Nicnic Nicotine Shot 100VG 18MG

Overview

The Nicnic Nicotine Shot 100VG 18MG by NicNic at 0mg. Free UK delivery over £20, same-day dispatch on weekday orders before 4pm.

Nicnic Nicotine Shot 100VG 18MG: Overview

The Nicnic Nicotine Shot 100VG 18MG is a 10ml bottle of flavourless nicotine liquid made for one job: raising the strength of a nicotine-free shortfill e-liquid. It is not a vape, a pod or a ready-to-use juice. It is an ingredient. You add it to a 0mg shortfill that has been bottled with spare headroom, shake the bottle, and end up with a full-flavour e-liquid at a nicotine level you chose yourself rather than one a manufacturer picked for you.

The name carries three pieces of information. NicNic is the brand. 100VG means the carrier liquid is entirely vegetable glycerine, with no propylene glycol in the bottle. 18MG means 18mg of nicotine per millilitre, so the 10ml bottle holds 180mg of nicotine in total. That 18mg/ml figure sits under the 20mg/ml ceiling that UK regulations place on nicotine e-liquid, which is why 18mg is the standard strength for shots sold in this country.

Here is the product at a glance:

• Bottle size: 10ml, the largest size UK rules allow for a nicotine-containing refill bottle.
• Nicotine strength: 18mg/ml, which means 180mg of nicotine in the whole bottle.
• Carrier: 100% vegetable glycerine (VG), with no propylene glycol.
• Flavour: none. The shot is unflavoured, so it leaves your chosen shortfill tasting the way it was designed to.
• Use: mixed into a 50ml or 100ml shortfill, not vaped on its own.
• Age restriction: sold to adults aged 18 and over only.

Nicotine shots exist because of a quirk in UK law. Nicotine-containing e-liquid is capped at 10ml per bottle, which is awkward for anyone who goes through juice quickly. Shortfills get round this by selling a large volume of 0mg liquid in an oversized bottle, leaving room for you to add nicotine separately. The shot is the second half of that arrangement. This page explains what the Nicnic shot does, how to work out the final strength of your mix, which devices suit it, and where it is not the right choice, so you can decide whether it fits the way you vape.

What 100VG and 18mg Actually Mean

Two numbers on the label decide how this shot behaves, so it is worth being clear about both.

100VG describes the carrier. E-liquid is built from vegetable glycerine and propylene glycol, plus flavouring and nicotine where it is used. VG is thick, slightly sweet and produces dense vapour. PG is thinner, carries flavour well and gives a sharper throat hit. A 100VG shot contains no PG at all. It is a syrupy liquid, noticeably thicker than water, and it pours slowly from the nozzle on a cool day.

The reason makers choose a full-VG carrier is practical. Most shortfills are already VG-heavy, commonly 70VG/30PG or 80VG/20PG, because they are meant for sub-ohm tanks. Adding a thin PG-based shot would nudge the ratio towards PG and make the finished liquid runnier and sharper. A VG shot does the reverse. It keeps the mix thick and smooth, and it nudges the VG percentage up rather than down.

18mg describes the nicotine concentration. It is 18 milligrams per millilitre of liquid. Because the bottle is 10ml, you get 180mg in total. Shots of this type use freebase nicotine rather than nicotine salt, which is the traditional form and the one that gives a more noticeable throat hit at a given strength. That matters for how the finished mix feels, and we cover it in the strength section below.

It also helps to be clear about what the shot is not:

• It is not nicotine salt. If you want the quick, smooth hit associated with salts at 10mg or 20mg, this is the wrong product.
• It is not a flavoured e-liquid. Nothing in the bottle adds taste beyond the faint sweetness of glycerine.
• It is not a concentrated base. Some DIY mixers buy 72mg nicotine bases; an 18mg shot is deliberately a lower-strength, ready-to-dilute format.
• It is not designed to be vaped as supplied. Technically the strength is within the vapeable range, but a thick, unflavoured liquid gives you nothing worth inhaling and can struggle to wick in a coil.

Understanding those boundaries stops most of the disappointment people feel with shots. It is a simple, single-purpose bottle, and it does that purpose well when you use it as intended.

Nicotine Strength Guide and the Maths Behind It

The final strength of your mix depends on one calculation: the total milligrams of nicotine divided by the total millilitres of liquid. For this shot the milligrams come to 18 per millilitre of shot, so a full bottle adds 180mg. Divide that by the volume of the finished mix and you have your strength in mg/ml.

These are the combinations most people use:

• 50ml shortfill plus one 10ml shot: 180mg in 60ml gives 3mg/ml. This is the standard result and the reason shortfills are sold in 60ml bottles with 50ml of liquid in them.
• 100ml shortfill plus two 10ml shots: 360mg in 120ml also gives 3mg/ml, provided your bottle has room for 20ml of extra liquid.
• 100ml shortfill plus one 10ml shot: 180mg in 110ml gives roughly 1.6mg/ml, a lighter strength for those who want less nicotine.
• 50ml shortfill plus half a shot (5ml): 90mg in 55ml gives roughly 1.6mg/ml.
• 40ml of shortfill plus two shots in a 60ml bottle: 360mg in 60ml gives 6mg/ml, though you have to pour 10ml out of the shortfill first to make space.

As a rule of thumb, sub-ohm vapers tend to settle between 0mg and 6mg because they inhale large volumes of vapour at high power, and more vapour means more nicotine delivered per puff. Someone coming off cigarettes often starts at 3mg and adjusts up or down over a few weeks. If you find yourself taking very long, frequent puffs just to feel satisfied, the strength is probably too low. If you get a harsh scratch in the throat, or feel lightheaded or nauseous, it is too high.

Freebase nicotine at 3mg in a high-VG liquid is quite smooth in a sub-ohm tank, but throat hit rises quickly with strength and with power. If you push a 6mg mix through a high-wattage device, expect it to feel strong. Start lower than you think you need and move up one step at a time.

Always do the sum before you mix. Write the final strength on the bottle with a marker so you know what is in it a month from now.

How to Add the Shot to a Shortfill

Mixing a nicotine shot takes about two minutes. The process is the same whatever brand of shortfill you use, as long as the bottle has the headroom to accept the shot.

Follow these steps in order:

• Wash and dry your hands. Nicotine absorbs through skin, so wear disposable gloves if you are likely to spill.
• Work over a hard, wipeable surface. A kitchen counter or a tray is better than a sofa or a carpet. Keep kitchen roll to hand.
• Check the shortfill bottle. A 50ml shortfill is usually sold in a 60ml bottle, so there is a 10ml gap at the top. Confirm the bottle really is 60ml before you start.
• Open the shortfill. Most have a removable nozzle or a screw cap. Take off the dropper tip if it is a separate piece.
• Squeeze the shot in slowly. The nozzle on a 10ml bottle is narrow, so you can aim it at the inside wall of the shortfill bottle and keep splashing to a minimum. Squeeze until the shot is empty or you have added the amount you calculated.
• Refit the cap and nozzle firmly. A loose cap is the main cause of leaks during shaking.
• Shake for 20 to 30 seconds. A thick 100VG liquid does not blend in seconds. Shake until you can see no swirls or streaks.
• Let it rest. An hour is fine, though leaving it overnight lets the nicotine disperse and any foam settle.

A few extra tips make the job easier. If the shot is thick and slow to flow, stand the bottle in a mug of warm tap water for a few minutes first. Do not use boiling water and never microwave nicotine liquid. Do not tip your shortfill over the neck of the bottle while squeezing the shot, because VG creeps and the outside of the bottle gets tacky. If you are adding the shot to a 100ml shortfill in a 120ml bottle, check that the second shot will fit before you open the first.

Once the mix is done, label it. A strip of masking tape with the date and the strength written in marker is plenty. Store the mixed bottle upright, out of sunlight, and keep it away from children and pets just as you would any nicotine product.

Effect on Flavour, Throat Hit and VG/PG Ratio

Adding any unflavoured liquid to a flavoured one changes it slightly, and this shot is no exception. The changes are small and predictable, which makes them easy to plan for.

Flavour. A shortfill is flavoured to taste right at its original volume. When you add a 10ml shot to 50ml of liquid, the flavour concentration falls by around one sixth. In practice, most shortfills are formulated with this dilution in mind, because the manufacturer knows the headroom exists for a shot. Fruit flavours generally cope well, and the difference is subtle. Heavily layered dessert or tobacco blends can come across a touch softer, which many people will not notice and some will correct by steeping the bottle for a few days or turning the power up a little.

VG/PG ratio. The shot is pure VG, so it pushes the final ratio higher on the VG side. These are the typical results:

• A 70VG/30PG shortfill, 50ml plus one shot, becomes about 75VG/25PG.
• An 80VG/20PG shortfill, 50ml plus one shot, becomes about 83VG/17PG.
• A 50VG/50PG shortfill, 50ml plus one shot, becomes about 58VG/42PG.

The shift is gentle with a 70/30 liquid, but with an 80/20 liquid you may notice a thicker, slower-flowing bottle, and that is where coil priming and wattage start to matter. We cover those details in the compatibility section.

Throat hit. The nicotine in the shot is freebase, which is the type that gives a firmer hit in the throat. At 3mg in a high-VG mix through a sub-ohm tank, the effect is mild, a gentle warmth rather than a scratch. Raise the nicotine or raise the power and it becomes more noticeable. Because the carrier is VG rather than PG, the overall sensation stays smooth compared with a PG-heavy mix at the same strength.

Vapour. Higher VG means denser clouds. If you were already vaping a 70/30 liquid, you will see a small increase in vapour production. If cloud chasing is not what you want, a lighter mix with half a shot in a 100ml shortfill gives a softer experience with a slightly thinner liquid.

Device and Coil Compatibility

The shot itself has no battery, coil or mechanical parts, so it works with any device in the sense that it contains nothing that connects to hardware. What matters is the finished mix and whether your tank can handle it.

Sub-ohm tanks and mesh coils. This is the natural home for a shortfill with a 100VG shot in it. Coils in the 0.15 to 0.6 ohm range, including mesh coils, have large wicking surface areas and wide juice channels, and they run comfortably at 40 to 80 watts or more. They handle 70/30 and 75/25 liquids without trouble. At the higher end of the VG range, around 80% and above, make sure the coil is fully primed before you fire it.

Priming. After filling a tank with thick liquid, drip a few drops directly onto the cotton through the coil holes, fill the tank, then wait five minutes before the first puff. Skipping this step is the usual cause of a burnt first hit.

Mouth-to-lung pods and low-power devices. These are generally designed for thinner 50/50 liquids and nicotine salts. A coil of around 0.8 to 1.2 ohm in a small pod struggles to wick 75VG or higher, and you may get gurgling, dry hits or weak vapour. If you use a pod kit, check the manufacturer's guidance on the maximum recommended VG ratio before you buy a high-VG shortfill.

Disposables and sealed devices. These come pre-filled and cannot take a shortfill, so this shot is not relevant to them.

Battery notes. Higher VG liquid usually works at higher wattages, which uses more battery. If you are moving to a shortfill setup for the first time, check that your device has enough battery capacity and keep a spare cell or a charging cable handy. Charge using the cable and plug supplied with your device, never leave it charging unattended overnight, and take worn-out batteries and old vapes to a proper recycling drop-off point rather than the household bin. Many UK supermarkets and electrical retailers accept them, and local council recycling centres will also take them.

• Best-matched hardware: sub-ohm tanks, mesh coils, 0.15 to 0.6 ohm.
• Workable with care: higher-resistance coils at 0.6 to 0.8 ohm, with priming and moderate power.
• Poor match: tiny MTL pods and sealed disposables.

Bottle, Packaging and Shelf Life

A nicotine shot is a simple product, and most of what matters about its build is in the packaging. UK rules require nicotine e-liquid to be sold in child-resistant, tamper-evident containers with a leak-proof design and a clear health warning, and the bottle carries the volume, strength and ingredient information in the required format. Read the label when your parcel arrives. It is the quickest way to confirm that the bottle is the strength and size you ordered.

Typical features of a 10ml shot bottle include:

• Plastic bottle with a narrow nozzle, sized so you can direct the liquid into the neck of a shortfill without drips.
• Child-resistant cap, which you push down and turn. It can be fiddly with wet or gloved hands, so open it over your work surface.
• Tamper-evident seal, which should be intact on arrival. If the seal is broken, contact the shop before you use the product.
• Squeezable body, which lets you push the thick VG out smoothly without needing to tap the bottle.

Storage and shelf life. Keep unopened bottles somewhere cool, dry and dark. Heat, direct sunlight and repeated temperature swings speed up the oxidation of nicotine, and the liquid slowly turns from clear to pale yellow and eventually amber. Colour change is normal and does not on its own mean the liquid has gone off, though a darker shot does indicate age and may feel harsher. Sealed shots stored properly generally keep well for around a year or two, but look for the best-before date printed on the label and use it as your guide. Once you have mixed the shot into a shortfill, aim to use the finished bottle within a few months.

Recycling. Make sure the bottle is empty before disposal. Squeeze out the last of the liquid into your shortfill, then check your local council's guidance on small plastic bottles, because rules differ by area. Do not put part-full bottles of nicotine liquid in the recycling or down the sink. Any liquid you cannot use should go to your local household waste recycling centre, which can take hazardous liquids. Empty 60ml and 120ml shortfill bottles are normally accepted in household plastics recycling once rinsed, but caps and nozzles are sometimes refused, so check locally.

Who the Nicnic 100VG Shot Is For

This shot fits a particular type of vaper well. If you recognise yourself in one of the groups below, it is worth considering.

• Sub-ohm vapers who buy shortfills. If you already use a 50ml or 100ml shortfill, you already own the bottle that this shot is designed for. Adding a shot is the whole point of that format.
• Vapers who want control over strength. Prefer 1.5mg one week and 3mg the next? Half a shot or a full shot lets you choose without buying a new bottle each time. This is useful if you are reducing your nicotine intake gradually.
• Ex-smokers who need a moderate strength. Moving from cigarettes to a sub-ohm setup commonly lands people on 3mg. A single shot in a 50ml shortfill gets you there in one step.
• Higher-volume users. Large bottles cost less per millilitre than a stack of 10ml nicotine bottles, and a 60ml or 120ml bottle runs for days or weeks, so there is less reordering.
• People who like thick, smooth vapour. A full-VG shot suits those who enjoy dense clouds and a soft throat feel.
• People sensitive to propylene glycol. PG can cause throat dryness or irritation for some vapers. A 100VG shot at least avoids adding more of it, though your shortfill will still contain whatever PG its maker used.

The shot also makes sense if you want some flexibility. A single bottle of 0mg shortfill can become a 3mg liquid for your sub-ohm kit, or you can leave it unmixed at 0mg for the evenings when you only want flavour and vapour. That ability to change your mind with a single add-on is difficult to get from nicotine-included liquids.

For those with some DIY inclination, this is the gentlest introduction. You are not weighing out nicotine, measuring flavourings or calculating percentages from scratch. You are doing a basic addition with a bottle that is the right size for the job. Anyone who can follow a recipe can handle it, and most people get it right on the first attempt.

The shot is for adult smokers and vapers only. It is not for use by anyone under 18, and it should not be bought for someone else who is under 18.

Who Should Look Elsewhere

A nicotine shot is not the right answer for everyone, and it is better to know that before you order.

• Non-smokers and people who have never vaped. Nicotine is addictive. If you do not already smoke or vape, there is no health benefit to starting.
• Anyone under 18. It is illegal to sell nicotine products to under-18s in the UK, and it is illegal to buy them on someone else's behalf.
• Pregnant or breastfeeding women. Nicotine is not recommended in pregnancy. Speak to a midwife or GP about stop-smoking support.
• People with heart conditions or high blood pressure, or anyone taking medication where nicotine could interact. Ask a doctor or pharmacist before using it.
• Pod and disposable users. If your device is a small pod kit that takes only nicotine-salt liquid in a 10ml bottle, a shortfill and shot will not work well in it. A nicotine salt in the right strength is a better match.
• Anyone who dislikes mixing. If measuring, shaking and labelling sound like a chore, ready-mixed 10ml bottles with nicotine included are simpler.
• Vapers who want 10mg to 20mg strengths. Reaching those levels by shot and shortfill needs several shots and a lot of removed liquid, which is awkward and dilutes the flavour heavily. A nicotine salt in a 10ml bottle is the practical route.

There is also a middle group worth mentioning. Vapers who like a very light, thin vapour with plenty of throat hit, often using a 50/50 liquid at low wattage, may find a 100VG shot pushes the mix further towards thick and smooth than they want. In that case a 50/50 shot is a sensible alternative, because it keeps the ratio closer to where you started.

If you are unsure whether nicotine shots suit your device or your health, ask before buying. The shop's customer service team can help you match a shot to your kit, and a pharmacist can advise on nicotine and any medication you take. Stopping smoking is a worthwhile goal, and the NHS offers free local stop-smoking services if you want additional support alongside vaping.

Safety, Handling and Storage

Nicotine is a poison in large quantities, and a 10ml bottle at 18mg/ml holds 180mg. Treat the shot with the same care as any household chemical. These habits are simple and cover nearly every risk.

• Keep it out of reach of children and pets. Store the bottle somewhere high or locked away. Sweet, fruity liquids are tempting to small children, and an unflavoured shot can look like a harmless bottle of water or syrup.
• Never leave a mixed bottle unlabelled. Write the strength and date on it. An unmarked bottle is easy to confuse with something else.
• Avoid skin contact. If liquid gets on your skin, wash it off straight away with soap and cold water. Nicotine absorbs more quickly through warm, damp skin, so avoid hot water.
• Protect your eyes. If a splash reaches your eye, rinse it with clean running water for at least 15 minutes and seek medical advice.
• Do not swallow it. If anyone swallows nicotine liquid, call 999 or NHS 111 immediately and have the bottle ready.
• Watch for signs of too much nicotine. These include nausea, dizziness, headache, sweating and a racing heart. Stop vaping, get some fresh air and drink water. If symptoms persist, seek medical help.

Storing the shot. Keep unopened bottles in a cupboard away from windows, radiators and anywhere that gets hot. A car glovebox is a poor place to leave them. Keep the cap closed tightly between uses. If you open a shot but only use half, replace the cap and use the rest soon, because exposure to air and light darkens the liquid.

Spills. Wipe up small spills with kitchen roll, wearing gloves if possible, then clean the surface with warm soapy water. Put the paper in a bag and dispose of it with household waste. Do not rinse large amounts of nicotine liquid into drains.

Travel. Keep the shot in its original bottle, in a bag that will not leak, and out of direct heat. If you carry it with you, remember that the cap is child-resistant but not entirely leak-proof under pressure changes, so place the bottle inside a sealed plastic bag.

None of this is complicated, and most people who handle nicotine liquid regularly build these habits within a few weeks. The aim is to keep the product where it is useful and away from anyone who could be harmed by it.

Troubleshooting Common Problems

Most problems with nicotine shots trace back to mixing, thick liquid or a mismatch between the mix and the device. Here are the usual ones and how to fix them.

• The liquid looks streaky or cloudy after adding the shot. This is not a fault. VG is thick and takes time to blend. Shake for another 30 seconds and leave the bottle to rest for a few hours.
• The tank gurgles, spits or leaks. A thicker liquid wicks more slowly and can cause bubbling. Raise the wattage slightly within the coil's recommended range, make sure the coil is primed, and check the tank's air flow is not too tight.
• I get a dry or burnt taste. This usually means the coil has not soaked properly or is running low on liquid. Refill, wait five minutes, take a couple of short, gentle puffs with the power turned down, then increase it. If the taste stays burnt, replace the coil.
• The flavour is weaker than before. Adding a shot dilutes the flavour by around one sixth in a 50ml mix. Steep the bottle for a few days with the cap loosened briefly and then closed, nudge your wattage up a little, or add half a shot rather than a full one.
• The nicotine feels too harsh. Use less of the shot, switch to a larger bottle, or lower the power on your device. Freebase nicotine gets more noticeable as power and strength increase.
• The nicotine feels too weak. Move up one step, such as from 3mg to 4.5mg, rather than jumping straight to 6mg. If you are vaping constantly and still craving, a higher-strength liquid or a nicotine salt might suit you better.
• The shot has turned amber. Nicotine darkens with age and exposure to light and air. Check the best-before date and consider replacing the bottle if it is old or very dark.
• The bottle overflows when I add the shot. Your shortfill bottle may be fuller than 50ml, or the bottle is smaller than 60ml. Pour out a little of the shortfill before adding the whole shot, and recalculate your strength.
• The mixed bottle has a sticky outside. VG residue clings to the neck. Wipe it with a damp cloth and dry it before storing.

If you cannot identify the cause, check whether the problem lies with the mix or the hardware. Trying the unmixed shortfill in the same tank and coil will show you which it is.

Value for Money and How It Compares

Value with a nicotine shot is about what the shot lets you do. For a few pounds, you convert a 0mg shortfill into a 3mg e-liquid and keep the full volume of a 60ml bottle. Check the current price on this page, and compare it per millilitre rather than per bottle, because that gives a fair comparison with other formats.

Here is how this shot stacks up against the alternatives, and where each one comes out ahead:

• Versus a 50VG/50PG nicotine shot. A 50/50 shot is thinner and keeps the ratio closer to a balanced mix, which can be gentler on low-powered devices. A 100VG shot suits high-VG shortfills and sub-ohm kits. If your shortfill is 70/30 or higher, choose the VG shot. If you vape a 50/50 shortfill, a 50/50 shot is the better match.
• Versus nicotine salt shots. Nic salt shots deliver nicotine more quickly and smoothly at the same strength and are designed for low-power pod devices. They are not usually the right choice for a sub-ohm tank, because salts at high power and large puffs can overwhelm. For a sub-ohm kit, freebase suits better.
• Versus ready-mixed 10ml nicotine e-liquid. A 10ml pre-mixed bottle is simple and needs no preparation. The trade-off is volume. To match 60ml, you need six bottles, and the cost per millilitre is often higher. Shortfill plus shot usually works out cheaper once you consider the volume, though the difference depends on the brands and offers.
• Versus buying a 3mg shortfill with nicotine already added. Under UK rules nicotine-containing bottles are capped at 10ml, so a shortfill at 3mg in a large bottle is not sold ready-mixed. The shot is the legal route to a high-volume nicotine mix.
• Versus DIY from a 72mg base. Cheaper per milligram for dedicated mixers but needs more equipment, careful measuring and experience handling concentrated nicotine. For most vapers, an 18mg shot is the simpler and safer step.

Taking everything into account, this shot is good value if you already use shortfills and want a simple, repeatable way to add nicotine. It is poor value if you do not own a compatible shortfill, because on its own it is just an unflavoured bottle you cannot use. Pair it with a shortfill you like, do the sum, and it does exactly what it says.