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1257 Kensington Road NW
1 (403) 283-8000 / atyourservice@kensingtonwinemarket.com
$174.99
The 2023 Ardbeg Day special release, Heavy Vapours, is bottled at 46%, from a parcel of spirit made without Ardbeg's spirit purifier.
Producer Description
"A missing purifier. A dram forsaken. Who will restore the balance? Something weird has been going down at the Distillery. The legendary purifier on the still – responsible for Ardbeg’s exalted balance – is nowhere to be seen. And this whisky – Ardbeg Heavy Vapours – is the consequence. The familiar harmony between peat and floral fruitiness has been disrupted. What have risen are the untamed darker flavours and notes, gathering and filling the senses. It is an ominous dram of dramatic, aromatic pungency. Heavy Vapours will rise. Non chill-filtered at 46% ABV."
750 mlOUT OF STOCK
If you'd like us to try to order it, add it to your cart. We can't promise, but we'll do our best!
Producer Tasting Note
Nose: smoke rises with a cloying sweetness. Intense, pungent and aromatic, a distinctive farmyard scent drifts, along with a crunchy aroma, like creosote or tarry rope. A splash of water disturbs the vapours and dark chocolate cream billows, laced with a ribbon of smoked artichoke.
Palate: Ardbeg’s untamed darker flavours and notes have risen. A burst of bittersweetness surges, disturbing ashy coal dust and casting a haze of cardamom, peppermint and coffee grits. Clouds of dark chocolate and mentholic eucalyptus roll in, obscuring the fruit and floral notes usually found at the heart of Ardbeg. Wisps of aniseed twists, cinnamon balls and antiseptic lozenges float on the palate.
Finish: The aftertaste lingers long and bold, with an almost anaesthetising sensation.
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Evan here - I am not going to get into Ardbeg’s history or location or ownership too much. It is old, and it is on Islay. To say more is to preach to the choir for the most part. If you are keen to know more, just mispronounce the name as ‘Ardberg’ within the hearing of Andrew or Curt. You will quickly be corrected and then likely be given the chronological timeline of the distillery in question as well as a thorough essay on why it is perhaps the best distillery on Islay, if not in Scotland itself.
Anyhow. For a relatively small distillery, Ardbeg’s releases have become relatively prolific over the past few years. The distillery can boast about having the most rabid fan base in the world of Single Malt Scotch, and many of its releases correlate with this. Just about every limited edition bottle of Ardbeg is released to Ardbeg Committee Members first. Membership is free and allows you to find out when the next Ardbeg Limited Release is, well, released.
The core range of Ardbeg is strong. If you like you want a taste of what all of the fuss is about when it comes to Ardbeg, the regular Ardbeg 10-Year-Old is a great place to start. If you want a bottle that is a wee bit sweeter and goes in a few more directions when it comes to flavour profile, Ardbeg An Oa should suit you. The combination of peat Sherry is your thing? Then go for the Ardbeg Uigeadail. If you want the Ardbeg-ness of Ardbeg dialled up to 11, go for the Corryvreckan. And now, if you find yourself craving a release of Ardbeg that has an age statement, but you already have the Ardbeg 10, you can go for the Wee Beastie!
$86.99
The latest core release in the Ardbeg stable is Wee Beastie, a 5-year-old Ardbeg that was created to be the rawest and most peaty Ardbeg ever bottled. The whisky is matured in a mix of ex-Bourbon and Oloroso Sherry casks. 47.4%.
Producer Description
"Ardbeg Wee Beastie is the latest permanent expression to join the Distillery’s Ultimate Range. At just five years old, Wee Beastie is a feisty young creature with a formidable taste."
More from Ardbeg
"Our whisky creators set out to make the rawest, smokiest Ardbeg ever. The result is Ardbeg Wee Beastie and this tongue-tingling, beautifully smoky dram is the youngest Ardbeg we’ve ever made. On the snout, intense aromas of cracked blacked pepper mingle with sappy pine resin and a sharp tang of smoke. Suddenly, an explosive mouthfeel bursts forth with chocolate, creosote and tar. Savoury meats sink into the palate before the long salty mouthcoating finish slinks away… revealing the inner beast of this Islay icon. Young and intensely smoky, this is a dram untamed by age. Matured in ex-bourbon and Oloroso sherry casks, Wee Beastie is perfect for enjoying neat or as the mouth-watering main ingredient in a powerfully smoky cocktail."
$152.99
The Corryvreckan started out as a replacement for the Airigh Nam Beist but has become a legend in its own right. The whisky has a unique sweet and spicy twist which blends well with the whisky's peaty maritime backbone. Bottled at 57.1% this whisky is often amongst the highest scoring with whisky critics and reviewers. It gets its sweet and spicy characteristics from the French oak in which some of the vatting is matured.
$132.99
This Ardbeg, pronounced (pronounced ‘Oog-a-dal’), is a mariage of ex-Bourbon and ex-sherry casks. It takes it's name from the mysterious Loch that also happens to be Ardbeg Distillery's water source. It is bottled at 54.2%, but is still very approachable and savoury with the melding of sherry notes to Ardbeg's classic style.
$239.99
Exclusive to Ardbeg Committee Members - Not an Ardbeg Committee Member? Join here!
Ardbeg Anamorphic is a single malt matured in ex-Bourbon casks that have been given a special deep scoring before being exposed to a " high mocha" char toasting. 48.2%
Producer Description
"Ardbeg Anamorphic turns Ardbeg upside down and inside out, creating an impressive taste of Ardbeg whisky which is only for our committee this year.
"It has utilized a super-secret cask charring and toasting process named “high mocha” for the very first time, leading to a multidimensional dram that morphs between SWEET, SMOKY, HERBAL and SPICY, which seamlessly merges in a mesmerizing taste experience. It successfully takes Ardbeg to a whole new level by tempering briny overtones, ramping up hidden chocolaty sweetness and magnifying the sensations of mocha."
