The Duke by Indigo Vapor

Disclaimer: This E-liquid was provided to me free of charge for the purpose of conducting a review. This fact notwithstanding, I will, as best I'm able, provide an honest, accurate and unbiased assessment of this product. Pertinent portions of this review have been quoted from my review of Indigo Vapor's Indigo RY. http://vapour-taster.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/indigo-ry-by-indigo-vapor.html Quoted passages are in italics.

The Duke: John Wayne, Duke Nukem, the Duke of Wellington, the UK's Prince Philip. All of which... Some of whom are paradigms of unmitigated masculinity. I doubt that the e-liquid, The Duke by Indigo Vapor http://www.indigovapor.com/, was named after Prince Philip. I suspect that of all of them, the most likely candidate is John Wayne. This is what Indigo Vapor themselves have to say about The Duke, "If you are looking for a strong, bold and flavorful tobacco - The Duke is for you. This is a tobacco that the Man himself would be proud to vape!" http://www.indigovapor.com/product_p/t-theduke.htm With a little deductive reasoning, we can almost safely assume that we are talking about John Wayne. If this is the case then certain expectations come into play: strong, full-bodied flavour, throat hit that kicks like a mule and an overwhelming sense of invulnerability. Oh, and a quick draw. And sharp shooting.

Indigo Vapor is based in Mishawaka, Indiana in the United States and was begun by a gentleman called Tony, who, like most of us, turned to vaping to aid him in his effort to quit cigarettes. His experience with e-cigs was so successful that he formed Indigo Vapor to help others in their efforts to obtain a healthier alternative to smoking. Of course, in certain territories we're not allowed to claim that e-cigarettes are a cessation aid, so the Indigo Vapor website is careful to make the requisite disclaimers. http://www.indigovapor.com/aboutus.asp

Indigo Vapor offer a range of forty-nine liquids divided into the following categories: tobacco, fruit, ice, indulge and reserve. Each liquid is offered in bottle sizes of 15 ($9.49), 30 ($17.95), 60 ($32.95) and 120ml ($61.95) at nicotine strengths of 0, 6, 12, 18 and 24mg. Neither on the website nor on the bottles does the subject of PG/VG ratios ever get mentioned. For further information on their e-liquids, Indigo Vapor published this on their blog: http://indigovaporcraftingourejuice.blogspot.co.uk/

Each liquid is sold in a glass bottle which, to date has always signified (to me) the presence of a quality liquid. I'm encouraged. The bottle has a black, plastic, screw-top cap with an Integrated dropper. On arrival, the cap was sealed in a tamper evident plastic. There are two labels; one on the front and one on the back. The front label includes the following information: the brand/company name, the company's website address, the words "Handcrafted" and "American made" and the motto, "Experience the Indigo Difference". The rear label includes the following information: the name of the liquid, the date of manufacture (hand written) the liquid contents in ml, the nicotine strength in mg (hand written), the company's website address, warnings that "This product contains Nicotine" and "Keep out of the reach of pets and children" and an ingredients list (Propylene Glycol, Glycerin, Nicotine and FEMA/GRAS approved flavorings).

The colour of the liquid is a clear, School Bus Yellow http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_bus_yellow and appears quite viscous; something akin to a cooking oil or light syrup. The liquid is also quite lubricious and rubbed between my forefinger and thumb, resisted absorption into my skin. The aroma from the bottle is a potent tobacco with a bright, sharp edged, citrus-like note suffusing the whole. I suggest it's a citrus-like note in the same way a sommelier might describe a wine as having "nuances of gooseberries". There was obviously no gooseberry used in the making of the wine, but it's still a useful descriptor when attempting to differentiate this wine from another, for example. I don't think for a moment there's any citrus in this e-liquid.

The Igo-L is the atomiser of choice for my reviews. It's a simple, inexpensive rebuildable dripping atomiser; it has the 510 connection upon which, sits the stainless steel deck. There's a positive and negative post with screws which clamp down on the ends of the coil. There's a shallow well for collecting excess liquid. The best thing about it is that it presents the flavour of any given e-liquid without muting, or smoothing out of the rough edges. It presents e-liquid as it is, warts and all. Mine is mounted on a mechanical mod powered by an 18650 battery. The wick and coil are clean (rinsed in warm water and dried on paper towel) with five wraps of 0.2 Kanthal wire (32 AWG) around three strands of 2mm Silica wick. I don't have the means to check the ohms.

As I inhale, I realise immediately why this is called "The Duke". The flavour is potent and as the vapour reaches the back of my throat it kicks like the worthiest of mules. On the inhalation, there's a combination of sweetness and a certain acidity in the vapour. It's somewhat reminiscent of a tobacco and mesquite e-liquid I reviewed recently. As I finish inhaling vapour and follow immediately with a short intake of air, the flavour of tobacco emerges fully and remains strong through to the aftertaste. The aftertaste is a combination of the tobacco with the acidic tang around the tongue and a slightly metallic savour around the teeth and gums. My experience of this e-liquid is based on the inhalation of the vapour straight into the lungs. If I take short, shallow inhalations of the vapour the potency of flavour and throat hit is considerably subdued.

The throat hit is strong! (18mg). Vapour production is generous and I suspect, looking at the viscosity of the liquid and the volume and characteristics of the vapour, that it's heavily laced with VG.

This e-liquid, "The Duke is aptly named. The flavour is full bodied; a sweet and somewhat acidic tobacco that pulls no punches in it's journey from your lips to your lungs and back again. With substantial throat hit and vapour production, the experience of vaping it is almost akin to the sensation of smoking a cigar, but without the woody, ashy overtones of the latter. I personally couldn't vape this all day but it would be a welcome vape towards the end of the day. It would also be the perfect accompaniment to a shot (or four) of whichever whiskey you prefer. Let's see those words again: "quick draw" and "sharp shooter".