Ardbeg Grooves (2018 Committee Release)

51.6% abv; NAS; Non-chill filtered Nose: wow. Lots happening here. That classic deep earth peat and smoke blends nicely with a bouquet of ripe, bright fruits. Picking up melon, pineapple, pears and apples. The nose is a pure joy. Palate: don’t let that nose fool you! Ardbeg Grooves packs a wallop of campfire smoke in its full, viscous mouth feel. As Grooves works you over, all sorts of subtle spice notes (nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon and others) and vanilla, along with tropical and orchard fruits make their presence known, but harmoniously. The wine casking shows up the most here, but it does not overwhelm. Phew. Finish: long and strong. The earthy, ashy Ardbeg smoke really lingers on the tongue, in a similar style to the Corryvrecken or Laphroaig Triple Wood. This may be its only blemish, depending on your palate. But the floral and fruit notes still pop through the clouds to add a juicy, almost citrusy-sweet-meringue flavor with a dusting of powdered sugar. And it hangs around forever. Add a dash or two of water, as it tames the smoke a bit and allows the full range of fruit and spice flavors to assert themselves. This is a fantastic dram from Ardbeg. I can’t compare it to other committee releases as this is my first one (I’ve come a long way in just a years time, eh?), so I’ll leave that to the seasoned vets. Scored this bottle a few days after it’s release for $119 in Vienna, VA. H/t to @Telex for pointing me in the right direction. 4.5/5 Start hunting, folks.

** Disclaimer: This review is what I would consider a “Quick Hit”- meaning I won’t have my usual in-depth notes that I usually like to take. The reason: this sample was poured at Whiskyfest DC on 4/17/18. All of these reviews will not be scored and I am actively looking to try them again at some point to do them more justice. Ah, the Ardbeg Grooves Committee Edition. I’ve had some adventures chasing this bottle around Virginia while battling pneumonia, @PBMichiganWolverine and I played catch & release with it in NJ, I sent @Generously_Paul around Detroit looking for it, while chastising @Telex for not grabbing extra bottles when he acquired his (although he did come through for me just before Whiskyfest, thanks again bro). Well, they had it during the Ardbeg seminar so I finally got some in my belly. Did it live up to the chase? No. It’s Ardbeg, so it’s still very good. I have to say, though, this was the very last dram I had at the show so by this point my palate was wrecked and my tongue felt like someone had seared it across a hot grill. @Telex said he picked up on the berries and wine cask notes but I didn’t necessarily get that. I got typical Ardbeg notes like smoked meats and bacon along with some extra sweetness. Lucky for me, I found 2 more bottles on the way home from the festival so I have more than enough liquid to give it a proper run through very soon. I think it’s going to end up being another 4-4.5 star dram. Cheers.

So, I finally got around to opening a bottle of this one for my amateur blending experiment. I figured I might as well give it a proper score. For those of you that may have read my impromptu review from Whiskyfest DC back in 2018 I have this update: This is a pretty damn good whisky. After my buddy @Telex and I sampled this during the Ardbeg seminar at the show, I was so wiped out by all the drams we sampled I just purely missed the nuances of this dram. The wine cask notes are present, even if briefly, before the heavy smoke and high ABV burn kick in. The wine cask finishing also provides a little color in the Glencairn and there’s a nice little, grape and berry hit from the cask. It’s quick, so you need to pay attention, but then the meaty and smoky Ardbeg goodness kicks in and washes the sweetness away. The finish is hot, as it should be with a Committee bottling, but the Ardbeg character carries through and leaves you smiling and glad you dropped the coinage. As it is, it’s a 4-4.25 star dram, and the Ardbeg fanboys should seek a bottle out while they are still floating around and possibly catching dust on some mom-n-pop liquor stores around the country. It’s good stuff and worthy of the CE designation. Cheers.

I had a pour of this last night, courtesy from my finance gal during our end of Q1 portfolio review. How is it that the market went up, but she managed to keep my portfolio below indices? Just for that, she should’ve bought me the entire bottle. But anyway, I digress. This is simply put—-amazing. It’s just dirty filthy, as if you took a dive into a pile of soot. If you like smoke and peat, this makes the Ardbeg 10 seem like a peck on the cheek compared to a full fledge French kiss with plenty of hand action. The nose is sexy filthy, like a big bucket of tar and soot. Topped with a layer of salt. Taste is just as dirty. Soot and bonfires. Bitter sweetness comes in much later, I guess as part of the mandatory requirement from the wine finishing. Kids, this isn’t for the faint of heart. My finance gal had a sip from mine, and almost gagged. She needed it to wash it down with her white wine. Her exact words were “ Jesus, it’s like licking a burnt piece of wood, then having a sweet cherry”. The only thing even more enticing she possibly could’ve even said is “congrats, your portfolio did a 500% return this quarter’”.

Wooo doggies!!!! Another great dram from my favorite distillery. Yes, I am a fanboy, but the praise I give Mickey Heads is more than well deserved. I can smell the peat and smoke across the room. The nose also brings in more beach-like maritime notes with a boatload of grilled strawberries, raspberries and watermelons. Those also come in on the palate, along with sweet Cincinatti/Kansas City styled barbecue pulled pork. Think of if Balvenie was able to get some savory notes into their Caribbean Cask 14 offering. The long finish reminds me of juicy fruit gum, shells by the sea shore, and deep charcoal. 4.75, and the only reason I didn't give it a 5 is because I wish it was just a little more savory in balance. All of these tropical notes make me think the theme of the dram should have some reggae influences. "Walking on the Moon" by The Police is a great one.

Thick aromas of orange oil, walnut and burning candles. With water, a hint of pine emerges. A sip explodes into flavors of oranges, mole sauce and chocolate; indeed, it brings to mind nothing less than an orange liqueur or Amara, a Sicilian amaro made from blood oranges. The finish is syrupy, long and sweet, almost like a dessert wine. Neat, it’s on the brink of my comfort level for sweetness, but a drop of water fixes that, for a more tangy finish. Like last year’s Committee Edition, this is a marvelously unique twist on Ardbeg, distinctly different from its predecessors and yet still somehow Ardbegian. I’m hovering on the edge of five stars here, only pausing because I’m wondering if the sweetness will get tiring over time. Further tastings will tell, but in the meantime buy a bottle if you can.