This whisky is this year’s highly anticipated annual Ardbeg Day bottling from the Islay distillery of Ardbeg. Ardbeg Day traditionally draws the Fèis Ìle festival on Islay to a close each year. Ardbeg Smokiverse is a limited edition that is Ardbeg’s first whisky crafted from a ‘high-gravity mash’. The annual bottlings have become collectable and have somewhat of a cult following.
Ardbeg’s Whisky Creation Team. led by Dr. Bill Lumsden, began experimenting some years ago with the mashing process. This is where malted barley is converted into fermentable sugars. One of their experiments involved reducing the amount of water used in the mash tun.
This unconventional ‘high-gravity’ mash magnifies the intensity of flavour-active compounds, known as acetate esters, compared to a standard mash. The result is a fruitier, more tropical spirit. The spirit was matured in ex-bourbon barrels.
Ardbeg Smokiverse takes our single malt’s classic peaty character to a new frontier of flavour. Upon first sip, you can expect a vibrant burst of fruity, ester notes, rather like smoked bubblegum, along with aromas of barley. The peaty notes collide with juicy, tropical fruits, before sinking into a rich depth of muscovado sugar.
Dr Bill Lumsden – Director of Whisky Creation at Ardbeg
The Ardbeg distillery is located on the southern coast of the Hebridean island of Islay. It was founded in 1815 by John MacDougall, although records have distillation taking place on the site as far back as 1794. The recent history shows numerous changes of ownership from the 1950s through to a fallow period in the 1980s and 90s.
The Glenmorangie Company (now Moet Hennessy) took over in 1997. This signalled the rebirth of Ardbeg and a significant upturn in fortunes, including the founding of the Ardbeg Committee in 2000. The distillery has an annual production of 2.4 million litres per year.
Ardbeg Smokiverse is bottled at 48.3% ABV and is both non-chill filtered and of natural colour. It will be available from www.ardbeg.com and Ardbeg Embassy stores around the world from May 28 2025. Other retailers and whisky specialists will then have supply from the beginning of June. A bottle will cost £93.
Our Tasting Notes
The colour is vibrant, bright gold and the nose is sweet and smoky. Sweet aromas of barley sugars, vanilla fudge, and butterscotch lead the way. Then comes distinct fruitiness in the form of baked apple with a hint of ripe tropical fruit, especially peach and juicy pineapple. Further aromas of malty oat biscuits sit in the background alongside a green herbal bitterness. A medicinal and acrid peat smoke is prominent.
On the palate this whisky is sweet, sugary and smoky. There is an immediate creamy mouth feel with a series of highly confected notes. Toasted marshmallow, fairground candy floss and strawberry shoelaces, Then comes baked green apple with a hint of menthol, followed by further sweetness of vanilla paste and muscovado sugar. Some malty biscuits, toffee, fudge and a hint of tropical cordial are also evident.
There is plenty of peat smoke and this feels a little sweeter than on the nose. The smoke wraps and envelopes everything. It is all encompassing with a medicinal and earthy edge, plus a hint of ash. Think of a combination of damp moss, surgical bandage and dying bonfire or barbeque charcoal embers. A hint of grapefuit peel comes through late one, as does a distinct oaky dryness.
The finish is very long. The dusty ashy character lingers and the sweetness also holds well and draws out the finish. A light, peppery nature seems to accentuate the sweetness very late on, as does a hint of gingerbread.
What’s The Verdict?
We can see this being a real crowd pleaser. The intense and increased sweetness seems to have softened Ardbeg’s signature acrid peat smoke a little. It is also not overly complicated but very good at what it does. It is sweet, confected, malty and smoky with some lovely fruity notes.
Smokiverse is an interesting experiement – the annual Ardbeg Day bottling seems to be becoming somewhat of a playground for Dr. Bill and his team. Long may that continue. And it will be interesting to see if they have any further ‘high gravity mask’ spirit maturing and what they may do with that.
