Islay's Bunnahabhain Distillery is celebrating the 2023 Fèis Ìle musical and whisky festival with three limited-edition expressions.
The Canasta Cask Matured and 1998 Manzanilla Cask Finish will be available globally, while the 17-year-old Triple Cask Moine, an experimental peated expression, will be sold exclusively at the distillery and at bunnahabhain.com.
Inspired by the success of Bunnahabhain's 1980 Canasta Cask Finish limited release, the Canasta Cask Matured makes use of a type of sherry cask rarely used in whisky maturation. Produced from a combination of Palomino and Pedro Ximénez grapes, Canasta sherry has a sweet and spicy character which Bunnahabhain says complements its unpeated spirit "exceptionally well". The Canasta Cask Matured is bottled non-chill filtered at 51.2% ABV.
The 1998 Manzanilla Cask Finish utilises casks from a sherry variety that is famed for its nutty and salty characteristics, also said to be complementary to the distillery's spirit character, and has been bottled (also non-chill filtered) at 52.3% ABV.
Meanwhile, the 17-year-old Triple Cask Moine is an experimental expression that marries three peated single malts. Bottled at 52.6% ABV, it was inspired by Bunnahabhain master blender Julieann Fernandez's love for rum-raisin ice cream.
Brendan McCarron, master distiller at Bunnahabhain, said: "We’re so excited to welcome whisky fans from across the globe to celebrate the world of Bunnahabhain at Fèis Ìle once again. We look forward to the festival every year as it is a great way to spend time with whisky lovers, bring them into our world and share some fantastic drams in such a beautiful setting.
“Our Canasta and Manzanilla expressions showcase the very best of our distillery home and our signature unpeated, sherried house style. Fèis Ìle also gives us a fantastic opportunity to experiment with the limited peated spirit we have, and our 17-year-old Triple Cask is a uniquely wonderful and smoky expression to add to the celebration."
Thousands of whisky lovers flock to Islay each year for the Fèis Ìle festival, which this year takes place from 26 May to 3 June. The festival sees each of the island's nine major distilleries get its own dedicated 'day', Bunnahabhain's being on 2 June.
For the first time this year, Bunnahabhain is also launching an immersive virtual reality experience for those who can't make it to the festival in person. The experience allows viewers a 360º exploration of the distillery and the chance to watch virtual tastings with the distillery team, including master distiller McCarron.
The Canasta Cask Matured and 1998 Manzanilla Cask Finish will be available globally, while the 17-year-old Triple Cask Moine, an experimental peated expression, will be sold exclusively at the distillery and at bunnahabhain.com.
Inspired by the success of Bunnahabhain's 1980 Canasta Cask Finish limited release, the Canasta Cask Matured makes use of a type of sherry cask rarely used in whisky maturation. Produced from a combination of Palomino and Pedro Ximénez grapes, Canasta sherry has a sweet and spicy character which Bunnahabhain says complements its unpeated spirit "exceptionally well". The Canasta Cask Matured is bottled non-chill filtered at 51.2% ABV.
The 1998 Manzanilla Cask Finish utilises casks from a sherry variety that is famed for its nutty and salty characteristics, also said to be complementary to the distillery's spirit character, and has been bottled (also non-chill filtered) at 52.3% ABV.
Meanwhile, the 17-year-old Triple Cask Moine is an experimental expression that marries three peated single malts. Bottled at 52.6% ABV, it was inspired by Bunnahabhain master blender Julieann Fernandez's love for rum-raisin ice cream.
Brendan McCarron, master distiller at Bunnahabhain, said: "We’re so excited to welcome whisky fans from across the globe to celebrate the world of Bunnahabhain at Fèis Ìle once again. We look forward to the festival every year as it is a great way to spend time with whisky lovers, bring them into our world and share some fantastic drams in such a beautiful setting.
“Our Canasta and Manzanilla expressions showcase the very best of our distillery home and our signature unpeated, sherried house style. Fèis Ìle also gives us a fantastic opportunity to experiment with the limited peated spirit we have, and our 17-year-old Triple Cask is a uniquely wonderful and smoky expression to add to the celebration."
Thousands of whisky lovers flock to Islay each year for the Fèis Ìle festival, which this year takes place from 26 May to 3 June. The festival sees each of the island's nine major distilleries get its own dedicated 'day', Bunnahabhain's being on 2 June.
For the first time this year, Bunnahabhain is also launching an immersive virtual reality experience for those who can't make it to the festival in person. The experience allows viewers a 360º exploration of the distillery and the chance to watch virtual tastings with the distillery team, including master distiller McCarron.
