Ardbeg Hypernova is available exclusively for members of the Adrbeg Committee. (Photo: Ardbeg)

Islay-based distillery Ardbeg has a reputation for smoky, peat-stuffed whiskies, but its latest release puts its previous ones to shame in that category, according to the brand.

Ardbeg Hypernova, which is available exclusively for members of the Ardbeg Committee, was unveiled this week.

“This is without a doubt the smokiest Ardbeg ever,” Dr. Bill Lumsden, Ardbeg director of distilling and whisky creation, said, according to The Spirits Business. “We wanted to really push the boundaries this time and boldly go where Ardbeg has never ventured before. A hypernova is a collapsing star explosion so powerful it threatens the fabric of the galaxy – while I don’t think this whisky will tear a hole in space and time, it’s certainly bursting with fantastically peaty flavour.”

According to The Spirits Business, Ardbeg Hypernova contains 170ppm (parts per millions) on the peat scale. In general, whiskies over 30 ppm are considered “heavily peated.”

The most heavily peated whisky ever recorded is Bruichladdich’s Octomore 8.3, which contains 309 ppm.

Bottled at 51% ABV, Ardbeg Hypernova is available for a suggested retail price of £190 ($211). A “small number of bottles” will be available from the distillery, per The Spirits Business.

“Hypernova turns on the afterburners and hauls our spirit into smoky new depths,” said Colin Gordon, Ardbeg distillery manager. “Highly experimental, this whisky is peaty and intense, with a taste that’s totally surreal. This spirit is not just a slice of Ardbeg history, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime event – not to be missed.”

Earlier this month, Ardbeg announced the launch of its Smoketrails collection of single malts available exclusively at travel retail locations and the Ardbeg Distillery Visitor Center.

In August, Ardbeg released a Sci-Fi graphic novel based on the origin stories of its whiskies.

Here at Whiskey Raiders, we do more than write about current events in Whiskey. We are the only media property reviewing whiskeys and aggregating the scores and reviews of other significant voices in the whiskey world in one place. We also scour the internet daily in search of the best whiskey deals out there. If you’re interested in having a great whiskey deal and the latest news and reviews delivered to your inbox each morning, sign up for our Daily Deal Newsletter!