Ardbeg Heavy Vapours Review
Ardbeg Heavy Vapours is a Committee Release by the Ardbeg distillery. It was released in May 2023. As with all Ardbeg Committee Releases, there is what is referred to as the Committee Release, which is only available to buyers in the United Kingdom and Ireland. This release usually features a lighter label as shown here. This review will cover the Main Release of Ardbeg Heavy Vapours, meaning this was created for markets outside the Ireland and United Kingdom.
Are there any other differences between the two? Yes, of note, the ABV is less than the Committee Release bottle. The Committee Release bottle comes in at 50.2% ABV while the Main Release is 46% ABV. I haven’t ever tried a Committee Release versus Main Release to understand if there are any appreciable differences in taste, but just make note when buying that there are differences between the two.
The story of the Ardbeg Heavy Vapours is that the whisky was distilled without a purifier. As noted on Ardbeg’s website, a purifier is as follows:
“On the Lyne arm of the spirit still at Ardbeg there is a piece of apparatus called a purifier. As the boiling continues in the spirit still, the heavier impure alcohols reach the top of the still (the initial light alcohols are sweet and fruity). Some of the heavier compounds are captured in the purifier and fed back down into the main pot of the still. As the boiling process continues, the heavier phenolics come through, this occurs from about halfway through the spirit run. The purifier gives a little extra reflux, so we have two distillations and a little bit more.”
It’s all a little above my head, but there are some other great articles and a video from Ardbeg that briefly explains the role of a purifier in distillation. As Ardbeg promotes in their marketing campaigns around Heavy Vapours, this is supposed to be a heavier whisky because of the absence of the purifier.
The bottle does not offer information on how long it was aged. Ardbeg very rarely provides an age statement with its committee release limited editions, which bothers me a bit. I wish they would provide this information given the price of these bottlings, but I can’t deny that they always make something interesting. However, Ardbeg’s website does mention it was aged in an ex-bourbon cask.
The Basics
Cask: Bourbon
ABV: 46.0%
Color: Light champagne
Nose: Citrus, seltzer, butter, BBQ
Cost: $233.06 US dollars (including sales tax and shipping)
Purchased at: Keg N Bottle
Taste
Upon first sip, you get a surprisingly light citrusy taste. To me, it resembles a sprite or a citrusy seltzer. The initial citrus taste very harmoniously transitions into a light peaty finish. It finishes nowhere near as peaty as other Ardbeg Day releases, such as the Hypernova or Scorch. My expectation was it would be similar to these aforementioned whiskies, but it is unique in that the palate is the draw for me. For Ardbeg whiskies like this, I usually expect a smooth, not very flavorful transition into a strong peaty finish. This time, the citrusy build up is really the draw for me, and I think the light peaty finish works really well with the initial citrus notes.
Neat or With Water
Given it is 46% ABV, I do not recommend much if any water. I personally prefer to drink this whisky neat as the sweeter notes already stand out quite nicely, and there isn’t a strong alcohol presence on the nose or palate.
Summary
The Ardbeg Heavy Vapours is a dram to be enjoyed during the late spring and summer with its light, citrusy flavors. I think it is an interesting dram and one worth checking out.
Would I buy this again for $233.06? Probably not. If I could do it all over again, I would try to get this in a whisky auction or wait for it to be more widely available in the USA. I got over excited and ended up buying it at a markup with shipping when I could have saved close to $100 if I had been more patient. If an Ardbeg release is not initially available in your area, have some patience and keep checking at your trusted liquor store in your area. Have faith; it will be there eventually!
Would I buy it again if I had gotten it at retail price? No, but it’s not because it’s not good. It’s just not really what gets me excited about Islay scotch. That being said, I am really glad I have a bottle of it to work through. I love Ardbeg for how creative they are. They make really interesting and different whiskies, and I respect them for creating something different with the Heavy Vapours.
For me, I would consider getting this again if it were closer to 80-90 dollars. But for its retail price, I would be perfectly happy drinking the Ardbeg 10-year instead.