Preview of Fèis Ìle 2026: Programme, Special Release, Tasting Packs

1. April 2026 Hans-Peter Neumann

This year, the Islay festival Fèis Ìle is celebrating its 40th anniversary. Due to the new Islay distilleries, the festival has now been extended to 10 days, with a particularly large number of interesting events announced.

Today, Kilchoman unveiled its programme for the Kilchoman Open Day on Thursday 28 May, presented the festival special edition bottling and announced two tasting packs for online tastings.

The varied programme once again offers a mix of special distillery and farm tours, masterclass tastings and numerous other events.

Here is an overview: (all times are Islay Time)

MASTERCLASS TASTINGS

11:00 – Founder’s Cask Exploration with Anthony Wills – exclusive tasting of six specially selected cask samples straight from the warehouse (Exclusive to Club Members)
14:30 – Wills Family Masterclass with Anthony & Peter Wills – tasting of four releases chosen by the Wills family. Discovered in the quiet corners of our warehouses, these casks are selected during the Wills’ annual review of maturing stock. Each release is selected individually by Kilchoman’s founding family, bringing together distinctive choices that reflect their personal tastes, shared passion, and the developing character of Kilchoman.

BOOKABLE EXPERIENCES

Be A Bottler – 10:30, 11:15, 12:00, 13:30, 14:15, 15:00, 15:45 Become a part of our team and immerse yourself in the unique experience of bottling your exclusive edition from a single cask (includes a personalised bottle of a Distillery Exclusive Single Cask).
Islay’s Farm Tour – 10:30, 12:30, 14:30 – a guided tour around the farm and local area with General Manager, Islay Heads, sampling drams along the way.
Open Tastings – Short guided tastings of four selected whiskies will be available throughout the day (tickets available on the day from the bar).

EXPLORE THE DISTILLERY

Entry on Fèis Day is free, with production areas open for behind-the-scenes tours. Our team will be on hand to share insights and share all the ‘behind the scenes’ stories.

Malt Floor – Discover traditional floor malting, learn more about peat, see the kiln, and sample a dram of 100% Islay whisky which has been produced from barley grown on our farm and malted on that very floor. Be prepared to lend a hand preparing the next batch!
Warehouse No. 3 – Explore one of our traditional dunnage warehouses, take a photo with Cask No.1, and enjoy a dram of Sanaig whilst chatting to the team about our maturation and the cask types currently in the warehouses at Kilchoman.
Barley Fields – Check out the 2026 barley varieties growing in the fields as you make your way down the drive to the distillery.
Still House – Enjoy a dram of Machir Bay while learning about the mashing, fermentation and distillation process. Take the opportunity to ask the team all your questions.

EATING, DRINKING, DANCING & SHOPPING

Whisky Bar – Serving a variety of limited editions, Comraich Batches, and Single Casks. Driver dram bottles available to take away.
Cocktail Bar – Enjoy specially crafted whisky cocktails throughout the day.
Live Music – Performances from Rhuvaal, Ceol an Aire, and The Kilchoman Distillery Isle of Islay Pipe Band. Join our courtyard ceilidh for a wee dance!
Food Offerings – BBQ featuring local meats, light bites from the Salad Bar, as well as teas, coffees, and home baking from the Café. Vegetarian and vegan options available.
Gift Shop – Stock up on branded Kilchoman merchandise.
Games & Activities – With prizes up for grabs!

WHISKY SHOP
The shop will be open from 10am, offering our latest Limited Editions, Distillery Shop Exclusive Single Casks, and, of course, the highly anticipated Fèis Ìle 2026 bottling.

This year’s Fèis Ìle Special Release is a 15-year-old Calvados Cask Finish Small Batch. 637 bottles will be sold at the Kilchoman Open Day for £130, with a limit of one bottle per person.

Anthony Wills wrote: “Our Fèis Ìle release, as always, is reserved for those who make the journey to Islay and is available exclusively from the distillery shop. This year marks our oldest Fèis release to date, with the spirit matured for over 15 years across two different cask types.

While many will recognise the character of older Kilchoman expressions aged in ex-bourbon barrels, the additional five years spent in Calvados casks has left a fantastic impression. This finishing period has enhanced the natural fruitiness of our spirit, bringing vibrant orchard notes to the fore and complementing our coastal, smoky character.”

For Kilchoman fans who are unable to attend the festival in person, the distillery is once again organising two different online tastings. The “Limited Release Line-Up” tasting with Anthony and Peter Wills will take place on Monday 25 May from 7.00 pm Islay time and will focus on this year’s limited-edition Kilchoman whiskies. The “Founder’s Cask Exploration” online tasting with Anthony and James Wills will take place on Wednesday from 7.00 pm Islay time. Here, four different cask samples – two Bourbon Barrels and two Oloroso Sherry Butts – will be tasted, each in both the 100% Islay 20ppm variant and the “standard” 50ppm variant.

The tasting packs are due to be available from early May in the distillery’s online shop. Unfortunately, Kilchoman has changed its logistics provider, meaning that customers in the EU will once again have to pay customs duties in their home country, rather than having all duties and charges covered by a slightly higher shipping fee, as was previously the case with Mail Marketing Glasgow.

In addition to a Kilchoman tasting glass, each tasting pack contains 2cl samples of the following bottlings:

“Limited Release Line-Up”

100% Islay 15th Edition 2025
Maury Cask Matured
Loch Gorm 10 yo 2026 Edition
Fèis Ìle 2026 Release

“Founder´s Cask Exploration”

Cask Sample 93/2008 – 100% Islay 1st Fill Bourbon Barrel
Cask Sample 16/2006 – 1st Fill Bourbon Barrel
Cask Sample 437/2009 – 100% Islay Refill Sherry Butt
Cask Sample 421/2007 – 1st Fill Sherry Butt