ARDBEG - Heavy Vapors - Limited Release 2023 - 46%
Ardbeg is a distillery located on the island of Islay , Scotland . It is one of the oldest distilleries on the island and its whiskeys have the reputation of being among the most peated. Ardbeg was the first whiskey to travel to space: the distillery was the first to experiment with extraterrestrial aging when it sent part of its production to the International Space Station in 2011 to examine the effects of weightlessness on the taste. Whiskey has been produced on the site since 1798, and it was first marketed in 1815, the same year as its close neighbor Laphroaig. Ardbeg enjoyed immediate success, with high demand for its spirit for use in blends, but from 1838 the distillery entered a protracted phase of ownership changes and bankruptcies, until it finally closed in 1981. It reopened in 1989, but was only operational two months a year. Finally, in 1997, it was bought by Glenmorangie and production resumed full time. The distillery is still owned by the French luxury group LVMH , within its Glenmorangie group .
Ardbeg's two stills annually produce one million liters of alcohol, which is only available as Single Malt . The whiskey is aged primarily in Bourbon casks , with a small portion aged in Sherry casks . It is heavily peated , but does not have the same marine character as many Islay whiskies; Ardbeg is known for its smoky, spicy and sweet character.
Ardbeg Heavy Vapors is a limited edition distilled without using Ardbeg's purifier . As a general rule, the vapors that rise in the still are captured by this equipment: it captures the heavier compounds and condenses them, causing them to fall back into the still. The vapors fall back into the still, heat up again and rise again. This purification process is said to bring a floral fruitiness that balances the powerful peat, but this has been avoided here to give Ardbeg whiskey darker, wilder flavors and notes. It was aged in ex-Bourbon barrels .
Peat
