Friday night at Tomo’s @copperandoaknyc ❤️🔥
I had the chance to taste the new @ardbeg_usa Smokiverse, part of their annual Committee release celebrating 25 years. As I delve deeper into the smoky flavor journey, I understand better what Yuri once told me—and even demonstrated with a long-ago tasting of Lagavulin 16: with time, smoke evolves. It becomes less peaty and meaty, and more like ash and earth.
This is especially true with Smokiverse. It opens with lots of sweetness up front and across the palate, and only reveals a dry ashy smoke on the finish. The centerpiece of this release is the Mash tun, using a process called High Gravity Mashing. From what I gather, it means less water and more grain, making the mash denser. As they explain:
“By experimenting with High Gravity Mashing, we’ve dialed down the water, cranked up the grist, and packed more grain into the mix than ever before. This process ramps up the sugar in the wort, resulting in a higher gravity measurement than our standard mash. It’s this heightened gravity that has helped unlock this fruitier, more intense Ardbeg.”
I also tried the Inchgower 14, which spent most of its life in an ex-bourbon cask before being finished in a Springbank cask that had held Pedro Ximénez (PX). The nose hit with a funky, earthy character that didn’t match the sweet palate—until we added a drop of water. Suddenly, all the funk disappeared and made way for pure, lush PX sweetness.
Then came a blind tasting of Springbank Local Barley 10. I nailed the ABV (56.2%) and came close on the age 😎 but the cask totally threw me—I guessed Fino! Not surprising though, as the Local Barley is famously round, soft, and sweet. It was absolutely phenomenal.
There’s nothing like visiting Tomo and sipping through these exceptional drams. 🥃
