Caol Ila Celebrates Islay Jazz Festival 2025 with First-Ever Festival Edition Bottling

Tuesday, 02 September 2025 at 17:05

Caol Ila Islay JAzz Festival 2025 The Guitarist single malt whisky

Whisky and Jazz make an excellent combination. This has been proven over the last ten years by the Islay Jazz Festival and the Lagavulin Distillery. But now there's a tweak in the recipe, as to a whisky from a different distillery makes its entrance: Caol Ila.

FAQ

What is the special Jazz Festival bottling from Caol Ila?
The Caol Ila 18 Year Old Jazz Festival Edition – The Guitarist.

What kind of whisky is it exactly?
An Islay single malt whisky finished in roasted Scottish oak casks.

What's its price and where can it be bought?
Available from September 1 at Caol Ila Distillery and the Johnnie Walker Experience in Edinburgh, recommended retail price of 250 pounds.

Jazz and whisky on Islay

The Islay Jazz Festival is back for a brand-new edition filled with music, celebration and peated whisky. This time not at the Lagavulin Distillery, but at Caol Ila. The distillery will be the stage for talented musicians for three days.

Visitors can enjoy music and a matching peated whisky from the Caol Ila distillery. The Islay Jazz Festival also presents a special bottling, bottled by Caol Ila for this year’s edition.

What is the Caol Ila Islay Jazz Festival bottling?

The single malt whisky chosen by Caol Ila for this purpose is an 18-year-old whisky that matured in American oak. The whisky then received a finish in rare Scottish oak.

The result is a limited edition named The Guitarist. It is a whisky that, according to Eleanor Gillies, brand home manager at Caol Ila, captures the atmosphere of the festival and the island.

'This year’s very special Festival Edition captures that spirit perfectly. At 18 years old, the expression reflects the essence of Caol Ila’s coastal character, with a gentle, but lingering fade of smouldering ember.'

- Eleanor Gillies

What does the Caol Ila 18 Year Old Jazz Festival Edition - The Guitarist whisky taste like?

The whisky has sweet notes with a strong, peppery smokiness. As for the taste, expect notes of sweet smoke, toffee, and apple with a hint of cinnamon, peat, and a maritime edge.

The whisky is bottled at 52.8 percent alcohol by volume (ABV).

Where can the Caol Ila 18 Year Old whisky be bought?

The Jazz Festival bottling can be purchased at the Johnnie Walker Experience and at the distillery on Islay. There are 948 bottles produced, each costing 250 pounds.