Ardbeg Heavy Vapours

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Nose: An ashy touch more than peaty Peppery spices, a hint of dried seaweed Roasted barley is a change from the ordinary. Blocked : Grassy peat, earthy, ash No maritime peat... Crushed grains with slightly sweet barley, fruits on candied citrus Dry floral return, hay, a little dried sap The peppery spices in return that burn the palate. Final: Spicy, peppery, malty, roasted and earthy peat, less than a Glengarioch but not maritime, cold ash with the grain of anise sensation at the end.

I preferred more the nose of the "little brother" at 46% (tasted side by side), but here there is more balance on the palate and more persistence of spice in the finish. Again, elegance in all respects…what happened to the purifier?!? I think that's where it's always been...

Nutty, rancid smoked meat, vanillas, floral, salty on the palate, softer than the nose, creosote, pepper on the finish, while tasty it’s just a bourbon Ardbeg, not too complex or memorable. The bitter finish isn’t my favorite

Really nice Ardbeg, price is a little bit steep but

No notes and points Just tooooooo bad, doesn’t taste like a whisky and won’t have it even if it’s free

My expectations were very low based on previous reviews and the opinions of friends. The nose surprised me positively. Sweet vanilla with Ardbeg smoke. Not particularly deep, but by no means bad. Unfortunately, the taste is a bit flat and quite one-dimensional. But if you like ExBC matured Islay malts, you'll get a solid example here. By far not an outstanding whisky, but not a complete disaster either. Only the designation as a Special Committee Release and the associated price definitely excludes a repurchase.

This Ardbeg is not a burner, but something different.

Moderately smoky on the nose, the youth shows, but not as negatively as in some reviews here I find. Very sweet with malt, cereals, toffee, whipped cream and just a little fruit. Something maritime with herbs. In the taste then significantly more smoke and the same intense sweet notes as in the nose. Very creamy with lots of malt and grain. Then slightly citrus with a maritime touch. Successful bottling that does not hide its youth and is of course too expensive. Still delicious I think. The sample was always worth it to me.

Extremely young, immature, light and one-dimensional for the price asked. Immediately reminiscent of the Loch Lomond Peated Single Grain (WB167229), which is really good for €20+. As for the Ardbeg... There is hardly any cask influence, which also fits in with the "experiment". Still very daring to release such a lousy Ardbeg as a Committee and Feis bottling. The Wee is on a similar level for just over €30.

just sad LVMH stop fkn with your customers

The next low point after the ardcore

Ardbeg's marketing department cut it short when they say "the balance is lost". Because Heavy Vapors is of course not about balance, but about incorporating "difficult" parts of the distillate that are normally discarded in favor of a sweeter bouquet. I find the result impressive: a very unusual, deep and complex fragrance. The palate/taste can't keep up - but that doesn't matter.

Can't recall ever giving a score below 80 on the 3 sound rating of an Ardbeg. What was that? If I want to be young and heavily peated, can I also buy a Smokehead for 35,- I don't need an OA-Ardbeg for how much? 125? For shooting. The Smokehead would then even come along without this obtrusive New Make feeling.

Interesting Ardbeg with spicy-peppery notes, red berries and pronounced smoke - 08/17/2023

Pleasant enough. I had been hoping for more than the citrus tinged smoke on offer here. N – icing sugar, lime zest, pencil lead, compost – 12 M – light, thin, light fuzzy roughing – 13 T – sucking a pencil, pencil lead, charcoal, lime juice, dark choc, coffee bean, sweet espresso, damp compost, ink – 26 F – ink, damp compost, sweet espresso, coffee bean, dark choc, lime juice, charcoal, pencil lead, Ancho chilli, sucking a pencil – 25

Smell: peaty, marine, pussy, campfire, seafood, Taste: campfire, tar, tires, sea Finish: peaty, tarry Rating: 4

Such a poor Ardbeg.

So it is stronger for a smell but it tastes very similar to the 19 years old whisky. Sure Ardbeg is always great. This comes without a box which for a limited release at £120 is a tad disappointing. Ah well is what it is. We all love a good whisky in a box. Every Ardbeg is decent. That's one thing about the brand and their customer service, response of emails and delivery time is second to none. Even from Islay to South London, arrived the very next day for £8. As a company they are a fine example of what Amazing looks like. As for taste, more on the iodine, mash, peat and smoke taste. It is about 8/10 smokey on this one. It does have a hint of orangey kind of smell and it does have a vapoury complexion to it.

This is a very disappointing ardbeg. Lacking of everything that their OB has to offer and yet the price is on the high side. This is cask strength version but taste so diluted. Very disappointed

I don't dare say whether leaving out the purifier was a successful experiment. Perhaps it should have matured a little longer in the barrel. I like the taste of the 5-year-old Wee Beastie better. It is of course also fresh and crisp, but the Ardbeg aroma stamp is still more evident here than in this bottling. I particularly liked the heavy ash formation in the taste and especially in the finish. On the other hand, when else can you do such experiments if not with such an absolute nerd bottling?

Exceptionally light, light straw color. Oily structure.

An experiment that highlights what a Ardbeg tastes like without its purifier. Unmistakable Ardbeg, highlighting oiliness and peat rather than fruitiness. Hats off to Ardbeg for experimenting. Nose: Pungent peat smoke, tarry rope, soot, creosote, dark chocolate cream, and an earthy farmyard salinity. Palate: Oily, Initial sweet notes of vanilla syrup give way to dominant waves of mint, olive oil, cardamom, caraway seed oil, bitter burnt wood, warming spices, aniseed, tarry coffee and sweet smoke. Finish: Long, intense, and heavily smoky, concluding with an almost numbing, medicinal, or anesthetic sensation. Actually despite the divisive reviews I’ve read this is one of my more enjoyable special releases. No accounting for taste. I love the unique smoky character bathed in olive oil, herbs and sweet smoke which makes a change from the usual offerings.

This Ardbeg may be young and belong to the much-maligned Committee Releases, but it's superb. The flavors are amazing, yet they go together perfectly. It's also nice and oily. I am particularly impressed by the combination of smoke and sweetness here.

One of the worst Ardbegs I've ever had. The nose seems very young, almost a new-make. Beyond a blanket of smoke, you can detect white fruit, lime, a touch of liquid sugar, bitter almonds, and plenty of yeast. The palate is herbaceous, with the bitter almonds and yeast returning, quite consistently. The finish is the best of the three, with some of the herbaceousness dissipating and a light yellow fruit emerging. This is by far the worst of the recent releases. Update After two weeks of aeration, it improved; the strong yeasty notes subsided, and the sweetness was greater. However, it remains the worst Ardbeg I've ever tasted.

Quite weak Ardbeg realease. of course the nose is quite full of smoke in the very beginning but it's really tamed. Young spirit takes over quickly. Herbaceous and lime. Taste is malty, a bit of acrid smoke. Goes on the bitter side. Lime, spices and alcohol. Finish quite fruity but medium short. A bit of soft smoke. The tasting doesn't match the name, as I would expect something more "in your face". Ardbeg, after the Ardcore that wasn't at all should seriously rethink the marketing approach as what's in the bottle doesn't justify the price tag.

Hm, yes, um, how the hell do you describe and rate something like that now? If it were an undisclosed South Islay for a Fuffi with a four-year age statement, I'd probably be thrilled, because the whole thing is quite tasty, provided you like bitter. But we're talking about a hype bottle of a top still for almost €150, if you add the postage, then what's on offer here is pretty meager. By the way, four years would be my estimate as far as age is concerned, it will hardly be much more. The nose is simple but good, in the mouth it is irritating at best and the finish doesn't really deserve the name. This is pretty much the last of the Committee bottlings of the last few years. I don't even want to imagine how underground the 46% variant for ordinary foot soldiers will be...

On the nose, this reminds me of my last bottle of Ardbeg 10 (18 March 2021 bottling date). First I get smoke—perhaps more than the Ten—followed by sweetness and nondescript fruitiness. I got a hint of a tequila-like note, which then faded fast and did not return on subsequent nosings. On the first sip I'm hit with smoke followed by sweetness and then something slightly funky in an earthy and creamy way. On my second and subsequent sips it evened out: I'm getting a little less smoke on arrival and more fruity sweetness, then a little cream on the midpalate. On the finish, I'm getting something slightly chalky and sweet that reminds me of Lagavulin, followed by a coal smoke note. This feels like a slightly dirty Ardbeg 10 to me. This is what I think would happen if the staff of Lagavulin ran Ardbeg for a day. To be honest I'm shocked by all the reviews calling this bitter and unpleasant. Comparing my notes to past releases, I found my first dram of this to be more impressive that my first dram of Scorch, Fermutation, Ardcore or Smoketrails. While the color makes it look young, the only time I thought it might be too young was when I got that brief, fleeting tequila note on the first nosing. It went away quickly, though. Is this worth the price? Of course not. Based on the quality of flavor this should be priced just a bit higher than the core range. I do think this is the highest quality CR in quite some time.

Tasted on 08-15-2023.

Is a very disappointing ardbeg. young and heavily peated, young distillate, alcohol unfortunately not well integrated.

I actually think it is a very clean product, I don't know why everyone's reviews are so bad

I can't detect any Ardbeg here, and I didn't even want to finish the sample. It's a shame, I long for the old standard bottlings...

It has an oily viscosity and a high-intensity bouquet. I have aromas of ashy peat smoke, citrus, marine notes, menthol and vanilla. Relatively flat malt. A good balance between sweetness and dryness in terms of taste. The alcohol is well integrated and it has a heavy body.

Fruity and crispy

Unfortunately by far the worst CR in recent years. Why dare they take so much money for it?! In the nose it comes across as a 25, - whisky. Smoke (ashtray), green apple, young, leached barrel. Bitterness is added to the taste. The only thing that fits is the alcohol content. The second ZIP adds some sweetness that alternates with the bitterness.

Colour: light white wine. Very bright. No classic Ardbeg on the nose. Medicinal smoke. Iodine. Salty sea air. Seaweed. Mineral white wine. Tart apples. Some vanilla. Very shallow on the tongue. Vanilla. Sweet and salty ham note. The smoke is clearly dominant. Little fruit. Some lemon. And somehow a hint of crunchy, green cucumber. Departure medium spicy. The smoke and the ham note remain. Yes, what can one say about that. Reminds me a lot of a Finlaggan Cask Strength that I had as a bottle x years ago. I found that very good. But it also cost around 30 euros. And not 140, like the colleague here. For the price, it's cheeky what Ardbeg delivers. Hence the worst rating that I have given an Ardbeg bottling so far (if you disregard this unspeakable non-Ardbeg "Blasda" for a moment).

In principle, it tastes good to me, like in principle every Ardbeg or generally also smoky whiskys without missing notes, but unfortunately it's not super exciting either, price-performance doesn't play a role for me in an evaluation, so it still gets a lot of points if not even in the post-purchase area

Ardbeg Heavy Vapours, 50.2%. 10ml sample at Melody Bar, August 2023. Not a sample size I would usually rate, but given time and concentration I can form a first impression. Very pale yellow. Aroma is milky and young, estery, some banana. For me, too obviously immature on the nose. Body is light. Taste is smoke-forward, again has a lactic note and new make vibes. Quite plain and very obviously too young to my palate, and in need of further maturation. I find it difficult to get on with this, because it has an 'unfinished', rushed sort of vibe. 3.0/72

Thinner than expected, despite full-on smoke on nose and peat on palate. Ardbeg has to seriously rethink about producing whiskies that match its price tag, rather than putting up a marketing premium on another mediocre bottling. P.S. this is more smoky then my Hypernova.

Another successful Committee bottling from Ardbeg. I also like Heavy Vapor much better than BizarreBQ, which was released around the same time. Of course we won't be dealing with a 12 or even 15 year old whisky here, but this Ardbeg still convinces me. Fortunately, the distillery character is recognizable throughout and the alcohol is also very well integrated. In addition, the Heavy Vapors is, in my opinion, far better than the Ardcore (which wasn't heavy either).

That’s a good Ardbeg! Significantly better than the other three I tried this next to (10, Wee Beastie, Oogie). This really is darker and heavier than normal Ardbeg. The nose especially has this addictive salty and savoury quality. The near-total lack of fruit and increased oil and earth made for a night-and-day difference with the 10 and Wee Beastie. Those bottlings are much sweeter, brightly citrusy and peppery in comparison. The depth and savouriness on Heavy Vapours brings to mind the iodine depth of those long-gone 70s Ardbegs, though they're of course not the same. All in all, quite a nice committee release. I’d love to compare it to the other recent committee releases, but this is the first one I’ve tried since Drum!

If you don't like Hypernova, you hate this bottle too. Metalic & harsh Ardbeg. But I love it!

Somewhat inconsistent and with a questionable title. What kind of e-cigarette is that supposed to be? The price... yaddayadda.

Blind on the nose it looks like a Ledaig after a while this impression fades. A little floral and fruity. Ashes, a little medicinal. The mouthfeel is not unpleasant. Spicy. That is just about everything. A bit unfortunate.

Smoked fish, tar, caramel and lemon (but little and in the background), salt, heavy in the mouth, alcohol unfortunately not well integrated. anise and lots of chilli. Nose ok, too young and impetuous in the mouth.

Cold ash and smoke... But I'm missing something here!

very one-dimensional and meaningless

The finish is very tasty and fruity. Otherwise good average for me. 71-80 – Fine, like to drink by time

Should the current style of Ardbeg special editions only be a high price with less taste and brightly colored packaging? It seems so. 135 € is completely overpriced for what it offers (solid craftsmanship but lacking complexity and power overall). Enjoy a Uigeadail or Corryvreckan for significantly less money but significantly more Ardbeg taste...

Solid dram. Not really exceptional, not really disappointing. Somehow I can’t really put my finger on what’s missing… it’s a nice, sweet smokiness. But there’s no edges to it. It comes and it goes, with nothing to remember it by. I doubt I would recognise this dram on a second, third or fourth try :-/

Smell Light and light smoke Smells a bit like Wee Beastie Taste Fairly light and fruity Marked smoke that dries out the mouth A little boring

Color: pale white wine. Discreet, not exciting but pleasant and drinkable.

RRP £120

Freshly opened

Notes to follow... Overall this one is youngish, prickly, flat, and dull. Peat is present in the form of charcoal and some ashes, maritime aspects remain shallow, some fruity notes and lovage appear as well but remain in the background. There is nothing 'heavy' about this, and the spirit is devoid of aromatic flavours. Yet another youngster from Islay selling for too high a price and another bummer from the Ardbed CRs. Get a bottle of the TEN instead!

Honey sweetness, clean rubber, not hot, thick mouthfeel. After it sets I got some salty BBQ crisps on the nose and the sweetness becomes pineapple juice.

Essentially a sweet, oily smoke with a hint of fruit on the finish. Not bad, but also very interchangeable. The higher drinking strength helps, but it's weaker with water.

One of the worst single malts I've ever had, it's like a new make, there's nothing to save.

Tasted at the distillery today. Pretty boring...

Original price at the start of sales in Germany (04/25/2023): 135.00 EUR

In a direct comparison with the Smoketrails, BizarreBQ, Kildalton, this one is the clear loser. It is definitely drinkable, Ardbeg can (could) do better.

ModernTimes. It's a pity that people have now refrained from aging whisky. I would be curious how the Heavy Vapor would develop in wooden casks after 18 to 20 years.

Colour: Pale Gold Nose: The presence of a comparatively young distillate is emphasized by a metallic note accompanied by hints of sweet fruit. A dominant smoke character overlays almost all aromas. Taste: The first impression on the palate is characterized by a pleasant combination of sweetness and peppery spice. However, this is quickly covered by an intense smokiness, which almost pushes the other aromas into the background. The sweetness remains omnipresent, while the pepper is subtly perceptible in the finish. Water Addition: The addition of water does not result in a wider range of flavors. Instead, the sticky sweetness intensifies even further while the peppery tone remains. However, the once dominant smoke is noticeably reduced. Conclusion: This is a whisky that is not necessarily remembered for a long time. The pronounced smoky note overlays the more subtle nuances and prevents a more comprehensive aroma development.

The nose is very ashy, peaty, fruity, seems very young here, but not unpleasant. Almost a little thin and watery in the mouth. Here too, very ashy, seems a bit older than on the nose. The finish is rather short and a little ashy, youthful, some sewing machine oil. I find it very different to other Ardbeg, especially the smoke and the typical citrus notes were not noticeable. A not untasty, but also a little unnecessary whisky.

Something different.