Latest news with #Ardbeg
The National
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
Brandi Carlile poses with Irn-Bru, Scotch whisky and Saltire at Glasgow gig
Carlile, 44, is best known for her hit song, The Story, and has collaborated with artists including Hozier, Miley Cyrus and Alicia Keys. She is currently on her "Lost Time Tour" across the UK, and played at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall on Thursday night. On her Instagram, she shared an image of her with a Saltire flag, Slatire heart pin badge in her mouth, a bottle of Ardbeg whisky and Scotland's other national drink, with the caption: "FREEDOM!". Former first minister Nicola Sturgeon reshared the image, along with another showing Carlile holding a Saltire on stage, and wrote: "Love @brandicarlile (even more so now [laughing emoji]). Gutted not to see her in Glasgow last night. Carlile, an 11-time Grammy Award-winning artist, was the most nominated woman at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards in 2019, receiving six nominations, including nominations for Album of the Year, Record of the Year and Song of the Year. She recently teamed up with Sir Elton John - famous for hit songs such as Rocket Man, Tiny Dancer, and I'm Still Standing - to write and record a joint album titled Who Believes in Angels? which was released on April 4. Carlile taught herself to play piano after being introduced to the music of John as a teenager. Last week, he was in the audience as she performed at London's Royal Albert Hall. READ MORE: 'Stop the Genocide': Kneecap release film with Gaza surgeons ahead of Glastonbury set The two also had a sit-down conversation with Schitt's Creek star Dan Levy in March, and discussed their lives and music careers. Announcing the tour, she said: "My pre-adolescent Elton discovery was a gateway drug to Queen, The Beatles, U2, Kate Bush, George Michael, Sinéad O'Connor, David Bowie, Radiohead and I imagined a moody, and mysterious utopia of complicated musical bliss. "I had visions of myself on stage Royal Albert Hall. I dreamed it was me standing on the stage at Live Aid, clutching a half mic stand, and singing Radio Gaga instead of Freddie. When I finally made it over, I was in my 20s, and it was everything I knew it would be. It wasn't easy! "I've been working my whole life, and touring the UK and Europe as a baby band is not for the faint of heart. Nevertheless, I did THE zebra crossing; drank a real Guinness; had my first Ardbeg, and I experienced the European countryside to me. "I met my wife in London & got married at Chelsea Town Hall, and I now cross the Atlantic more than I could have ever hoped for - but not nearly enough to play my music, and bring my art home to the place where it really came from."
Scotsman
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
The 18 best Scotch whiskies according to the International Wine and Spirit Competition 2025 - including Glenfiddich and Bowmore
The 2025 International Wine and Spirit Competition (IWSC) medals have been awarded, with 10 Scotch whiskies given a coveted double gold accolade. Spirits at the awards are blind tasted by an expert and independent panel of judges selected by the organiser. Bronze, Silver, Gold and Double Gold medals are awarded according to a consensus reached by the judging panel. This year 18 Scotch whisky brands took home a double gold medal including single cask bottlings from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society and a special release from Ardbeg. Picture: OurWhisky Foundation/Jo Hanley Here we take a look at all the double gold medal winners. Single Malts up to 12 years old category Glenmorangie Lasanta Single Malts between 13 and 20 years old Aberfeldy 16 Years Old Aberfeldy Madeira Cask 16 Years Old Balblair 15 Year Old Bowmore 19-Year Old Pinot Noir Cask Finish Glenfiddich 14 Year Old Bourbon Barrel Reserve Glengoyne Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky - Mizunara Oak - Aged 16 Years The Glenlivet 15 Year Old French Oak Reserve Single Malts non age statement Loch Lomond Remarkable Copper Single Malt Scotch Whisky Single Malts 21 years old and over Scotch Malt Whisky Society 12.87 - Velvety smooth with a hint of spice (independent) A'Glac Charran 27 Year Old Glenfiddich 29 Year Old Grand Yozakura Scapa 21 Year Old Ardbeg Seann Chreag Ardbeg Vintage_Y2K 23 Years Old Scotch Blends 21 years old and over Royal Salute 25 Year Old The Treasured Blend Royal Salute 30 Year Old Key to the Kingdom Over 100 Scotch whiskies were awarded a gold, silver, bronze or double gold medal at this year's tasting judging. The International Wine and Spirits Competition was created by Anton Massel in 1969 in London with the first official competition taking place in 1970. Competition entries now regularly exceed 12,000 and cover, as the name suggests, wines and spirits. You can find out more and see the full list at the IWSC website here.
Scotsman
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
The 18 best Scotch whiskies according to the International Wine and Spirit Competition 2025 - including Glenfiddich and Bowmore
The 2025 International Wine and Spirit Competition (IWSC) medals have been awarded, with 10 Scotch whiskies given a coveted double gold accolade. Spirits at the awards are blind tasted by an expert and independent panel of judges selected by the organiser. Bronze, Silver, Gold and Double Gold medals are awarded according to a consensus reached by the judging panel. This year 18 Scotch whisky brands took home a double gold medal including single cask bottlings from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society and a special release from Ardbeg. Picture: OurWhisky Foundation/Jo Hanley Here we take a look at all the double gold medal winners. Single Malts up to 12 years old category Glenmorangie Lasanta Single Malts between 13 and 20 years old Aberfeldy 16 Years Old Aberfeldy Madeira Cask 16 Years Old Balblair 15 Year Old Bowmore 19-Year Old Pinot Noir Cask Finish Glenfiddich 14 Year Old Bourbon Barrel Reserve Glengoyne Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky - Mizunara Oak - Aged 16 Years The Glenlivet 15 Year Old French Oak Reserve Single Malts non age statement Loch Lomond Remarkable Copper Single Malt Scotch Whisky Single Malts 21 years old and over Scotch Malt Whisky Society 12.87 - Velvety smooth with a hint of spice (independent) A'Glac Charran 27 Year Old Glenfiddich 29 Year Old Grand Yozakura Scapa 21 Year Old Ardbeg Seann Chreag Ardbeg Vintage_Y2K 23 Years Old Scotch Blends 21 years old and over Royal Salute 25 Year Old The Treasured Blend Royal Salute 30 Year Old Key to the Kingdom Over 100 Scotch whiskies were awarded a gold, silver, bronze or double gold medal at this year's tasting judging. The International Wine and Spirits Competition was created by Anton Massel in 1969 in London with the first official competition taking place in 1970. Competition entries now regularly exceed 12,000 and cover, as the name suggests, wines and spirits. You can find out more and see the full list at the IWSC website here.
Forbes
29-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Fèis Ìle 2025 Whisky Festival: What Islay's Distilleries Are Releasing
The Fèis Ìle, Islay's annual celebration of whisky and culture, started in the 1980s as a local festival of music and Gaelic traditions. Now, it has become a global pilgrimage for whisky fans, as distilleries across the island release limited-edition bottlings made exclusively for the event every year. With this year's festival already in full swing, here's a round-up of the official Fèis Ìle 2025 whisky releases announced so far. Some will inevitably escape this article - a few distilleries like announcing secret releases on extremely short notice. Others are available to the general public outside of festival attendees, I've included purchase links where available. Here's what Islay's distilleries are cooking up: Promotional image for Ardbeg's Smokiverse The 2025 Ardbeg Day release, "Smokiverse," is proudly marketed as a 'high-gravity' whisky - meaning that less water was used along with more grains being packed in during the brewing process, resulting in more fermentable sugars that can translate to more aromas and flavors in the resulting whisky. By maturing it entirely in in ex-bourbon casks (this article claims the age is around 10 years but no actual age is officially given), the notes from this process are brought to the fore. The Ardnahoe 2025 festival release. Ardnahoe's second Fèis Ìle release is a 6-year-old single malt matured in first-fill Bourbon barrels. Bottled at natural cask strength, this limited edition comprises 1,116 individually numbered bottles. Available exclusively at the distillery, not much information is available on its taste profile but so far all past releases from the distillery have been excellent. Matured in a single sherry cask, this 8-year-old Bowmore was crafted using 100% floor-malted barley and bottled at 56% ABV, and matured in Bowmore's No.1 Vault which is typically used for the distillery's showcase casks earmarked for great things. It's only available at the distillery. Bunnahabhain's pair of distillery-exclusive festival releases. Released for Fèis Ìle 2025, Turas Math No. 1 is the only one of Bunnahabhain's three. festival releases available outside of the distillery in select retailers. Two different types of casks were used for maturation. Some of the liquid involved was matured in Manzanilla sherry butts for the full 15 years, while the rest. Bunnahabhain matured in Manzanilla tends to be a winner as the cask emphasizes Bunnahabhain's drier, marine and salty notes. Unlike the No. 1, Turas Math No. 2 and No. 3 are available only at the distillery. The more budget-friendly option of the pair is matured in ex-bourbon before being finished in Palo Cortado sherry casks. A 19-year-old unpeated single malt was finished in an Armagnac cask which is very unusual in the whisky world. Two very different heavily peated whiskies from Bruichladdich. Octomore whiskies are famous for being some of the peatiest available. The range's festival special, Polyphonic 01, is a 15-year-old single malt made from a blend of seven distinct casks, including Grenache, Bourbon, Sauternes, Syrah, Amarone, Oloroso, and PX. It is the oldest Octomore yet bottled. No wonder the 2,500 available bottles already sold out. Given how long the Port Charlotte range has been around, I was truly surprised to read on the distillery website that this is the first ever official single cask bottling outside of its distillery shop exclusive Valinch releases. This 19 year old whisky was matured entirely in a second-fill Moscatel wine cask, and of course is already sold out. Caol Ila's release features a finish in Colombia oak This 8-year-old Caol Ila was finished in Colombian oak after maturation in refill, PX, and Oloroso-seasoned casks. It is only available at the distillery and Diageo's internet retail site (though not yet listed at time of writing), with 1,476 bottles available. 'This release explores Caol Ila's waxy character, delivering an intensely smooth, oily texture and a richer, unexpectedly sweet profile emerging from the Colombian Oak cask finish. The whisky's complex smoke is amplified by layers of spice notes and peppery warmth.' Jura isn't on Islay but because it's nearby it's included in the festivities. No need for unusual maturation here - this single cask Jura is matured for 17 years in an Oloroso sherry butt, which gave up only 300 bottles. These are available only at the distillery, a good reward for making the pilgrimage over. This is apparently a sister cask of the 2022 festival release from the distillery. 'With an additional three years maturation, #1895 builds on the complexity of our 2022 Fèis Ìle release, with notes of crystallised citrus, prune, and hazelnut together with hints of polished leather and dark chocolate from its full-course Sherry maturation.' - Jura whiskymaker Joe Ricketts Two 9 year old Madeira casks were vatted together for Kilchoman's release. Kilchoman blended together two Madeira casks to create this 9 year old whisky, of which there are only 615 bottles available and was made using barley exclusively grown on Islay. Curiously, the peating level (20 ppm) is lower than most Kilchomans. "We very rarely mature our 100% Islay spirit for its full maturation in anything other than ex-bourbon or sherry casks, so I was thrilled to find these unusual casks coming along so well. The lighter peating level allows for the bold Madeira notes to come through into the whisky.' - Anthony Wills, Kilchoman founder This year's Lagavulin was finished in Moscatel de Málaga casks. This 15-year-old Lagavulin was finished in Moscatel de Málaga casks, and is only available at the distillery with 1,596 bottles available. Like with the Caol Ila, while the official presser says the whisky will be available on as well as the distillery shop, it is not yet available at time of writing. A cask strength version of Laphroaig's Lore is the distillery's 2025 festival entry. The 2025 Càirdeas release is a cask strength version of Laphroaig's 'Lore', blending a wide variety of cask types including ex-Bourbon, Oloroso sherry, European oak, and quarter casks. It's only available at the Laphroaig distillery shop and to Friends of Laphroaig, the distillery's loyalty programme. Outside of the distilleries, some indie bottlers with a longstanding association with Islay also often release their own festival bottlings. Here's the ones announced so far: For the 2025 Fèis Ìle, family business and indie bottler Douglas Laing have released a customary festival edition of Big Peat, their iconic Islay blended malt. This year's release is marketed as a 2010 'vintage' matured exclusively in refill hogsheads and bottled at 14 years old. Knowing this…I therefore must quibble. Claiming a 2010 'vintage' implies all whiskies blended in were distilled that year, but the blend also includes some precious Port Ellen according to the Douglas Laing website, which was not in operation in 2010…regardless this should still be good value for money. 'Expect layers of sweet smoke intertwined with a salty, oceanic character, culminating in the signature smoky BBQ profile for which Big Peat is renowned.' - Douglas Laing press release. Mac-Talla's 2025 Fèis Ìle release is NAS (No Age Statement) finished in two different Amarone wine casks from Northern Italy that were then blended together.
Scotsman
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Feis Ile 2025: Limited edition festival whiskies from Lagavulin, Jura, Bowmore and Ardbeg - prices and how to buy
This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission on items purchased through this article, but that does not affect our editorial judgement. From peaty whiskies such as Ardbeg and Caol Ila, to lighter drams from Bunnahanhain, Islay has something for all whisky tastes including the range of Fèis Ìle 2025 Festival bottlings Fèis Ìle is Islay's renowned whisky, culture and music festival, and runs this year from the 23 May until 31 May. Each of the nine Islay distilleries have their own festival day which can include tours, tastings and live music. Here we take a look at what festival bottlings are on offer and how you can snap up a bottle. Lagavulin This year, Lagavulin is inviting fans to discover new depths of flavour with Lagavulin Fèis Ìle 2025 15 Year-Old. Finished in Moscatel de Málaga casks, this expression showcases a masterful balance of sweet and spicy notes while retaining Lagavulin's distinctive smokiness. This rich and complex bottling offers aromas of salted toffee, and ripe berries, interwoven with maritime medicinal undertones. The palate is luxuriously smooth and creamy, harmonising flavours of sweetness, salt, spice, and smoke. It culminates in a long, drying finish with that lingering fragrant Lagavulin smoke and a captivating note of Sichuan pepper spice. Lagavulin Fèis Ìle 2025 15 Year-Old is bottled at 55.7% ABV, with an RRSP of £240, available to be purchased from the distillery and There will be a total of 1,596 bottles. Caol Ila In a bold new move, Caol Ila is introducing an exciting new dimension of flavour with Caol Ila Fèis Ìle 2025 8 Year-Old. This whisky has been matured in a unique combination of refill casks and Pedro Ximénez /Oloroso-seasoned casks, before being finished in new Colombian Oak casks. The result is a burst of bold yet harmonious flavours. As whisky expert Charles MacLean puts it, 'even at reduced strength, the taste is intense!'. T his release explores Caol Ila's waxy character, delivering an intensely smooth, oily texture and a richer, unexpectedly sweet profile emerging from the Colombian Oak cask finish. The whisky's complex smoke is amplified by layers of spice notes and peppery warmth. Caol Ila Fèis Ìle 2025 8 Year-Old is bottled at 55.8% ABV, with an RRSP of £110, available to be purchased from the distillery and There will be a total of 1,476 bottles. Laphroaig Laphroaig will welcome Friends of Laphroaig and whisky lovers from around the world to the distillery on Tuesday 27 May for Laphroaig Open Day. Guests can expect a full day of festivities that capture the spirit of the distillery and its island home – from traditional music and dancing to the warmth of peat fires and the unmistakable aroma of Laphroaig's signature smoky whisky. Laphroaig will mark Fèis Ìle 2025 with its latest Càirdeas expression, Lore Cask Strength – a bold, richly layered single malt that completes our series of cask strength versions of well-known Laphroaig whiskies. With Càirdeas meaning 'friendship' in Gaelic, this release allows Friends of Laphroaig to discover exciting expressions matured in creative casks, and new twists to the iconic Islay Single Malt. Crafted as a marriage of five of Laphroaig's favourite cask types - including ex-Bourbon, Oloroso sherry, European oak, and quarter casks - this expression is non-chill filtered and bottled at natural cask strength, delivering the distillery's most intense flavour profile yet. On the nose, the whisky is sweet, herbal and boldly peaty, with a fruity expression opening with aromas of apricot, peaches in syrup, lemon cream, coconut and vanilla fudge. The palate delivers an explosion of peat and salty sea spray, followed by lemon zest, salted limes, caramel, and herbal notes of mint and tea leaves. Delicate spices like cumin, cloves and ginger emerge, leading to a long, citrus-sweet finish with an enduring phenolic character that defines Laphroaig. Laphroaig Càirdeas Lore Cask Strength SRP is £89 and is on sale exclusively from the distillery shop from Saturday 24 May. Bowmore Bowmore will open the gates to Islay's oldest licensed distillery on Wednesday 28th May for Bowmore Open Day. Set against the stunning backdrop of Loch Indaal, the distillery will come alive with exclusive tastings and experiences, each designed to showcase the craftsmanship behind their whisky. To celebrate this year's festival, Bowmore is proud to unveil an exclusive Fèis Ìle release – a 100% floor-malted single cask bottling. The Bowmore Fèis Ìle 2025 exclusive embodies Bowmore's commitment to quality, innovation and its time-honoured whisky-making tradition. Crafted with intent, and filled entirely by hand in the No. 1 Vaults, this captivating single malt reflects Bowmore's long-standing artisanal philosophy. On the nose, it is intense and spicy with blackcurrant, liquorice root, leather, and peat smoke. The palate is sweet and oily, with floral notes, charred orange rind, black cherry, with a long, lingering, almost chewy finish. Bowmore Fèis Ìle 2025 exclusive SRP is £120 and is on sale from the Bowmore distillery from Wednesday 28 May. Jura Jura Whisky is selling a new single cask release to celebrate this year's Fèis Ìle Festival. On 30 May Jura will be welcoming whisky lovers to its beachside distillery, with tours of the distillery on offer as well as tastings, live music, cocktails and boat tours exploring Jura's beautiful coastline. To mark the 2025 festival, a very special expression will be released limited to just 300 bottles, exclusively available to the whisky-lovers who visit Jura in-person during Fèis Ìle. Joe Ricketts, whisky maker, explained: 'For this year's Fèis Ìle single cask release we've revisited a standout 2007 vintage parcel. In 2022 the whisky making and distillery teams selected #1892, a bold, rich oloroso butt which explored a different side to Jura's distillery character. 'With an additional three years maturation, #1895 builds on the complexity of our 2022 Fèis Ìle release, with notes of crystallised citrus, prune and hazelnut together with hints of polished leather and dark chocolate from its full-course Sherry maturation.' This whisky is available exclusively at the Jura distillery between 23 May and 31 May 2025 with an RSP of £135. Ardbeg Marking 25 years of the Ardbeg Committee, this year's festivities on Saturday 31 May are, the team say, set to be out of this world. At the distillery and across the globe, Ardbeg will transport smoky malt lovers' taste-buds to a fruity new dimension, with Ardbeg Smokiverse, the limited edition whisky released for the festival. This limited edition will be the Islay distillery's first whisky crafted from a high-gravity mash, resulting in a distinctly vibrant, tropical and fruity spirit. This unconventional 'high-gravity' mash magnified the intensity of flavour-active compounds known as acetate esters, leading to a fruitier, more tropical spirit. Aged in bourbon casks, this Ardbeg whisky unveils layers of muscovado sugar, ripe barley, and toasted sourdough bread, all culminating in a burst of ripe tropical fruits and sweet peat. Ardbeg Smokiverse will be available to buy worldwide from Ardbeg Embassies, whisky specialists, online retailers, the Distillery Visitor Centre on Islay, and on from 28 May.
