Vampire Vape Review (2026) | PinkVape

Some e-liquid brands come and go with the seasons. Others put down roots and become part of the furniture. Vampire Vape belongs firmly in the second camp. For well over a decade it has been one of the most recognisable names in British vaping, and it is responsible for a flavour – Heisenberg – so popular that it became a genre of its own. If you have spent any time in a UK vape shop, you have almost certainly seen the brand's dark, gothic bottles lined up behind the counter. This Vampire Vape review is a full, honest, no-nonsense walk through the whole range as it stands in 2026: what the brand actually is, where it came from, what Heisenberg really tastes like, how the nic salts, 50/50 and shortfills differ, which flavours are worth your money, the genuine pros and the real cons, how it compares to the likes of Riot, Dinner Lady and ELFLIQ, and what you should expect to pay before and after the incoming duty. No marketing gloss, no copied blurb – just a straight assessment for adult vapers deciding whether Vampire Vape deserves a spot in the rotation.

What is Vampire Vape?

Vampire Vape is a British e-liquid company, and one of the longest-serving brands still trading in the UK market. It emerged in the early years of the modern vaping era, back when the scene was a patchwork of small independent mixers experimenting in the back rooms of high-street shops. While a great many of those early names faded out, were bought up, or simply could not keep pace with tightening regulation, Vampire Vape stuck around. That longevity is no small thing. The UK e-liquid market has been brutal on brands over the years, and surviving from the wild-west days through the TPD regulations of 2016 and into the heavily regulated, duty-bracing landscape of 2026 takes a genuinely good product and a loyal customer base. Vampire Vape has both.

The brand's identity is built around its name. Everything about the presentation leans into a dark, gothic, slightly theatrical aesthetic – black bottles, blood-red accents, fang-and-bat imagery and flavour names that play with the vampire theme. It is a bit of fun, and it has aged surprisingly well compared to some of the more garish branding that flooded the market later. Underneath the styling, though, this is a serious mixing operation. Vampire Vape manufactures in the UK, which matters to a lot of buyers who want to know their liquid is made to British standards and properly notified to the regulator. The brand has built its reputation not on novelty or shock value but on consistency: a bottle of a given flavour bought today tends to taste the same as one bought two years ago, which is rarer than you might think in this industry.

It is worth being clear about what kind of company Vampire Vape is, because it shapes everything that follows. This is an e-liquid specialist, not a hardware giant. The brand does not chase the disposable-device gold rush or pump out a new pod kit every quarter. Its core business is, and always has been, making juice. That focus is part of why the range feels coherent rather than scattergun. Where some companies dilute their identity across dozens of product categories, Vampire Vape has largely stuck to its lane: a well-curated catalogue of flavours available in the formats that adult vapers actually use, from small nic salt bottles for pod kits up to larger shortfills for sub-ohm setups.

The other thing that defines Vampire Vape is the cultural footprint of a single product. Most brands would kill for one flavour as famous as Heisenberg. For a long stretch, Heisenberg was not just a Vampire Vape flavour – it was the flavour, copied and cloned by countless rivals trying to capture the same magic. That has been both a blessing and a curse. It made the brand a household name in vaping circles, but it also means a lot of people know Vampire Vape only for that one blend and have never explored the rest of the catalogue. Part of the job of this review is to put Heisenberg in context and show what else is on offer.

As with everything covered on this site, it is worth stating plainly who these products are for. Vampire Vape e-liquids contain nicotine, which is an addictive substance, and they are intended only for adults aged 18 and over who already vape. Nothing about the brand's heritage or the fun of its branding changes that. This review treats the range as what it is: a consumer product for existing adult nicotine users, judged purely on taste, quality, value and how it performs in real-world devices.

Heisenberg and the signature flavours

You cannot talk about Vampire Vape without starting with Heisenberg, so let us tackle it head on. Heisenberg is the brand's flagship, its calling card, and one of the genuinely iconic flavours in UK vaping history. The frustrating and slightly wonderful thing about it is that it is almost impossible to describe in plain terms, which is precisely why it became so beloved. At its core it is a cool, mixed-berry blend – think a tangle of dark and red fruits – layered over a crisp, refreshing coolness and threaded with a faint, almost herbal aniseed-like note that lingers in the background. The result is fruity but not sweet-shop sweet, cold but not full-on menthol, and just unusual enough that it does not taste like anything else on the market. People describe it in wildly different ways – berries, mint, candy, a whisper of liquorice – and they are all sort of right, which tells you how layered it is.

What made Heisenberg a phenomenon is that it landed in a sweet spot almost by accident. It is an all-day vape that does not fatigue the palate the way a heavy dessert or a sugary fruit can. The cooling keeps it feeling fresh from the first puff to the last, the berry gives it character, and the mysterious back-note stops it from ever getting boring. It works across an enormous range of devices and strengths, and it pairs unusually well with almost any kit. For a lot of vapers it became a permanent fixture, the bottle they always kept a spare of, and that loyalty is the foundation the whole brand is built on. It was cloned relentlessly – you will find “blue” and “mystery” flavours from dozens of rivals chasing the same idea – but the original still holds up, and many long-time fans insist nobody has quite matched it.

Heisenberg is not the only classic in the catalogue, though. The other name that crops up again and again is Pinkman, a brighter, fruitier counterpart that leans into sweet and tangy mixed fruits – the kind of blend that tastes like a handful of soft summer berries and citrus with a juicy, mouth-watering edge. Where Heisenberg is cool and mysterious, Pinkman is sunny and approachable, and the two together make a neat pair that covers a lot of taste preferences. It is a deliberately easy flavour to like, and it has become a firm favourite in its own right, especially among vapers who find Heisenberg a touch too cold or too odd for their liking.

Then there is Cool Red Lips, another long-standing member of the line-up, which takes a sweet red-fruit profile and gives it a chilled, refreshing finish – a sort of cool candied-cherry-and-berry idea that splits the difference between fruit and ice. It is one of those flavours that feels both familiar and a little bit distinctive, and it rounds out the trio of signatures that most people associate with the brand. Between Heisenberg, Pinkman and Cool Red Lips you get a fair sense of the Vampire Vape house style: fruit-forward, often with a cooling element, rarely cloying, and almost always built to be vaped all day rather than as an occasional treat. These three are the obvious starting points for anyone new to the brand, and each has earned its place rather than coasting on the name.

The range: nic salts, 50/50 and shortfills

One of the things that keeps Vampire Vape relevant is that it sells its flavours across the three formats that cover virtually every kind of adult vaper. Understanding the difference between them is the single most useful thing you can do before buying, because picking the wrong format for your device is the most common way people end up disappointed with an otherwise good liquid. The three are nic salts, 50/50 freebase and shortfills, and each is built for a different style of vaping.

Nic salts come in 10ml bottles, typically at 10mg and 20mg strengths, with 20mg being the UK legal maximum. Salt nicotine is a smoother form of nicotine that lets you vape a higher strength without the harsh throat hit you would get from the same strength in freebase form. That smoothness is exactly what makes salts ideal for small, low-power MTL (mouth-to-lung) pod kits – the compact, draw-on-the-mouthpiece devices most people use day to day. If you vape a pocket-sized pod kit and want a satisfying nicotine hit that goes down easily, nic salts are almost always the right answer. Vampire Vape offers a good chunk of its catalogue, including Heisenberg, in salt form, which is the version most pod-kit users will end up buying.

50/50 freebase liquids are also sold in 10ml bottles and refer to the ratio of the two base ingredients – an even split of PG and VG. This balance is the traditional all-rounder: enough PG for a defined throat hit and good flavour carry, enough VG to produce a reasonable amount of vapour without being thick. Freebase 50/50 suits the same kind of MTL kits and starter devices as salts, but delivers nicotine in its classic form, which gives a firmer throat hit at the same strength. Some vapers simply prefer the sensation of freebase, particularly those who have vaped for years and like a more pronounced hit, and the 50/50 line exists to serve them. It is the format that bridges the old-school and the modern pod era.

Shortfills are the format for the higher-power crowd. These are larger bottles – commonly 50ml of liquid in a 60ml bottle, though sizes vary – sold at 0mg nicotine with deliberate headroom left at the top. The idea is that you add a separate nicotine shot (usually an 18mg or 20mg 10ml booster) yourself, which brings the whole bottle up to a low nicotine strength suited to high-volume vaping. Shortfills are typically higher in VG, which makes them better for sub-ohm and DTL (direct-to-lung) setups – the bigger, cloud-producing kits and tanks. If you run a powerful device and like big lungfuls of vapour, shortfills are the economical and flexible choice, letting you mix your strength to taste. They are the format least suited to small pod kits, where the high VG and low strength would leave you unsatisfied and gurgling.

In short: small pod kit, want a strong easy hit – reach for nic salts. Small kit but you prefer a firmer traditional throat hit – try the 50/50. Big sub-ohm cloud machine – go for a shortfill with a nic shot. Match the format to the hardware and you will get the best out of any Vampire Vape flavour. For a deeper breakdown of the strengths involved, our nicotine strength guide walks through exactly how the milligram figures translate to real-world satisfaction.

UK rules: strengths, bottle sizes and the 2026 duty

Buying e-liquid in the UK means buying within a fairly strict regulatory framework, and Vampire Vape, like every compliant brand, builds its products around those rules. Knowing them helps you understand why the bottles are the size they are and why you cannot simply buy a giant bottle of 30mg juice.

The two headline limits are strength and bottle size. Nicotine-containing e-liquid is capped at 20mg per millilitre – that is the legal ceiling, which is why you will never see a compliant UK liquid stronger than 20mg. Any nicotine-containing e-liquid must also be sold in bottles no larger than 10ml. That is why Vampire Vape's nic salts and 50/50 liquids all come in those small 10ml bottles: it is not a marketing choice, it is the law. On the device side, tanks and pods that hold nicotine liquid are limited to a maximum capacity of 2ml. These rules are why the modern vaping experience involves frequent small refills rather than one big fill-and-forget tank.

Shortfills are the clever workaround that keeps high-strength bulk buying impossible while still letting sub-ohm vapers buy in larger quantities. Because a shortfill contains 0mg nicotine, it is not classed as a nicotine-containing product and can therefore be sold in a bigger bottle. You then add a 10ml nicotine shot yourself to bring it up to strength. It is a perfectly legal and widely used system, and it is the reason the bigger Vampire Vape bottles exist at all.

The big change on the horizon is the new Vaping Products Duty. From 1 October 2026, a duty of £2.20 per 10ml of e-liquid comes into force across the UK. This is a flat, per-volume tax that applies regardless of nicotine strength, which means even 0mg shortfills will be caught by it. The practical upshot is simple: e-liquid prices will rise from that date. A 10ml nic salt that costs you a few pounds today will carry an extra £2.20 of duty, and a larger shortfill will be hit proportionally to its volume. If you are reading this before October 2026, it is worth factoring that into your buying decisions – many vapers are expected to stock up modestly ahead of the change, though liquid does not last forever and should be bought within reason. We cover the duty in full in our dedicated explainer on the e-liquids page and the broader site coverage of the tax. Whatever happens to pricing, the strength and bottle-size rules above are not changing, so the fundamentals of how you buy and use Vampire Vape will stay the same.

Vampire Vape flavours

Vampire Vape's catalogue is broad enough that it helps to group it by style rather than list it bottle by bottle. The brand's strength has always been fruit and cooling blends, but there is more variety than the casual buyer realises. Below the range is broken into four loose families, with a few honest recommendations in each. Bear in mind that exact availability shifts over time and not every flavour appears in every format, so always check which of nic salt, 50/50 or shortfill a given flavour comes in before ordering.

Fruit

This is the heart of the range and where Vampire Vape is at its most reliable. Pinkman is the standout – that bright, tangy mixed-fruit-and-citrus blend described earlier – and it is the one to start with if you want an easy, juicy, crowd-pleasing fruit. Beyond it you will find a rotating selection of single and mixed-fruit profiles spanning berries, tropical notes and orchard fruits. The house approach to fruit tends towards the ripe and slightly candied rather than the bone-dry realistic style, so if you like a fruit that tastes generous and full rather than tart and clinical, this is your section. For an all-day fruit that is not too sweet, Pinkman remains the safest pick in the whole catalogue.

Menthol and ice

Cooling is a Vampire Vape speciality, and the menthol-and-ice family is where the brand's identity shines. Heisenberg technically sits at the crossroads of fruit and ice, but its cool backbone makes it a natural anchor here too. Alongside it sit cleaner menthol and ice-fruit blends – cold berry, iced fruit and crisp menthol options – for vapers who want that refreshing chill. The cooling in these is generally well judged: present and satisfying without tipping into the eye-watering, throat-numbing extreme that some ice liquids reach. If you came off cigarettes onto menthols, or you simply like a cold vape, this is the family to explore first. Heisenberg and Cool Red Lips are the obvious gateways.

Dessert and sweet

Vampire Vape is less famous for desserts than some rivals, but the sweeter end of the catalogue is worth a look if your tastes run that way. Here you will find sweet-shop and confectionery-style profiles – the candied, fizzy, retro-sweet kind of flavour – rather than the heavy custard-and-bakery territory that brands like Dinner Lady built their name on. The brand's sweets tend to be playful and bright rather than rich and indulgent. These are good occasional vapes and decent palate-changers, though most people find the fruit and ice lines better suited to all-day use. If you want something sweet without going full dessert, this section scratches the itch.

Aniseed and unusual

This is the most distinctive corner of the range, and it is where Vampire Vape's character really comes through. The brand has never shied away from the aniseed and liquorice family – flavours with that cool, slightly medicinal, grown-up edge that you either love or actively avoid. There is nothing childish or generic about this section; it is squarely aimed at adult palates that appreciate something more complex and old-fashioned. The faint aniseed thread running through Heisenberg hints at it, but the dedicated aniseed and unusual blends commit fully. If you are the kind of vaper who finds most modern liquids too sweet and longs for something with a bit of bite and intrigue, start here. It is a genuinely differentiated offering that few mainstream brands match.

Nic salt vs freebase: which to choose

This is the decision that trips up more new vapers than any other, and getting it right makes a bigger difference to your satisfaction than the flavour you pick. The choice between nic salt and freebase nicotine comes down to how nicotine is chemically delivered, what throat sensation you want, and crucially what device you are using.

Nic salt nicotine is processed so that it is absorbed more smoothly and quickly, with far less throat harshness at a given strength. This means you can comfortably vape a 20mg salt without it feeling like you are gargling sandpaper. Salts are designed for low-power MTL pod kits – small, tight-draw devices that sip a little liquid at modest wattage. The combination of high strength and smooth delivery makes salts the natural choice for anyone who wants a strong, satisfying, cigarette-like hit from a discreet device. If you have recently switched from smoking and you are using a pod kit, a 20mg Vampire Vape nic salt is almost certainly your best starting point.

Freebase nicotine, including Vampire Vape's 50/50 line, delivers nicotine in its traditional form, which produces a firmer, more pronounced throat hit at the same strength. Many long-term vapers genuinely prefer that sensation – it feels more “there” – and for them freebase 50/50 in a pod or starter kit is the right call. Freebase also dominates the higher-power world: shortfills are freebase liquids at low strengths, designed for sub-ohm DTL kits where you are inhaling far more vapour and therefore need much less nicotine per millilitre.

On strength, the rough guidance is this. Heavy ex-smokers and people on small pod kits usually do best on 20mg salts; lighter smokers or those who find 20mg too intense often settle on 10mg salts. Vapers on bigger sub-ohm kits typically run far lower – commonly around 3mg to 6mg – because the sheer volume of vapour delivers plenty of nicotine even at low concentration. Putting a high-strength salt into a powerful sub-ohm device would be unpleasant and excessive; putting a low-strength shortfill into a tiny pod kit would leave you unsatisfied and reaching for it constantly.

The golden rule is to match the nicotine type and strength to the device. Small kit, want strength and smoothness – 10mg or 20mg salts. Small kit, want a firmer classic hit – 50/50 freebase. Big cloud kit – a low-strength shortfill. If you are still choosing your hardware, our guide to the best refillable vape kits for beginners pairs neatly with this and will help you land on a device that suits the liquids you want to vape.

Flavour quality and performance

A brand can have a great back-story and still produce mediocre juice, so how does Vampire Vape actually perform in the tank? On the whole, well – and that is the real reason it has lasted. The defining quality of the range is consistency. Across formats and across time, the flagship flavours taste the way they are supposed to, batch after batch. That reliability is genuinely valuable: when you reorder a bottle of Heisenberg, you know exactly what you are getting, which is more than can be said for some brands whose flavours drift or whose quality control wobbles between production runs.

On flavour accuracy, the fruit and cooling blends are the strongest performers. The cooling is particularly well executed – refreshing and clean rather than artificial or numbing – and the signature flavours have a depth and balance that explains their staying power. Heisenberg in particular rewards repeat vaping; its complexity means it does not flatten out or bore the palate the way simpler liquids can. The fruits are generous and rounded, the menthols crisp, and the aniseed blends carry real character. Where the range is slightly less remarkable is in the sweet and dessert category, which is competent but not class-leading compared to specialists in that style.

In terms of device performance, the salts behave exactly as good salts should in pod kits: smooth, satisfying and free of harshness even at 20mg. They wick well, the flavour comes through cleanly at typical pod-kit power levels, and there is no off-putting peppery edge. The shortfills, being higher in VG, produce good vapour in sub-ohm setups and carry their flavour well at the lower strengths they are designed for. Throat hit is appropriate to format – gentle in the salts, firmer in the 50/50, mellow in the shortfills – and coil life is unremarkable in a good way, meaning the liquids are not unusually sweet or dark in a way that gunks up coils prematurely. There is nothing about the way Vampire Vape liquids behave that will surprise or frustrate an experienced vaper; they are well-made, well-mannered juices that do their job. That dependability, more than any single headline flavour, is what makes the brand easy to recommend.

Vampire Vape pros

Plenty of brands look good on paper. Here is where Vampire Vape genuinely earns its place, based on what matters in day-to-day use.

• A genuinely iconic flagship flavour. Heisenberg is one of the most loved e-liquid flavours the UK has ever produced, and it remains excellent – complex, refreshing and endlessly vapeable. Owning the original of a flavour the whole market has tried to copy is a real advantage.
• Long-standing, trusted British brand. Vampire Vape has survived more than a decade of a punishing market, manufactures in the UK and is properly compliant. That heritage brings a level of trust that newer, flashier brands simply cannot offer.
• Excellent consistency. The flavours taste the same batch after batch and year after year. When you reorder, you know exactly what you are getting, which is more valuable than vapers often realise.
• Strong fruit and cooling blends. This is the brand's core competency, and it delivers. The fruits are generous, the menthols clean, and the cooling is well judged rather than overpowering.
• Available in every useful format. Nic salts for pod kits, 50/50 for traditional throat hit, and shortfills for sub-ohm setups means the brand has a product for virtually every adult vaper regardless of device.
• Distinctive, grown-up flavours. The aniseed and unusual blends offer something genuinely different in a market awash with the same sweet fruits. For palates that want intrigue rather than sugar, this is a real selling point.
• Sensible, satisfying nic salts. The salts are smooth at 20mg, wick well and carry flavour cleanly in pod kits, doing exactly what a good salt should without any peppery harshness.
• Reasonable everyday pricing. Vampire Vape sits in the affordable mainstream bracket rather than the premium tier, which keeps it accessible as an all-day liquid rather than an occasional treat.
• Memorable, well-aged branding. The gothic styling is fun, distinctive and has held up far better than a lot of the over-designed branding that came later. It makes the bottles easy to spot and easy to remember.

Vampire Vape cons

No brand is perfect, and an honest review has to cover the weaknesses as well as the strengths. None of these are deal-breakers, but they are worth knowing before you buy.

• Over-reliance on one famous flavour. Heisenberg casts such a long shadow that the rest of the range can feel overlooked. Some buyers never explore past it, and a few of the deeper-catalogue flavours are less memorable than the flagships.
• Dessert and sweet flavours are merely fine. If you live for rich custards, bakery and indulgent dessert vapes, Vampire Vape is not the specialist for you. That corner of the range is competent but not class-leading.
• Marmite flavours in the aniseed family. The distinctive aniseed and liquorice blends are a genuine strength for some and an instant turn-off for others. They are not crowd-pleasers, and newcomers should approach with caution.
• Heisenberg is hard to describe before you try it. The very thing that makes it special – its indefinable character – also makes it a slight gamble for first-timers who like to know exactly what they are buying.
• Branding may not suit everyone. The gothic, vampire-themed presentation is fun but not to all tastes, and a few buyers find it a touch gimmicky compared to cleaner, more minimal modern brands.
• Format availability varies by flavour. Not every flavour is offered in every format, so the exact blend you want may not exist as a shortfill or a salt, forcing a compromise.
• Incoming duty will push prices up. Like all e-liquid, Vampire Vape will be more expensive from October 2026 once the Vaping Products Duty lands – not the brand's fault, but a real cost consideration nonetheless.
• Less hardware integration than rivals. Because Vampire Vape is a liquid specialist rather than a device maker, there is no matched-kit ecosystem the way some brands offer, so you bring your own hardware to the party.

Vampire Vape vs the alternatives

Vampire Vape does not exist in a vacuum. The UK e-liquid market is crowded with strong brands, and it helps to see where Vampire Vape sits against three of the most prominent alternatives. Each has a different personality, and the right choice depends on what you value.

Vampire Vape vs Riot Squad

Riot Squad (often just “Riot”) is a punchy, modern British brand that built its name on bold, fruit-forward salts with loud branding and a younger-feeling identity. Compared to Riot, Vampire Vape feels more established and more measured. Riot tends to push intensity and novelty – big, vivid fruit flavours designed to grab attention – while Vampire Vape leans on balance, consistency and its iconic back catalogue. If you want the latest bright fruit blend with maximum impact, Riot is worth a look. If you want a dependable all-day liquid from a brand with serious heritage and a flagship nothing else quite matches, Vampire Vape edges it. Both are fairly priced and widely available, so it often comes down to flavour taste rather than quality.

Vampire Vape vs Dinner Lady

Dinner Lady is the dessert specialist of the bunch, famous above all for its lemon tart and other bakery-style flavours that genuinely taste like the real thing. This is the clearest case of two brands playing to different strengths. Where Dinner Lady is the go-to for rich, indulgent dessert and pudding profiles, Vampire Vape is the go-to for fruit, cooling and that distinctive aniseed character. If desserts are your thing, Dinner Lady will almost certainly satisfy you more. If you want refreshing all-day fruit and ice, Vampire Vape is the stronger pick. Many vapers happily keep both in rotation, using Dinner Lady for a sweet treat and Vampire Vape for everyday vaping. They complement each other more than they compete.

Vampire Vape vs ELFLIQ

ELFLIQ is the bottled e-liquid line from Elf Bar, designed to recreate the flavours of the hugely popular disposables in a 10ml nic salt format. Its great strength is familiarity: if you vaped a particular Elf Bar flavour, ELFLIQ lets you get the same taste in a refillable kit. Against that, Vampire Vape offers more heritage and arguably more distinctive, original flavours rather than recreations of disposable profiles. ELFLIQ wins on brand recognition with newer vapers coming off disposables; Vampire Vape wins on depth, character and the simple fact that Heisenberg has no real equivalent in the ELFLIQ range. For someone migrating off Elf Bar disposables, ELFLIQ is the obvious comfort choice; for someone wanting a proper, original e-liquid range with a flavour identity of its own, Vampire Vape is the more interesting buy. You can browse the full spread of brands across our e-liquids collection to compare directly.

Price and value

Vampire Vape sits comfortably in the affordable mainstream of the UK e-liquid market – not the cheapest, not premium, but solidly fair value for what you get. As a rough current guide, expect a 10ml nic salt to cost around £3 to £4, with multi-buy deals often bringing the per-bottle price down further when you stock up on several at once. Shortfills, being larger, typically run somewhere around £8 to £15 depending on the bottle size, with the bigger bottles offering better value per millilitre once you factor in the nicotine shots you add yourself.

On a cost-per-vape basis, the salts represent decent value for pod-kit users, and the multi-buy bundles are where the real savings live – buying three or more bottles at once almost always works out cheaper than buying singles. Shortfills are the most economical route for sub-ohm vapers who get through a lot of liquid, because you are buying a large volume of base and adding cheap nicotine shots rather than paying the higher per-millilitre rate of small nicotine-containing bottles. For a high-volume vaper, the shortfill route is meaningfully cheaper over a month.

The looming factor in any value discussion is the Vaping Products Duty arriving on 1 October 2026, which adds £2.20 per 10ml. That changes the maths considerably – a £3.50 nic salt effectively becomes a near-£6 product once the duty lands, and shortfills rise in proportion to their volume. After that date, the relative value of buying larger shortfills (and paying duty on a more efficient base) becomes even more pronounced for heavy users. Until then, Vampire Vape remains an easy, affordable everyday brand, and prices today are roughly what they have been for years. Whichever format you choose, the brand offers good value within its category – you are paying mainstream money for liquid that punches above its price on consistency and flavour.

Who should buy it

Vampire Vape is an easy recommendation for a clearly defined group of adult vapers. If you love fruit and cooling flavours, this should be near the top of your list – it is the brand's core strength and where it consistently delivers. If you have never tried Heisenberg, you owe it to yourself to experience one of the genuine icons of UK vaping at least once; it remains a brilliant all-day vape and the reason the brand exists. If you value consistency and trust over chasing the newest release, the long heritage and reliable quality make Vampire Vape a safe, sensible choice you can reorder with confidence.

It also suits vapers across every device type, since the range spans salts for pod kits, 50/50 for traditional setups and shortfills for sub-ohm rigs. And if you have an adventurous, grown-up palate that craves aniseed and unusual profiles most brands ignore, Vampire Vape offers something genuinely different. The buyers who should look elsewhere are dedicated dessert lovers, who will be better served by a bakery specialist, and anyone who actively dislikes cooling or aniseed notes, since those run through much of the range. For everyone else, Vampire Vape is a dependable, characterful brand that has earned its reputation. You can find the full selection and matching hardware across our store.

Tips: strength, steeping shortfills and storage

Getting the best out of any e-liquid is partly about the liquid and partly about how you handle it. A few simple practices will improve your experience with Vampire Vape, or any brand.

Choosing your strength. Start by matching nicotine to your device and your habit. If you are on a pod kit and were a fairly heavy smoker, begin with a 20mg salt and drop to 10mg if it feels too strong. If you are a lighter user, 10mg salts are a gentler starting point. On a sub-ohm kit, stay low – a shortfill brought up to around 3mg to 6mg is plenty, because the larger vapour volume delivers far more nicotine than the number suggests. Getting the strength right is the single biggest factor in whether vaping feels satisfying, so do not be afraid to adjust until it sits comfortably.

Steeping shortfills. When you add a nicotine shot to a shortfill, the flavour can taste slightly muted or “flat” at first because the freshly mixed liquid needs time to blend properly. This is where steeping comes in. After adding your nic shot, give the bottle a good, firm shake to combine everything, then let it rest. Many vapers find that leaving a freshly mixed shortfill to stand for a day or two – with an occasional shake – allows the flavour to round out and reach its best. A loose cap and a gentle warm-and-shake can speed things along, but patience is the simplest method. The flavour you get after steeping is often noticeably fuller than straight after mixing, so do not judge a shortfill on the first puff.

Storage. E-liquid keeps best in a cool, dark place, away from direct sunlight and heat, both of which degrade flavour and gradually darken the liquid over time. A cupboard or drawer is ideal; a sunny windowsill or hot car is the worst place you can leave it. Keep bottles tightly capped to limit air exposure, which can dull flavour. Crucially, always store e-liquid and nicotine shots well out of reach of children and pets – nicotine is toxic if swallowed, and child-resistant caps are a safeguard, not a guarantee. Check the best-before date on the bottle and use older stock first. Handled sensibly, your liquid will taste its best right through its shelf life. Pairing your liquid with the right device matters too, so it is worth browsing compatible vape kits if your current setup is not getting the most from your juice.

Verdict

Vampire Vape has earned its longevity. In a market that chews up and spits out brands at a ferocious rate, it has survived more than a decade by doing the fundamentals well: making consistent, characterful, fairly priced British e-liquid and refusing to dilute its identity. Heisenberg alone would justify the brand's reputation – it remains one of the genuinely great UK flavours and the original that countless rivals have chased – but there is real depth behind it, from the sunny appeal of Pinkman to the grown-up bite of the aniseed range. The fruit and cooling blends are the strongest, the consistency is excellent, and the availability across salts, 50/50 and shortfills means there is a product here for almost every adult vaper.

It is not flawless. The dessert flavours are merely fine, the aniseed blends divide opinion, and the brand leans heavily on its one famous hit. But none of those are reasons not to buy – they are simply the contours of a brand that knows what it is good at. For adult vapers who want a dependable, refreshing, well-made everyday liquid with a flavour or two that nobody else can quite replicate, Vampire Vape is one of the safest recommendations in British vaping. Buy a bottle of Heisenberg, a Pinkman and one wildcard from the aniseed range, and you will quickly understand why this brand has stuck around for so long.

Frequently asked questions

What does Heisenberg taste like?

Heisenberg is famously hard to pin down, which is part of its charm. At its core it is a cool, mixed-berry blend with a refreshing chill and a faint aniseed-like back-note that lingers underneath the fruit. People describe it as berry, mint, candy or a whisper of liquorice – and all of those are partly true. It is fruity without being sweet-shop sweet, cold without being full menthol, and just unusual enough that it does not taste like anything else. It is best experienced rather than described, and it makes an excellent all-day vape.

Is Vampire Vape a British brand?

Yes. Vampire Vape is a long-established British e-liquid company that manufactures in the UK and has been part of the UK vaping scene since the early years of the modern market. Its UK manufacturing and full regulatory compliance are part of why it has built such a trusted reputation over more than a decade.

What nicotine strengths does Vampire Vape come in?

The nic salts typically come in 10mg and 20mg, with 20mg being the UK legal maximum for nicotine e-liquid. The 50/50 freebase liquids are also available at low and standard strengths in 10ml bottles. Shortfills are sold at 0mg, and you add a nicotine shot yourself to bring them up to a low strength suited to sub-ohm vaping. Our nicotine strength guide explains how to pick the right number for your device.

What is the difference between nic salts and shortfills?

Nic salts are smooth, higher-strength 10ml liquids designed for small MTL pod kits, giving an easy throat hit even at 20mg. Shortfills are larger 0mg bottles, usually higher in VG, designed for powerful sub-ohm DTL kits; you add a nicotine shot to reach a low strength. In short, salts are for small kits and a strong hit, shortfills are for big kits and big clouds.

Which Vampire Vape flavour should I try first?

For most people, Heisenberg is the obvious first choice – it is the brand's icon and a brilliant all-day cool-berry vape. If you prefer something brighter and simpler, Pinkman is a sunny, tangy mixed-fruit blend that is very easy to like. Cool Red Lips is a good third option for a chilled red-fruit profile. Start with those three before exploring the more adventurous aniseed flavours.

Why are nic salts only sold in 10ml bottles?

UK law limits nicotine-containing e-liquid to 10ml bottles and caps strength at 20mg per millilitre. That is why all compliant nic salts, including Vampire Vape's, come in those small bottles rather than larger ones. Shortfills can be bigger only because they contain 0mg nicotine until you add a shot, which exempts them from the small-bottle rule.

How much does Vampire Vape cost?

As a rough guide today, a 10ml nic salt typically costs around £3 to £4, often less in multi-buy bundles, while shortfills run around £8 to £15 depending on size. Prices are approximate and vary by retailer. Bear in mind that the new Vaping Products Duty of £2.20 per 10ml from 1 October 2026 will raise e-liquid prices after that date.

Will Vampire Vape get more expensive in 2026?

Yes, like all e-liquid sold in the UK. From 1 October 2026 a Vaping Products Duty of £2.20 per 10ml applies regardless of nicotine strength, so even 0mg shortfills are affected. Expect prices to rise from that date. Until then, current pricing is roughly in line with where it has been for years.

Does Vampire Vape work in any device?

It works in the right device for each format. Nic salts and 50/50 liquids suit small, low-power MTL pod kits and starter devices. Shortfills suit larger sub-ohm DTL kits and tanks. Match the format to your hardware and any Vampire Vape flavour will perform well; mismatching them – a salt in a sub-ohm kit, or a shortfill in a tiny pod – is the most common cause of disappointment. Our guide to the best refillable vape kits for beginners can help you choose.

Do I need to steep Vampire Vape shortfills?

It helps. When you add a nicotine shot to a shortfill, the flavour can taste a little flat at first. Giving the bottle a firm shake and then letting it rest for a day or two – with the occasional further shake – lets the flavour round out and reach its best. The ready-to-vape nic salts and 50/50 liquids do not need steeping, since they come pre-mixed at the correct strength.

PinkVape sells to over-18s only. Nicotine is an addictive substance. This article is general information, not health or medical advice. Prices are approximate and vary by retailer.

Frequently asked questions

What does Vampire Vape Heisenberg actually taste like?

Heisenberg is a cool, mixed-berry blend with a refreshing chill and a faint aniseed-like back-note that runs underneath the fruit. People describe it variously as berry, mint, candy or a whisper of liquorice, and all of those are partly right. It is fruity without being sweet-shop sweet, cold without being full menthol, and unusual enough that nothing else on the UK market tastes quite the same.

Is Vampire Vape a British brand and is the liquid made in the UK?

Yes. Vampire Vape is a long-established British e-liquid company that manufactures its juice in the UK and has been trading since the early years of the modern vaping market. It is fully TPD-compliant and properly notified to the regulator, which is part of why it has held a trusted reputation for well over a decade.

What nicotine strengths do Vampire Vape e-liquids come in?

The nic salts are typically sold at 10mg and 20mg, with 20mg being the UK legal maximum for any nicotine-containing e-liquid. The 50/50 freebase range comes in low and standard strengths in 10ml bottles, while shortfills are sold at 0mg and you add an 18mg or 20mg nicotine shot yourself to bring them up to a low sub-ohm strength.

Should I buy Vampire Vape nic salts or a shortfill?

Pick the format that matches your device. Nic salts in 10ml bottles are designed for small, low-power MTL pod kits and give a smooth, satisfying hit even at 20mg. Shortfills are larger, higher-VG 0mg bottles built for sub-ohm DTL kits that produce big clouds; you add a nic shot to reach a low strength like 3mg or 6mg.

Which Vampire Vape flavour should a beginner try first?

Heisenberg is the obvious starting point and remains one of the genuine icons of UK vaping, with a cool mixed-berry profile that works as an all-day vape. If you want something brighter and easier to place, Pinkman is a sunny, tangy mixed-fruit blend, and Cool Red Lips offers a chilled red-fruit option. Save the aniseed flavours until you have got a feel for the house style.

Will Vampire Vape get more expensive in October 2026?

Yes. From 1 October 2026 the new UK Vaping Products Duty adds £2.20 per 10ml of e-liquid, regardless of nicotine strength, so even 0mg shortfills are caught. A 10ml nic salt that costs around £3 to £4 today will rise by that £2.20, and shortfills go up in proportion to their volume. Until then, current pricing is roughly in line with where it has been for years.

Do I need to steep a Vampire Vape shortfill after adding a nic shot?

It helps. Freshly mixed shortfills can taste slightly flat or muted on the first puff because the nicotine shot has not fully blended with the flavour base. Give the bottle a firm shake and let it rest for a day or two, with an occasional further shake, and the flavour will round out noticeably. The ready-mixed nic salts and 50/50 liquids do not need steeping.

Why are Vampire Vape nic salts only sold in 10ml bottles?

UK law caps any nicotine-containing e-liquid at a maximum bottle size of 10ml and a maximum strength of 20mg per millilitre. That is why every compliant nic salt and 50/50 liquid, including Vampire Vape's, comes in those small bottles. Shortfills are allowed to be larger only because they contain 0mg nicotine until you add a separate nicotine shot.