Single Malt Feis Ile 20YO (((Bottled 2020)))
⏳ Drinking Window
As a fully matured, high-strength single malt Scotch whisky, it is bottled at its absolute peak and does not age further in glass; it can be enjoyed immediately or cellared indefinitely if kept upright and away from direct light.
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Blue cheese, dark chocolate, smoked oysters
✨ Technical Specifications
Released to celebrate the virtual Feis Ile (Islay Festival of Music and Malt) in 2020, this highly coveted 20-year-old single malt represents a historic moment for the legendary Lagavulin distillery. Matured in a combination of refill and freshly charred American oak hogsheads, this expression showcases the profound depth that decades of maturation on the windswept shores of Lagavulin Bay can bring. It weaves Lagavulin's signature intense peat smoke and maritime brine with sweet caramel, toasted oak, and rich dried fruit notes, offering a complex sensory journey that pays homage to Islay's rich distilling heritage and the resilient spirit of its global community during a unique year.
🍾 About the Producer
Perched on the rugged southern coastline of Islay, Lagavulin was officially established in 1816 by John Johnston, formalising centuries of illicit distilling along the sheltered cove beneath Dunyvaig Castle. Operating within an unforgiving maritime microclimate, the distillery draws peaty, mineral-rich process water from the upland Solum Lochs. Production relies on heavily peated barley and exceptionally deliberate methods: lengthy fermentations in larch washbacks precede distillation across four distinctive pear-shaped pot stills. Lagavulin famously executes one of the slowest double distillations in Scotland with wide middle cuts and high fill levels, maximizing copper interaction to sculpt a rich, oily spirit imbued with phenolic depth, smoked lapsang souchong, and iodine. Matured extensively in dunnage warehouses washed by sea spray, the resulting single malt balances pungent maritime brine and sweet oak tannins. Benchmark expressions include the iconic 16 Year Old, the cask-strength 12 Year Old annual releases, and sought-after mature parcels within Diageo's Prima & Ultima collection.