddle. Committee event tickets went on sale 31 March. Distillery tickets are available where noted above.
Bruichladdich’s Rock’ndaal sold out (general admission £30). The masterclass with Adam Hannett was £150, allocated by ballot in February. Diageo experiences (Lagavulin, Caol Ila, Port Ellen) were on Skiddle and the most popular ones sold out within days.
Getting to and around Islay
Islay is reached by ferry from Kennacraig (CalMac, roughly 2 hours 15 minutes to Port Ellen or Port Askaig) or by air from Glasgow (Loganair, 40 minutes). The new CalMac ferry in service from 2026 has increased capacity on the route.
On the island, a hire car is recommended. Local buses run but are limited. The drive between the most distant distilleries, Bunnahabhain in the north and Port Ellen in the south, is about 45 minutes. The interactive map shows all eleven distilleries, ports, villages and hotels, and calculates driving times between any two points.
Fèis Ìle 2026 was the longest and most packed edition yet. Forty years of festival, eleven active distilleries and, for the first time, a brand-new distillery that made its debut in the same edition it filled its very first cask. For those who want to arrive prepared, the Ardbeg vs Laphroaig vs Lagavulin vs Caol Ila comparison breaks down strength, peat and cask choices across the four flagship distilleries. Those who could not make it to the island can still find most Fèis Ìle bottlings at specialist online retailers in the weeks after the festival.
