ARDBEG, SOMBRE EXPANSE – Score: 5/10
In 2022, the venerable house of Ardbeg—today under the stewardship of the French luxury group LVMH—presented its annual limited edition, this time christened “Heavy Vapours,” a name seemingly crafted to evoke dense, imposing aromas and an especially pronounced peat character. The announcement alone was enough to stir curiosity and raise expectations, suggesting a release that would push the distillery’s smoky profile into even bolder territory.
Thus, one braces for an overwhelming tidal wave of peat, anticipating a tasting experience marked by intensity, complexity, and the signature audacity for which Ardbeg has built its reputation. Yet the enthusiasm dissipates swiftly, almost abruptly, after the very first sip. While the distillery’s characteristic markers do make an appearance, they do so with a surprising lack of vigor—muted, restrained, and ultimately deprived of the personality that usually defines them. The earthy peat is present, as is a faint paraffinic note, but both seem to operate on half measure, never fully expressing themselves.
The smoke, for its part, remains moderate—neither bold enough to assert dominance nor nuanced enough to intrigue. It lingers politely yet unremarkably, offering little by way of evolution or depth.
In the end, this whisky fails to meet the level of expectations naturally associated with a limited-edition bottling positioned above the hundred-euro mark. One is left with the impression of a release whose promise far exceeds its delivery, and whose ambition remains more in the name than in the glass.
