Over 30,000 5 star reviews!
On orders over £99
The lowest prices on your favourite spirits!
Trusted by businesses worldwide
Get a response within seconds
Select Express Delivery at the checkout!
1000s of samples available
Ardbeg
Scotland
Single Malt
Ardbeg Grooves was released in celebration of Ardbeg Day 2018, and as ever, the Islay-based distillers have created a most intriguing expression. Part of the whisky that makes up Grooves was matured in red wine casks that were very well-charred, resulting in heavy grooves in the surface of the wood. A mellow though flavoursome dram.
To quote Ash Williams; "Groovy".
This bottle was part of a private collection - if you'd like more detailed photos just get in touch!
A thick, spiced aroma of iodine, seaweed and golden syrup leads among a herbal note of lavender. An earthy funk from damp bonfire wood, old oak and dried grass is complemented by lighter touches of butterscotch, stone fruits and a little marzipan icing.
Vanilla fudge, toffee popcorn and tarred orchard fruits rise through a big, salty opening. Savoury BBQ notes of cured Italian meats are percolated by paprika, green chilli and scorched herbs. Antique leather and damp oak form an interesting backdrop.
Seaside bonfire and smoked salts percolate through a mellow sweetness.
Ardbeg has certainly found its groove with this beauty...
Had a wee dram tonight. Must say I was surprised to find this in NC USA (I’m an Aussie travelling on business). I have visited and tried many Ardbegs and it has the usual peaty characters but does not pack a punch like others from Ardbeg and Islay so slightly smoother on the palate. Happy daze (In keeping with the label etc :)).
I discovered this beauty at a whisky festival last year, and it was love at first taste. Hard to find in Canada, but worth it when it pops up unexpectedly... buy 2 bottles, pay electric bill later. I have loved a lot of Islay concoctions over the years, but this one tops them all...like a warm campfire at sunset on the beach, but in a glass. Top shelf stuff!
Warm smooth finish with a fruity smoky taste
It's a good one. Nose immediately reminded me a bit of a slightly funkier Talisker 10. A bit Less briny. Good smoke and tropical fruit denseness. Palette is thick, tarry earth, smokey meat/pork, syrupy sweetness, iodine, ash, charred oak and slight over ripe pineapple. Yum.
Heavily charred wine cask, limousin or Troncai. The Independent Wave Stave Company produced waves or grooves in their Wave Stave production. Benefits are heavy charring one side of the groove and fresh wood exposure the other. The contrast is spectacular as it is here. Long Oxidation of the spirit in the glass brings out the best, at least three quarters of an hour. Visit the glass throughout and you will see what I mean in terms of aroma and taste. It's an oily waxy texture, but high level char would produce this. The carmelisation of the lignin compounds would greatly reduce vanillan oils and acids and lactones explaining why I didn't really find these much, caramel cherries, candy and chocolate were much more prominent. The syringol and guaiacol and Eugenol produced by the high level char are very evident in the aromas and taste. Longer oxidation makes these more prominent, while early after the pour the resinous nature of the exposed fresh wood is there. Tanins are very high in Limousin a Oak, around 10% and only slightly lower in Troncai oak, so this explains the dark colour and astringent, tartaric acidic nature of the spirit, also the lower ABV of the previous occupant which is less solvent will remove fewer of the compounds in the wood, leaving the cask richer in these. Very clever maturation.
