Bunnahabhain has unveiled a trio of new expressions to celebrate Fèis Ìle 2023, Islay’s annual whisky and music festival. The new releases include Canasta Cask Matured, 1998 Manzanilla Cask Finish, and 17-year-old Triple Cask Moine.
Bottled at 51.2% ABV, the Canasta Cask Matured is inspired by the success of the Bunnahabhain 1980 Canasta Cask Finish limited release. Canasta casks are rarely used in whisky making and were once home to a skilful blend of Palomino and Pedro Ximenez grapes before being used to make Scotch. This spicy and sweet combination compliments the Bunnahabhain unpeated spirit well, adding layers of complexity and richness.
The 1998 Manzanilla Cask Finish celebrates the influences experienced at the distillery’s coastal home at the northernmost part of Islay. Manzanilla is famed for its coastal, nutty, and salty characteristics, which pair beautifully with Bunnahabhain’s unpeated sherried spirit resulting in a warming and welcoming dram, bottled at cask strength with an ABV of 52.3%.
The 17-year-old Triple Cask Moine expression is exclusively available at the distillery. This experimental expression was inspired by Julieann Fernandez, the distillery’s Master Blender, and her love for rum and raisin ice-cream. A contrast to tje house style, the 17-year-old has an ABV of 52.6% and is a marriage of three blended peated single malts that offers notes of the rum and raisin ice-cream, with a smoky finish.
During Fèis Ìle, each of Islay’s nine distilleries gets its own day, with Bunnahabhain’s set for Friday, June 2. The distillery is also launching a fully immersive virtual reality experience for those who can’t make it in person. This virtual reality experience allows users to fully immerse themselves in the world of Bunnahabhain, explore the distillery in 360 degrees, and enjoy tastings with the distillery team, including Master Distiller Brendan McCarron, from the comfort of their own homes.
“We’re so excited to welcome whisky fans from across the globe to celebrate the world of Bunnahabhain at Fèis Ìle once again,” said Brendan McCarron, Master Distiller. “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. We’re very much looking forward to raising a dram with fellow whisky lovers later this year.”
For more information about the festival and the Bunnahabhain trio of Fèis Ìle 2023 whiskies, head over to the brand’s official website.
Bunnahabhain is on-track to become Islay’s first distillery to have a Net Zero emission distillation process.
