Review: Ardbeg Smokiverse

Another year, another Ardbeg Day — and another special edition from the mind of Dr. Bill Lumsden.

For 2025, the Ardbeg Committee release begin featured is called Smokiverse. It is the first Ardbeg crafted from a “high-gravity” mash with the idea that it results in “a distinctly vibrant, tropical and fruity spirit.”

What’s a high-gravity mash? Ardbeg explains:

Ardbeg’s Whisky Creation Team began experimenting some years ago with the mashing process, in which malted barley is converted into fermentable sugars. One of their experiments involved reducing the amount of water used in the packed mash tun. This unconventional “high-gravity” mash magnified the intensity of flavor-active compounds known as acetate esters, leading to a fruitier, more tropical spirit.

Dr Bill Lumsden MBE, Ardbeg’s Director of Whisky Creation, said: “The first whisky we have ever made with a high-gravity mash, Ardbeg Smokiverse takes our single malt’s classic peaty character to a new frontier of flavor. By ramping up the density of our wort to new heights, we’ve drawn in fruitier, sweeter flavors from the deepest corners of the mash tun. Upon first sip, you can expect a vibrant burst of fruity, ester notes, rather like smoked bubble gum, along with aromas of barley. Then peaty notes collide with juicy, tropical fruits, before sinking into a rich depth of muscovado sugar.”

We received the standard-issue 48.3% abv version of the whisky. A high-proof release does not appear to be on offer this year.

Let’s give it a try.

Ardbeg Smokiverse Review

The description suggests we should go hunting for estery fruits, and you needn’t look far: They’re right on the tip of the nose, which features notes of bubble gum, overripe bananas, apricots, and canned apples and pears. Naturally, Ardbeg’s heavy smoke lacing impregnates all of this, giving the whisky a smoked fruit salad character that is equal parts enchanting and weird.

I’ve had plenty of fruit-heavy Ardbeg expressions before, but this one is definitely deep in the spectrum, the palate almost syrupy with its big notes of pear and banana, laced with caramel and cotton candy. The ultra-sweet bubble gum theme continues on the unctuous body, while the finish comes across as surprisingly underdeveloped, showcasing notes of green banana and more tinned pears, the fruit salad becoming a bit simplistic. A chewy caramel flan quality endures on the conclusion.

Super-sweet Ardbeg is an interesting proposition, and while I usually enjoy the added fruitiness, here the pendulum has swung a bit too far for easy enjoyment. As as sometimes the case with Ardbeg’s experimental releases, this one remains more novelty than insta-classic.

96.6 proof.

B+ / $125 [BUY IT NOW FROM FROOTBAT]

The post Review: Ardbeg Smokiverse appeared first on Drinkhacker: The Insider’s Guide to Good Drinking.