Elements of Islay Campfire Islay Blended Malt Scotch Whisky 70 cl 54.5%

A fire on the beach, marshmallows on a stick and two chocolate biscuits to press them between. Elixir Distillers has carried the American s’mores tradition over to Islay and built a festival whisky on top of it.

The expert description

Elements of Islay Campfire Feis Ile 2025 is an Islay Blended Malt Scotch Whisky matured in sherry casks, bourbon casks and toasted new oak and bottled at 54.5%.

The bottle was made for Fèis Ìle 2025, the annual whisky and music festival on Islay, and holds whisky from three different Islay distilleries. Which three is not revealed. The flavour target, by contrast, is entirely specific: the whole release is built to land on s’mores, with smoke, burnt sugar and chocolate arriving in the same mouthful.

To get there, Elixir Distillers worked with three types of wood. Pedro Ximenez and oloroso sherry casks deliver the dark sweetness, 1st fill bourbon casks give vanilla and body, and toasted new oak contributes the burnt, almost caramelised edge. The whisky is neither chill filtered nor coloured.

Tasting notes

Nose

Pronounced smoke straight away, then ginger, dark chocolate, burnt caramel and candied orange.

Palate

Intense and powerful. The notes from the nose return, but tighter and sweeter, with toasted marshmallow, sooty chocolate and a rich, almost syrupy texture.

Finish

Very long. The smoke lingers alongside dried orange and a warm, peppery note from the toasted oak.

Specifications

Name: Elements of Islay Campfire Feis Ile 2025
Distillery: Elixir Distillers
Region/Country: Islay Scotland
Type: Islay Blended Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 54.5%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Pedro Ximenez and oloroso sherry casks 1st fill bourbon casks and toasted new oak
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Edition: Feis Ile 2025

Flavour profile

Smoky · Sherry matured · Sweet · Chocolate · Cask Strength

Investment potential

Medium. Fèis Ìle bottlings are made in one run for one week of the year and are never reissued. Elements of Islay also carries an international collector following, and the festival editions have historically been among the first to leave the shelves.

Did you know?

Fèis Ìle started in 1986 as a modest local celebration of Gaelic language and music. Today several thousand people travel to an island of roughly 3,000 residents during festival week, and every distillery has its own day in the programme.

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Frequently asked questions about Elements of Islay Campfire Feis Ile 2025

Is Campfire Feis Ile 2025 worth collecting?

Festival bottlings for Fèis Ìle are made in one limited run and never made again. A settled international following around Elements of Islay, an unusual cask recipe and a fixed year on the label make the bottle hard to replace once the run is gone.

What is Fèis Ìle?

The whisky and music festival on Islay, held every year at the end of May. Each distillery on the island takes its own day with tours, tastings and a special bottling sold only during that week.

Why is it called Campfire?

Because the flavour is built around s’mores, the campfire dessert of toasted marshmallow pressed between two chocolate biscuits. Smoke, burnt sugar and chocolate have to land at once, and the cask selection exists purely to get there.

Which distilleries are involved?

Three Islay distilleries, though the names are not published. Elixir Distillers has chosen from the outset to keep its sources hidden and let the whisky itself carry the release.

What does it taste like?

Heavy smoke straight away, then dark chocolate, burnt caramel, ginger and candied orange. The texture is rich and syrupy, and the finish runs very long with smoke and dried orange.

What does toasted new oak do to the flavour?

New wood releases far more vanillin and tannin than a refill cask, and toasting caramelises the sugars in the oak. That produces the burnt, almost grilled edge that ties the smoke to the sherry sweetness.

How is it best served?

Neat in a tulip-shaped glass and ideally with ten minutes of air. At 54.5% it opens noticeably as it stands, and the smoke shifts from sharp to soft. See our whisky glasses.