Ardbeg Heavy Vapours Committee Release

You would not think it to see it now, but Ardbeg had a difficult time of it for much of the 20th century. The distillery was bought in a joint venture between Hiram Walker and DCL in 1959, both intending to supply their blends. The subsequent years were very successful, but DCL backed out in 1979 (closing many of their other distilleries a few years later), and Hiram Walker then struggled in the 1980s era oversupply when interest is blended Scotch was waning. They closed it down for the majority of the decade. It re-opened briefly in the 1990s before being revived for good by Glenmorangie plc in 1997.

Titled Heavy Vapours, this committee bottling celebrates Ardbeg Day at Fèis Ìle 2023. The spirt has been produced without using a purifier in the distillation process. The result is a much more robust flavour profile.

Officially launched in January 2000, the Ardbeg Committee is a fan club that loosely tasked with safeguarding the distillery from a return to its darker days of the previous century. Open to anyone to register, the club has access to exclusive releases like this one, which are never available to the general public. Membership also have access to a private room at the distillery and are asked to adhere to semi-tongue in cheek set of Committee rules, one of which warns of grave consequences for those who mix their Ardbeg with anything other than water.

Fèis Ìle, also known as the Islay Festival of Music and Malt had humble beginnings. It traces it origins back to 1985 and the establishment of The Islay Festival Association after it was realised that an event celebrating Gaelic, music and culture would drive tourism to the island. The inaugural event was two weeks of music, drama and workshops with ceilidhs, concerts and dances in the evening. The first whisky tasting took place as a festival event in 1990, and ten years later the island's distilleries began to be directly involved, organising their annual open days to coincide with it. Today it is one of the biggest events on the whisky calendar, annually drawing hundreds of revellers, and turning out an increasingly sought-after batch of limited edition whiskies like this.