An Ardbeg Limited Release Unlike Any Other
Ardbeg “Heavy Vapours” Islay Single Malt Whisky
(750ml) ($134.99)
“This is for those who can’t get enough peat, earth, and smoke, or those who geek out on production details. Or both, ideally. A hell of a whisky.”
— Andrew Whiteley, K&L Spirits Buyer

For the most fanatical peat lovers among our Scotch clientele, your ultimate wheelhouse whisky has just arrived. The Ardbeg “Heavy Vapours” Islay Single Malt is quite simply a peat bomb of monster proportions. The Ardbeg malt is already known for its intensely smoky profile, and thanks to a deliberate change in the production process for this bottling, the Heavy Vapours ramps up the peat factor to eleven. This limited release is the first of its kind from the Islay icon, and we’re sure it’s going to find a devoted following among Ardbeg aficionados everywhere.

Ardbeg “Heavy Vapours” Islay Single Malt Whisky (750ml) ($134.99)

Andrew Whiteley | K&L Spirits Buyer | Review Date: May 09, 2023

Ardbeg has always been a little silly on the marketing side of things, and this year’s Limited Edition is no different. They’ve created a graphic novel mystery about the missing purifier, the goofy dongle on the top of Ardbeg stills that magically provides the fruity ballast to Ardbeg’s incredible balancing act. Without it, heavy vapours accumulate, and you’re left with a much more robust, smoke-forward whisky. That’s not to say the fruit is gone, but the whisky is starkly different for this one change in the distillation setup. Setting aside their marketing schtick and whatever is to be revealed in the graphic novella on Ardbeg Day (June 3rd, 2023), I must say I only really care about the whisky itself. Let’s taste. At first pour the nose is just as advertised—intense smoke and peat. Heavy Vapours indeed. It’s remarkable actually. This is all about the raw materials. Not a ton of wood to be found. The color is pale straw, and there is a hearty amount of sweet malt underneath all that savory smoke and wet peat. The saline reads a bit like the scent of an indoor pool, somewhere between humid chlorine air and the iodine of Ardbeg’s neighbor up the road. It’s a sort of chemical nose that I, as a lover of all things Islay, find extremely comforting. The nose also holds sweet, candied malt notes, but they are decidedly hidden and only show after many minutes in the glass. On the palate, the malt jumps forward and is quite appealing—sweet barley, roasted and fresh, with a hint of green apple and vanilla. And wham—more peat, wet seaweed, salted earth, and lingering smoke. The finish is a bit of prickly pear and a mix of glycerol alcohol and creosote. It’s a hell of a whisky, but buyer beware. If you don’t love peat and smoke, this won’t be for you. This is for those who can’t get enough peat, earth, and smoke, or those who geek out on production details. Or both, ideally. A hell of a whisky.

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