Ardbeg Smokiverse (2025)

ARDBEG SMOKIVERSE
2025 Committee Release

MASH BILL – 100% malted barley

PROOF – 96.6

AGE – NAS

DISTILLERY – Ardbeg

PRICE – $103 (on sale from $130)

WORTH BUYING? – At this price, yes.

It’s been a long time since I brought a bottle of Ardbeg home. The last was their Corryvreckan, a smoked chocolate wonder of a peated single malt whisky. I loved it—as did some friends who swore they didn’t like smoky scotch. But the Corryvreckan converted them! Last year I enjoyed a glass of the Uigaedail release at a party, reminding me how fun Ardbeg’s signature intensity can be. And a recent Rob Roy cocktail made with Ardbeg 10 Year at San Francisco’s Old Clam House demonstrated it’s a whisky that plays well with others, despite its brash personality.

Alongside their standard offerings, Arbeg’s unrelenting output of “special” releases is so prodigious it can be difficult to keep track of them all. Often they’re priced quite above the already substantial standard release prices. Cartoony label designs add an eye-catching kitsch element. That combined with their ubiquity creates a slightly unappealing air of gimmickry for me. So, between the cost and the conveyor belt circus of choice, my Ardbeg journey has remained limited.

But for some reason the 2025 Smokiverse kept catching my eye. Its defining concept is an experimental “high gravity” mash, meaning less water and more grain, creating a denser fermentation intended to amplify flavor. The reviews so far have been fine. Some are even rather “meh.” But I was intrigued by the possibility of a denser, fruitier excursion into Ardbeg’s famously peaty bog. And the price was lower than many other special releases. When it went on sale at a local shop, I thought what the heck.

So here we are, four days after uncorking and a handful of pours into the bottle. These brief notes were taken using a traditional Glencairn.

COLOR – clear, buttery and lemon yellows

NOSE – campfire smoke, earthy peat, salty sea air, lemon in fresh water, vanilla, faint caramel, fine ground black pepper, subtle honeydew and ripe cantaloupe melon

TASTE – ashy, earthy, creamy, the fruit notes submerged within custardy vanilla and caramel

FINISH – ash, earth, sand, subtle melon notes adjacent to the vanilla, a fine lingering prickle from the ABV

OVERALL – smoky, earthy, sweet, not exceptional, not at all boring, actually quite pleasing and fun

Interesting. A handful of pours into the bottle, it remains quite consistent. I wish I had some standard Ardbeg releases on hand to compare. Smokiverse tastes very familiar. Surprises are not what it has to offer. It’s good, solid, lively, fun peated whisky. The Ardbegian boldness of the peat is matched by the whisky’s brighter, sweeter qualities. The contrasting aromas and flavors seem to dance together.

I picked this bottle up on sale, putting the price I paid in the realm of certain standard release Ardbegs. It tastes like a standard. That’s neither a complaint nor a backhanded compliment. It’s solid whisky, and I thoroughly enjoy it. It’s simply not what I would expect from a “special” release, given nothing about it stands out as particularly unique. It’s all very familiar, and very good. I could see it joining Corryvrecken, Uigaedail, and An Oa as another Ardbeg regular.

Maybe that’s what happens when a brand churns out one special release after another. How can they be special when they’re so frequently made and commonly available?

I’m tasting this while house sitting for friends whose home has a view of the San Francisco bay. When I uncorked the bottle and enjoyed the first pour, the sky was sunny and blue. Today it’s foggy and grey. Ardbeg Smokiverse glows brightly in the glass, whether in clear or cloudy light. I find it a very cheering sip.

Sláinte!