Review: Bunnahabhain Feis Ile Triple Sherry Wood Finish 23 Years Old

To mark Feis Ile — Islay’s annual whisky festival — many of the island’s top Scotch producers release commemorative expressions. It’s a time when local distilleries often pull out the stops for (or at least have quite a bit of fun with) super-premium bottlings.

In 2024, Bunnahabhain — Islay’s northernmost distillery — bottled two new whiskies for the occasion, including a 23 year old Scotch finished across three different cask types. Dubbed “Fèis Ìle Triple Sherry Wood Finish,” the base spirit was distilled in 1999. It was then aged across three different sherry casks: Amontillado, Manzanilla, and Oloroso.

Master Blender Julieann Fernandez married the blend at an eventual cask strength of 106.6 proof. With a suggested retail price over $700, this is one likely to elude all but the most ardent collectors. (Though hopefully enough bottles will be opened at on-premises accounts to give curious fans a taste.)

Let’s dive in!

Even before individual aromas, the nose starts with a thick, buttermilk quality reminiscent of fermented dairy. On to specifics: Tart berry jam, lilac oil, marzipan, and pencil shavings all vie for attention, the scents getting a little sweeter and more floral with time in glass. That sweetness — and its underlying creaminess — eventually crescendos into melted vanilla ice cream with a barely-there touch of campfire smoke. Complex and decadent, it’s tough to tell exactly where the whisky is picking up various scents between distillate and cask types. Whatever the case, it smells great.

A silky mouthfeel absolutely glides across the tongue and leaves behind a berries-and-cream residue. Next come candied ginger, mulberries, and borderline artificial strawberry flavoring. Flavors dry out further along the palate, swapping creaminess for more tannic structure via cured oak and pipe tobacco. The handoff from fruit to wood is elegant, aided by a light and cooling spearmint flavor that guides flavors from the mid to back palate.

Spiced mint jelly lingers into the finish, along with dried apricot and papaya — just a hint of the tropics to round things out. That tobacco and oak leave just a few seconds too soon, a slight dip on an otherwise very exciting dram.

106.6 proof.

A / $714 (700ml) / bunnahabhain.com

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