Douglas Laing & Co. has released Big Peat Fèis Ìle 2026, a limited-edition cask-strength Islay malt crafted to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the island’s renowned whisky festival. The small-batch bottling is finished in Pedro Ximénez Sherry casks and carries a suggested retail price of £60.00.
Bottled at a natural cask strength of 52.6% ABV, the expression combines single malts from several Islay distilleries before a finishing period in PX Sherry casks. The release is available from select retailers, whisky specialists, and online.
The 2026 edition features a distinctive mosaic-style label composed of submitted photographs of Big Peat fans from around the world. Each image contributes to a composite portrait of the brand’s bearded Islay mascot.
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READ THE STORYChloe Wood, Big Peat Brand Manager, said: “Fèis Ìle reaching its 40th Anniversary is a significant milestone for Islay and for the global Whisky community. With this bespoke release, we wanted to celebrate not only the island’s spirit selection and cask craft but the people who have supported Big Peat over the years.”
Wood added: “Bringing their faces together to form Big Peat felt the most fitting way to mark the occasion. This edition captures everything Big Peat stands for – character, craftsmanship and Islay.”
Official tasting notes from the brand describe “a shovelful of feisty sweet smokiness from the outset,” with peat and smoke layered alongside notes of dried figs, dates, freshly roasted coffee, toasted walnuts, and cocoa. The finish is characterized as “lingering” and “velvety,” where “peat remains powerful yet beautifully balanced.”
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Fèis Ìle, the Islay Festival of Music and Malt, was established in 1986 and has grown into one of the whisky industry’s most important annual gatherings. The week-long event draws thousands of visitors to the Hebridean island each spring, with each of Islay’s distilleries hosting open days featuring exclusive bottlings and events.
Douglas Laing & Co., the independent Glasgow-based blender and bottler, has released a Fèis Ìle edition of Big Peat annually for several years. The brand, a blended malt composed entirely of Islay single malts, has become a staple of the festival calendar.
Douglas Laing positioned the release as embodying Big Peat “at full power,” describing its style as “uncompromising and unforgettable.”
