Rare Find Whisky has released three single cask Caol Ila 12-year-olds for Fèis Ìle 2026 all from identical starting points, separated by a single variable: three months in Ruby Port, Tawny Port or Madeira octave casks. The Ruby Port (58.2% ABV, 61 bottles) is the most fruit-forward. The Tawny Port (58.3% ABV, 63 bottles) goes darker and more confectionery. The Madeira (57.9% ABV, 66 bottles) is the most citrus-driven. All three are cask strength, non-chill filtered and natural colour. Priced at £99 per bottle, available from specialist retailers from 22 May 2026 – no trip to Islay required.
Same distillery. Same 12-year age. Same three months of finishing time. Three different fortified wine octaves. That’s the experiment: Ruby Port, Tawny Port, and Madeira, each applied to the same Caol Ila spirit, sitting side by side at £99 per bottle.
The collection is from Edinburgh-based independent bottler Rare Find, available from select retailers from 22 May. Total outturn across all three is 190 bottles. You’re not going to Islay for these. You’re calling your preferred specialist now.
What octave casks do that standard barrels don’t
An octave is one-eighth the size of a standard hogshead, around 50 litres. The surface-area-to-volume ratio is significantly higher than a larger cask, which means the wine residue in the wood makes contact with a greater proportion of the liquid. Three months in an octave delivers a similar level of cask influence to a much longer period in a full-size barrel.
That’s the mechanism behind why a three-month finish here is worth taking seriously. Each cask has had 12 years of Caol Ila spirit in it before the octave finish starts, so the base character is already well-formed. The octave then runs a fast, concentrated finishing pass across the top of that.
All three bottles are cask strength, non-chill filtered and natural colour. No blending across casks. Each is a single cask bottling, which means the flavour differences between the three are coming entirely from the wood type and the wine residue, not from blending decisions.
How the three Caol Ila finishes actually differ
Caol Ila’s base character is lighter and more coastal than Ardbeg or Lagavulin. It leads with mineral smoke, brine and citrus rather than the heavy tar and campfire notes of its southern Islay neighbours. That relative lightness makes it a good canvas for seeing exactly what a finishing cask contributes.
The Ruby Port octave (58.2% ABV, 61 bottles) pushes the spirit towards red fruit. The nose brings smoked barbecue sauce, dried berries and mulling spices. The palate is citrus and granite with medicinal smoke, redcurrants and raspberries. Ruby Port is the youngest and most fruit-forward style of port, still carrying fresh red berry character from the grape, and that’s exactly what’s showing through.
The Tawny Port octave (58.3% ABV, 63 bottles) goes in a different direction. Tawny Port is aged oxidatively in small barrels, developing nutty, dried fruit and confectionery character rather than fresh red fruit. The nose on this one is mince pies, cola cubes, medicinal peat smoke and pineapple chunks. The palate brings soft brown sugar, cola bottles and aniseed chews with lingering coastal smoke. Older, darker and more complex than the Ruby, with the Caol Ila smoke coming through a heavier confectionery filter.
The Madeira octave (57.9% ABV, 66 bottles) is the most citrus-led of the three. Madeira is a fortified wine from the Portuguese island of the same name, aged through a process of gentle heating called estufagem that produces distinctive caramelised, acidic, dried-fruit notes. On this Caol Ila, the nose is griddled strawberries, salted almonds, ashy smoke and angelica. The palate is aniseed, coastal smoke and zesty lemon tart, with a finish described as long, salty and slowly fading lemon with persistent smoke. The acid structure of Madeira is doing something different to the peat here than the sweetness-forward port expressions.
| Ruby Port Octave | Tawny Port Octave | Madeira Octave | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ABV | 58.2% | 58.3% | 57.9% |
| Bottles | 61 | 63 | 66 |
| Cask type | Ruby Port octave | Tawny Port octave | Madeira octave |
| Nose | Smoked barbecue sauce, dried berries, mulling spices | Mince pies, cola cubes, medicinal peat, pineapple chunks | Griddled strawberries, salted almonds, ashy smoke, angelica |
| Palate | Citrus, granite, medicinal smoke, redcurrants, raspberries | Soft brown sugar, cola bottles, aniseed, coastal smoke | Aniseed, coastal smoke, zesty lemon tart |
| Finish | — | Long, coastal smoke | Long, salty, slowly fading lemon, persistent smoke |
| Best for | Fruit + peat | Confectionery + smoke | Citrus + mineral peat |
| Price | £99 | £99 | £99 |
Why this collection is a good entry point for Fèis Ìle releases
Most Fèis Ìle 2026 bottles are distillery exclusives. To buy Lagavulin’s 31-year-old, you needed to be on Islay on 23 May. Kilchoman’s calvados finish was one bottle per person from the distillery shop. Even the Bowmore single cask was 641 bottles, distillery only.
Rare Find’s collection reaches specialist retailers. The outturn is tiny, 61, 63 and 66 bottles respectively, but the distribution is open. At £99 per bottle, they sit at the accessible end of this year’s festival releases, below the Ardbeg Dolce at the same price point and well below the distillery-exclusive expressions running from £130 upwards.
The collection also marks Rare Find’s first full art label series, with each bottle carrying a bespoke colour palette designed to reflect the character of the cask, creating a visual triptych. Whether you’re buying one or collecting the set, the packaging is built for it.
Stock is available from select retailers from 22 May. Rare Find’s stockist list is at rarefindwhisky.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Rare Find Fèis Ìle 2026 collection?
Rare Find Whisky has released three single cask Caol Ila 12-year-olds for Fèis Ìle 2026, each finished for three months in a different fortified wine octave cask: Ruby Port, Tawny Port and Madeira. The concept is a controlled comparison with one variable the finish. Total outturn is 190 bottles across all three expressions.
What is the difference between the Ruby Port, Tawny Port and Madeira versions?
Ruby Port delivers fresh red fruit redcurrants, raspberries and mulling spices over Caol Ila’s coastal smoke. Tawny Port, aged oxidatively in small barrels, brings darker confectionery notes: mince pies, cola and aniseed. The Madeira is the most citrus-driven of the three, with the wine’s natural acidity pulling the peat in a sharper, zestier direction.
How much does Rare Find Caol Ila Fèis Ìle 2026 cost?
All three expressions are priced at £99 per 70cl bottle. That places them at the accessible end of this year’s Fèis Ìle releases below the distillery-exclusive bottlings running from £130 upwards and in line with the Ardbeg Dolce at the same price point.
Where can I buy Rare Find Caol Ila Fèis Ìle 2026?
The collection is available from specialist whisky retailers from 22 May 2026. Unlike most Fèis Ìle releases, it is not distillery-exclusive no trip to Islay required. Outturn is small (61–66 bottles per expression), so stock is limited. Rare Find’s full stockist list is at rarefindwhisky.com.
Is Rare Find Caol Ila Fèis Ìle 2026 cask strength?
Yes. All three are bottled at cask strength with no reduction: Ruby Port at 58.2% ABV, Tawny Port at 58.3% ABV and Madeira at 57.9% ABV. All are non-chill filtered and natural colour, with no cross-cask blending.
What is Caol Ila known for?
Caol Ila is Islay’s most productive distillery, situated on the island’s northeast coast overlooking the Sound of Jura. Its house style is lighter and more coastal than the southern Islay distilleries — mineral smoke, brine and citrus rather than heavy tar and campfire. That relative delicacy makes it an ideal canvas for cask finishing experiments.
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