Every year, there’s a celebration on Islay of all things Ardbeg. They call it Ardbeg Day, held on the last Saturday of Islay’s Festival of Music and Malt, Fèis Ìle.
The festivities this year are set to take place at the distillery and across the globe on Saturday, June 3rd. Ardbeg will mark the event by releasing an experimental, limited-edition whisky called Ardbeg Heavy Vapours.
A statement from the Islay distiller noted that following the distillery’s Planet Ardbeg comic launch last year, a new storyline in the series will also be revealed alongside the new whisky that’s inspired by its unusual creation.
Interesting to note, for the first time ever at Ardbeg, its whisky has been distilled without a purifier (the apparatus on the still responsible for maintaining Ardbeg’s balance between extreme peat and floral fruitiness).
This creative experiment comes from Ardbeg’s director of whisky creation, Dr. Bill Lumsden, and allowed the heaviest and untamed vapors to rise up the still during the distillation process, before being captured, matured and bottled.
His notes on the whisky shows that on the nose, intense and aromatic smoke rises with hints of sweetness. On the palate, ashy coal dust, peppermint and cardamom, then dark chocolate and eucalyptus.
Heavy Vapours’ unusual distillation process and resulting flavor was brought to life in the accompanying graphic novel created by comic artist and illustrator, Dilraj Mann.
The plot of the graphic novel follows Agent 46 (AKA Jackie Thomson, Ardbeg Visitor Centre Manager and Committee Chair), an interplanetary detective on a quest to locate the elusive purifier and restore Ardbeg’s signature balance.
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Fans at the festival can enter the ARDverse for Planet Ardbeg Day by attending as their favorite Ardbeg-inspired hero, comic character or mythical creature.
“A missing purifier is unprecedented for Ardbeg. This experiment was something I’ve always imagined trying – what would happen to the flavor and character of Ardbeg as we know and love it, by distilling in this unique way?” Lumsden said. “Well, it’s now time for Ardbeg fans to find out; this is a full-blown dram where Ardbeg’s exalted balance has been disrupted in the most fantastic of ways – a truly captivating dram.”
Colin Gordon, Ardbeg’s distillery manager, said that Ardbeg Day’s 2023 theme will be a celebration of their Planet Ardbeg graphic novel universe, “Where we’ll be uncovering the mysteries behind our latest limited edition, Ardbeg Heavy Vapours. We can’t wait to celebrate this iconic date in the whisky calendar with our global community again soon.”
And for those who can’t make it on the day, Lumsden will host an Ardbeg Heavy Vapours masterclass online at www.ardbeg.com.
Ardbeg Heavy Vapours will be available worldwide from Ardbeg Embassies, whisky specialists, online retailers, and from the Distillery Visitor Center. The whisky clocks in at 46% ABV and has a suggested retail price of £120.
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