Ardbeg has made a hazelnut-scented Islay malt and is giving it to just one country. Ardbeg Feòrag (pronounced “FYOR-ak”, Scots Gaelic for “squirrel”) is the distillery’s first whisky matured entirely in Amontillado sherry casks. It is bottled at 53.2% ABV, non chill-filtered, and released only to Ardbeg Committee Members in Japan.
It is also the first major Committee limited edition Ardbeg has reserved for a single market. Japan has the largest group of Committee Members in the world, and this is Ardbeg’s thank-you to them, timed for the gifting season.
Ardbeg Feòrag at a glance
- Distillery: Ardbeg, Islay, Scotland (est. 1815)
- Type: Islay single malt Scotch whisky, no age statement
- Cask: Full maturation in Amontillado sherry casks
- ABV: 53.2%
- Bottle size: 700ml
- Filtration: Non chill-filtered
- RRP: €145 (Ardbeg’s guide price; local Japanese pricing to be confirmed)
- Availability: Ardbeg Committee Members in Japan only
- Bottle count: Not disclosed
What is Ardbeg Feòrag?
Ardbeg Feòrag is a limited edition single malt created by Dr Bill Lumsden, Ardbeg’s Director of Whisky Creation, and Master Blender Gillian Macdonald. The idea came from the wild hazelnuts that grow near the distillery on Islay’s south coast. They set out to push Ardbeg’s smoky spirit towards a deeper, nuttier richness.
To do it, they hand-selected a parcel of Ardbeg spirit and laid it down for its full maturation in Amontillado casks, which Ardbeg describes as Dr Bill’s favourite sherry cask. This is not a finish. The spirit spent its whole life in that wood.
The name is a nod to Scotland’s red squirrel, which appears on the presentation box next to Shortie, Ardbeg’s Jack Russell mascot. There is a joke in that. Islay has no squirrels, and this year, says Ardbeg, the ripening hazelnuts near the distillery have been vanishing anyway. Long-time Committee Members will remember the 2011 limited edition Ardbeg Alligator, when the distillery said the same thing about Islay-gators.
Why the Amontillado cask matters
Amontillado is a sherry style that sits between two worlds. It begins life as a fino, ageing under a layer of flor yeast that protects the wine from oxygen. When the flor fades, the wine continues to age in contact with air, picking up the darker, oxidative character of an oloroso. The result is a dry, amber sherry known for hazelnut, almond and polished wood.
That nutty profile is exactly what Ardbeg wanted here. Most sherry-matured whisky on the market comes from oloroso or Pedro Ximénez casks, which lean towards raisin, dark chocolate and sweetness. Amontillado casks are far less common in Scotch, and a full maturation in them, rather than a short finish, gives the cask much more time to shape the spirit.
It also makes Feòrag a genuine first for the distillery. Ardbeg used Amontillado casks for the first time in 2025 for part of the Ardbeg Y2K 24 Year Old, but there only a portion of the stock was finished in Amontillado before being blended with bourbon-matured whisky. Feòrag is the first Ardbeg to have spent its entire maturation in this wood.
Ardbeg Feòrag tasting notes (from the distillery)
We have not tasted Ardbeg Feòrag. The notes below are Ardbeg’s official tasting notes, lightly condensed.
Colour: Bronze
Nose: Rich, nutty and rounded. Hazelnut, toffee, honey, leather and baking rye bread. With a splash of water, dried fruits come forward (dates, sultanas, raisins) alongside a surprisingly gentle floral note of narcissus and jasmine.
Palate: Firm and spicy in texture yet curiously soothing. Then bold flavours of nut toffee, aniseed, antique leather, root ginger and a suggestion of flowering currant.
Finish: Smoke is ever-present but integrated rather than dominant, coming through as creosote, birch tar and clove oil.
ABV: 53.2% | Cask type: Amontillado sherry (full maturation) | RRP: €145
Gillian Macdonald describes “rich, rounded aromas of hazelnuts, honey, dried fruit and leather” followed by “bold tastes of pecan toffee, aniseed and root ginger, with familiar Ardbeg notes of birch tar and creosote in the background.”
Reading between the lines, this sounds like an Ardbeg where the peat sits behind the cask rather than in front of it. At 53.2%, a few drops of water look worth trying, since Ardbeg itself says that is what unlocks the dried fruit and the florals.
Why Japan, and why it matters for Ardbeg collectors
The Ardbeg Committee was formed in 2000 to make sure, in Ardbeg’s own words, that “the doors of Ardbeg never close again”. It now has more than 200,000 members in over 140 countries, and Japan is its largest national group.
Committee releases have traditionally been global. Members everywhere get early access to the same bottle, usually ahead of a wider retail release. Feòrag breaks that pattern by giving one country a release of its own. Dr Bill, who calls Japan his favourite place in the world, says it was a way to share an experimental whisky with some of Ardbeg’s most passionate and curious fans.
For collectors outside Japan, that makes Feòrag something new: the first Ardbeg Committee release that was never offered in their market at all. Expect it to attract attention well beyond Japan.
Ardbeg Feòrag price and availability
Ardbeg’s guide RRP is €145 for a 700ml bottle. Local pricing in yen and the exact release date in Japan had not been published at the time of writing, and we will update this article when they are.
Feòrag is sold only to Ardbeg Committee Members in Japan. There is no announced release in the UK, the rest of Europe, the US, Australia or travel retail. Joining the Ardbeg Committee is free at ardbeg.com, but membership elsewhere does not give access to this bottle.
Readers outside Japan should expect the only route to be the secondary market, through international auction platforms and specialist retailers. Prices there will almost certainly sit well above the €145 RRP, and since the bottle count has not been disclosed, it is hard to say how many will surface.
Our take on Ardbeg Feòrag
On paper, Feòrag is one of the more interesting Ardbeg experiments of recent years. A full Amontillado maturation is unusual in Scotch, and pairing that dry, nutty sherry style with Ardbeg’s spirit is a logical but untested combination. The description points to a whisky where hazelnut, toffee and leather lead, and smoke supports.
It is for Ardbeg Committee Members in Japan first, obviously, and for collectors who follow every Committee bottling. It should also appeal to anyone who likes peat and sherry together but wants something drier and nuttier than the oloroso-driven profile of Ardbeg Uigeadail.
It is not one for drinkers who want maximum peat intensity, and outside Japan it is not one to chase at any price unless you are a dedicated collector. At €145 in its home market, it is a fair price for a non chill-filtered, cask-led limited edition. At secondary-market prices, the value case gets much harder.
If Feòrag lands well, it would be good to see the Amontillado idea come back in a release the wider Committee can buy.
Frequently asked questions about Ardbeg Feòrag
What is Ardbeg Feòrag? Ardbeg Feòrag is a limited edition Islay single malt Scotch whisky from Ardbeg, released in 2026 exclusively for Ardbeg Committee Members in Japan. It is the first Ardbeg fully matured in Amontillado sherry casks, bottled at 53.2% ABV and non chill-filtered. The name is Scots Gaelic for “squirrel” and is pronounced “FYOR-ak”.
What does Ardbeg Feòrag taste like? According to Ardbeg, Feòrag has a rich, nutty nose of hazelnut, toffee, honey and leather, with dried fruit and floral notes opening up with water. The palate brings nut toffee, aniseed, root ginger and flowering currant. The finish carries Ardbeg’s smoke as creosote, birch tar and clove oil, integrated rather than dominant.
How much does Ardbeg Feòrag cost? Ardbeg’s guide retail price for Feòrag is €145 for a 700ml bottle. Local Japanese pricing had not been published at the time of writing. Because the release is limited to Committee Members in Japan, bottles that appear on the international secondary market are likely to be priced well above the original RRP.
Where can I buy Ardbeg Feorag? Ardbeg Feòrag is available only to Ardbeg Committee Members in Japan. There is no announced release in the UK, Europe, the US or travel retail, and Committee membership in other countries does not give access. Outside Japan, the realistic options are whisky auction platforms and specialist retailers that source bottles from the secondary market.
What casks are used in Ardbeg Feòrag? Ardbeg Feòrag is matured entirely in Amontillado sherry casks, a first for the distillery. Amontillado starts as a fino under flor yeast and then ages oxidatively, giving a dry, nutty wine. Ardbeg used Amontillado once before, for a partial finish in Ardbeg Y2K 24 Year Old, but never for a full maturation.
What is the Ardbeg Committee? The Ardbeg Committee is Ardbeg’s free worldwide fan club, founded in 2000 to make sure the distillery never closes again. It has more than 200,000 members in over 140 countries. Members get early access to Committee bottlings, invitations to events and tastings, and are consulted on new releases. Joining is free at ardbeg.com.
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