Ardbeg Smokiverse

Is this Smokiverse any good? A small review.

"Tim, I'm going to Ardbeg Day Amsterdam. They have the new Smokiverse. Do you want to come along?"
When my drambuddie Martijn asked me, I was a bit in doubt.
I just finished working on the SMWS stand at the Whisky in Leiden festival, and this event was in a couple of days. So my answer was the one that was best accepted in this situation: "Let me ask my wife first."

Now to explain my possible reluctancy: Next to the fact that I do not want to be away from home that much in a whisky related event, Ardbeg is a peated whisky that is not much present in my selection at home.
I do have all the Smoke trails editions up until now, but I'm not sure if they be opened very soon. Why? I still struggle a bit with smoky peated whisky.
Why? I do not know why, stop asking questions!

But the next day, I asked my wife. And she did not hesitate with her approval. So I messaged Martijn I would happily join him to this event.
So, on to Amsterdam, on to Ardbeg, on to the event.
And what an event is was! However, this blog is about the whisky, not the shiny lights and loud music.

The Ardbeg Smokiverse is a 2025 limited edition, bottled at 48,3% Vol.
I was also bottled to commemorate the 25th birthday of the Ardbeg Committee.
The price range is between 90 to 110 euro, depending on the store you buy it in.
The whisky was aged on Bourbon casks and carries no age statement.
It states on the bottle, it was part of a high gravity experiment. This high gravity mashing should created a more concentrated an therefore sweeter wort. Leading to a sweetness in the spirit. No coloring was added and the whisky is non chill filtered.

The color on the eye is that of a slightly diluted apple juice. And a twirl in the glass gives me a sparse set of legs dropping slowly over the inside of my glass.

The nose starts in the middle of a space battle. Both peaty smoke and sweetness of fruits and caramel are fighting for a spot in my nostrils. But like many battles, it is the third party that wins it: Some more heavier notes of mocha and cocoa pop up in the back and stay. I found it difficult to rediscover the apple and pear I got at the beginning of my first sniff.

My first sipp got me thinking about smoked chocolate, with small parts of nougat, dried oranges and butterscotch in it. A second sip gives me some more earthy notes of peat, slate and grasses.

The finish is medium long and lingers on those chocolate dipped orange jellies. Mixed with a tiny bit of leather and mocha. Like spilling some fresh morning coffee on your nice Italian leather shoes.

Thanks Martijn, for brining me along!

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