Celebrate Fèis Ìle with Friends – A Look at Laphroaig’s Upcoming Càirdeas 2026 Release

In honour of the 40th anniversary of Islay’s prestigious Fèis Ìle whisky festival, Islay single malt whisky makers Laphroaig will shortly be releasing Càirdeas 2026, with members of the Friends of Laphroaig lucky enough to get first dibs.

By Greg Dillon

Greg Dillon is the founder of GreatDrams.com, an award-winning independent bottler. A whisky writer and author of The GreatDrams of Scotland, his work focuses on authenticity, production, and whisky as something to be shared.

For whisky lovers, May is one of the most exciting months in the calendar year. This is largely down to the fact that it’s the month in which the highly prestigious Fèis Ìle whisky festival takes place on Islay.

If you’ve never been to Fèis Ìle before, please do yourself a favour and rectify that as soon as you possibly can. Seriously, it’s a festival you won’t want to miss, and is one you’ll remember for the rest of your days.

Fèis Ìle is great for a plethora of different reasons, though obviously, it’s the whisky that finds itself front and centre. Each year distilleries release a variety of different drams, many of which are limited-editions, member exclusives, or can only be purchased from the distillery gift shop.

While it would be impossible to list all of my favourites from over the years, I always find myself looking forward to Laphroaig’s ‘Càirdeas’ release just before the festival kicks off. As I write this, Càirdeas 2026 is less than 24 hours away from release, so by the time you read this you could be lucky enough to have gotten your hands on a bottle.

Here’s a look at what you can expect, and a brief history behind these fantastic expressions.

Càirdeas – A Dram for Friendship

Take it from somebody who knows, you won’t find a more welcoming, inviting, supportive, and friendly bunch of soles than those involved in the whisky community. So then, it’s fitting that each year, Laphroaig would release a dram made specifically to be enjoyed with others.

Càirdeas (pronounced care-chase) is a Scots Gaelic word that literally means ‘friendship’. Each year, at the prestigious Fèis Ìle festival on Islay, the distillery releases this highly sought after single malt in honour of their worldwide fan club – The Friends of Laphroaig. Rather than following in the footsteps of many other distilleries on Islay however, this is not exclusively a festival bottling. It’s an annual release for the Friends of Laphroaig, meaning members get first dibs.

It was back in 2008 when Laphroaig decided to do something special for their fans and wonderful customers. Without them, they wouldn’t have enjoyed the success that they’d enjoyed, and subsequently, they decided to give something back to their fans, in the form of a limited-edition, one-off expression unlike anything else found in their core range.

Laphroaig, which is literally the best-selling Islay whisky, are no strangers to special edition bottlings. They have a solid range of global travel retail exclusives, a handful of premium and well-aged bottlings, and one of the most reliable core ranges in the biz. Càirdeas however, is something different.

Every year since 2008, Laphroaig have released a one-off Càirdeas bottling. As a one off, it’s allowed them to be brave, be bold, and be experimental. Càirdeas releases are not your typical Laphroaig bottlings, making these drams incredibly collectible. We saw a white port and madeira cask finish in 2023, 100% floor-malted barley finished in ex-bourbon casks back in 2015, and a variety of other different cask finishes and expressions over the course of nearly two decades.

Fèis Ìle – The Pinnacle of Whisky Festivals

While there are plenty of annual whisky festivals that take place each year, Fèis Ìle is considered by many to be the pinnacle of whisky festivals. It’s the biggie. The one that whisky purists eagerly anticipate every single year, the Mecca of whisky festivals, if you will.

Fèis Ìle, which is pronounced fesh-eel, is an annual whisky festival that is held across the island of Islay, in a variety of different venues. Considered by many to be the most premier whisky festival in the world, it lasts roughly 10 days, and features live music, live entertainment, limited-edition bottlings, distillery exclusives, distillery tours and open days, whisky tastings, whisky experiences, delicious food, and a truly fantastic atmosphere. Seriously, whatever the weather, come rain or shine, everybody will be laughing, joking, and singing their hearts out with a smile on their face and a dram in their hand.

A true celebration of Islay, this year marks the festival’s 40th anniversary. So then, it’s only fitting that the distillery behind the best-selling whisky in the region, would do something special to celebrate this, in the form of Càirdeas 2026.

Càirdeas 2026

In Laphroaig’s own words, Càirdeas celebrates the friendships built around a shared love of whisky. Each of these highly limited-edition releases is unique, with each expression offering a different take on the unmistakable character of Laphroaig.

2026 marks the 40th anniversary of Fèis Ìle. To reach 40 is a huge milestone (take it from somebody who knows, as do my joints) and is an achievement worthy of a huge celebration. Never ones to disappoint, Laphroaig have decided to do something very special with this year’s release.

While I have not yet been fortunate enough to get my hands on a bottle to provide a detailed tasting/review, there’s still plenty of info out there surrounding this year’s release, so let’s delve a little deeper and see what we can find out.

The 2026 Càirdeas release really leans into the whole friendship angle. This is a dram that, for the first time ever, has been 100% fully matured in European French oak casks. It will be bottled at a fiery 52.6% ABV, which promises to give this smoky, peaty dram, plenty of fire. A real chest warmer, if you will.

You can expect those smoky, sea salty maritime flavours that have become synonymous with Laphroaig, coupled with sweeter, more complex notes like black cherries, polished leather, toasted oak shavings, dark chocolate, and stewed plums.

Càirdeas 2026 will release at Fèis Ìle, with Friends of Laphroaig members lucky enough to get exclusive access to the online presale. If you’d like to get your hands on a bottle, you know what to do.

Tags: Càirdeas 2026Feis IleLaphroaig

Greg

My name is Greg, and I’m a brand strategy consultant, writer, speaker, host and judge specialising in premium spirits. My mission is to experience, share and inspire with everything great about whisky, whiskey, gin, beer and fine dining through my writing, my brand building and my whisky tastings.