Ardbeg Heavy Vapours Committee Release Whisky 50.2%

José MassúThe Whiskritic

This year, Ardbeg released two very different whiskies: one was the amazing "BizarreBQ" which almost everyone I know seemed to love; and also the "Heavy Vapours", a more expensive one, the official committee expression of 2023. The story behind it, is that Dr. Lumdsen took out one of the purifiers from one of the stills, changing the whole density of the vapours that would condensate to turn into Ardbeg's iconic spirit. Of course, the label says that this will make this dram the most "full blown" Ardbeg ever....Bottled at 50.2%abv. On the nose, it starts with a typical Ardbeg herbal peat. Moss and grapefruit juice. A fresh can of new tennis balls and dim ashes. It feels "hairy" on the nose.

On the palate, I get vanilla ice cream, herbal notes, ashes. It is very gentle and a little yeasty; nothing too heavy. The aftertaste is the best part. A very herbal profile. Cotton. Elegant, nice, friendly on the palate. Dry. It actually feels like licking the top of a cooking pot, the condensation feeling here is real. Overall, a very fair, enthusiastic whisky that many will enjoy without too many problems. My score for it is a super honest 88 over 100, which makes it an enjoyable dram.

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