Ardbeg Grooves

The black box is plastered with booming, sunset-colored 1960's-70s psychedelic lettering: a conflation influenced by the era's albums and singles cover art. Witness a synthesis of The Beatles, "Rubber Soul" and The Who's "Magic Bus" blended together with the color scheme of Stevie Wonder's, "Songs in the Key of Life". The bottle, however, is your modern Ardbeg vessel with the design heralding the island's Celtic heritage. But in the middle of the label, is the name of this celebratory expression, "Grooves" in all it's psychedelic glory. Egads, what a gaudy sight. Far from tastefully accommodating the Celtic theme into nominally-psychedelic depictions gotten in Art Nouveau or Art Deco, it looks like some guy vandalized the label with graffiti. This clash of styles isn't sophisticated - it is hideous! And when put next to the eye-watering price tag, it's practically heresy. I decided at that instant, I was going to bottle kill this travesty and learn the secrets to its twisted origins. When I returned home, I separated it from the other Ardbegs in my thralldom, and innocuously hid it behind a bottle of GD 15, where it would await its fate as my next neck pour.. But alas, when the time for tasting had arrived there was no revelation. There was no jigsaw puzzle of contesting aesthetic functions. There was only Ardbeg quality, delivery, and excellence because.... well.. "because it's Ardbeg!" On with the goods. The aromas are of charred wood and smoke, interloping with delightfully sweet and mildly fruity red wine. Further nosings coalesce into a velvety honey- and malt-inflected scotch profile, echoing with peat and sweet notes, blushing into red fruits. This is one of the most appetizing of scotch aromas I know of. The palate is likewise sweet with an almost soy-inflected barbeque note, I'm thinking Korean short ribs. Less of a roughshod, sherry-driven bacon profile than the Uigeadail, this is a bit more refined: beef grilled over charcoal flames, ringed by bulbous glasses of pinot noir or chianti. Still, it's not as sweet as the Uigeadail, nor as viscous. With the lower alcohol proof, it goes without saying there is less of an impact on your senses. So - while this isn't the Ardbeg battle yell of a charging line of tartan-clad warriors - it's also a world away from Haight-Ashbury libations and devil-dandruff-powered disco. This finishes with a drier and spicier profile than the Uigeadail that I contribute to the toasted barrel grooves. The aroma from the emptied glass is pungent with wine-marinated steak and American BBQ sauce. For the sake of research, I followed this tasting with Lagavulin 16, and the Lag was not much more than a smooth, albeit dangerously so, bourbon-cask scotch floating on a cloud of white smoke. The sea spray and brine notes (having been my least favorite parts of the Lag) were a long ago echo. Simply astounding. While I'll most likely not buy, let alone find, another bottle - this is a great scotch done right. It has certainly piqued my interest in the Blaaack and An Oa, while tempering my expectations at the same time. Was it 'Groovy'? Absolutely.... I was waiting for dessert but I'll just give this a score.

Peat and love! I have read so many things about this whisky, mostly mixed reviews, that actually made me a little skeptic on even trying it. Ardbeg Grooves was the Ardbeg Day Release for 2018, and its name comes from actual grooves that are formed while charring oak barrels, in this particular case, heavily charring ex-red wine casks, where this dram was finished. We have heard the word "Grooves" or "Groovy" but a few of us really know what it means. It actually is a slang for "enjoying something deeply; something cool or excelent". That term was very popular during the 60s and the 70s, so, put a nice heavily bass song in the background, because we are tasting this beauty. Bottled at 46%abv, tawny color (which is not an Ardbeg standard). On the nose, it is quite amazing and super complex. Nice peat, Cotton socks And Gooseberries. Black pepper, Lemon and other Citric aromas everywhere. Wasabi, Chilli and really lots of cinnamon. Red fruits, Strawberries. Prety complex and changing. Cotton candy. After 4 minutes it became super winey. After a second sip It has become a red fruits - cinnamon perfume; it has that texture. Cloth softener. Stinging. Grapefruits; The peat is minty, and fresh. On the palate it is not complex at all, and feels more like a transition between an outsanding nose, and a great aftertaste. It has a vanilla kickstart that lasts 1 microsecond. Sweet Red fruits, mixed with Pepper and chilli. Very spicy; gooseberries. Aftertaste is delicious and rewarding. Smokey and Spicy; it has the perfect amout of salt. Not scorching, but definitively firey in a pleasant way. Not overly complex but just a great peaty finish. Herbal, medicinal. Overall, i was mistaken to ever doubt buying this. It is a delicious, suoer enjoyable Ardbeg; maybe the most easy drinkable dram from this distillery, without losing its character and distinctive profile. I might put some jazz tonight before going to sleep, just to enhance my experience with this whisky. My score for it is a well deserved 92 over 100.

info: il s'agit de la bouteille de célébration du Ardbeg day 2018. Celle-ci se veut être une expression plus extravagante que ce que la gamme Ardbeg nous offres habituellement. En effet, ce scotch de Islay est vieilli en fût de vin rouge dit bousiné soit des fûts si intensément brulés que le bois à la surface des douelles est strié de grosses rainures, des « grooves » en anglais. Au nez: Gros caramel épais, mélasse sucré et fumé de viande beef jerky salé de style Ardbeg. Des notes d'herbes ou d'algues. Des notes florales ou de lavande. Très complexe au nez. En bouche: Cerise et smoke meat. Fumé de feu de camp et algue verte. Marin et sucré. Le caramel est la mais on passe vite à autre chose. Rond, belle texture épaisse et huileuse. Bel équilibre sur son 46% selon moi juste parfait en intensité aromatique; je m'en voudrais de diluer un si parfait équilibre avec une goutte d'eau. Final: Longue et belle. Sur la viande fumé et le sucre. Vraiment, l'image du smoke meat avec une sauce bbq sucré à la cerise me reste en tête et est probablement ce qui résume le mieux ce scotch. Overall: ooooh que j'aime ça! différent mais habile. J'aime Ardbeg de façon général mais je reste la tête froide lorsque j'évalue. 180$ CAD en SAQ pour cette bouteille, c'est dire que l'on paie pour l'exclusivité de ce produit plus que ce qu'il vaut vraiment en qualité. Pas que je trouve le produit est de mauvaise qualité, loin de là. Mais, j'ai du mal a dire qu'il trône dans cette catégorie de prix... surtout que je viens d'acheter un Cairdeas Fino pour 105$ et que je le compare à un Corryvreckan que j'ai payé près de 115$. Bref, il y a de la compétition! En dehors, de son rapport/qualité prix plus ou moins bon, ce scotch est une merveille aromatique tout simplement! Énorme complexité que l'on reconnait comme une constance de la distillerie. 92% moins 5 point pour le prix = 87%

Ardbeg Grooves is my third go with the Ardbeg annual releases. The Perpetuum and the Kelpie were both solid. The older releases are hard to come by nowadays, and are usually only available for twice the original MSRP, so I’ll try to keep that in mind when I consider VFM. Let’s get into it. Nose: Vanilla custard, toffee, and dark chocolate. Bandaid, iodine, sulfur, campfire smoke. Tennis ball. Hookah and ballpark soft pretzel. As it rests, the coastal notes break through. Seaweed, sea salt, brine. Black bean red pepper chili adds some spice. Oak. Palate: The dark chocolate, vanilla custard, and toffee are pronounced once again. This time accompanied by grapefruit, lime, and lemon citrus along with agave. More seaweed, brine, and sea salt. Bandaid, iodine, sulfur. Hookah and ballpark soft pretzel. Something like raspberry or strawberry jam. Fudge and milk chocolate. Chestnut. Black currant. Black bean red pepper chili. Black pepper, cinnamon, and oak. Finish: Agave, lime, and lemon. Dark chocolate, vanilla custard, and toffee. Chestnut. Sea salt, brine, seaweed, campfire smoke, bandaid, iodine, and tennis ball. Mint chocolate. Hookah and ballpark soft pretzel. Black bean red pepper chili. Black pepper, cinnamon, and oak. Long finish. Fantastic whisky. Ardbeg peat plays well with the ex-red wine casks. It offers a great blend of brine, smoke, and earth and rich sweetness. 4.75/5. Like I said before, I bought this years after its release. Naturally, I can’t dock this too hard for the price hike ($180) when I’m the one who was late to the party. I’m a sucker for a one-off—they’re the bane of any collector’s existence and yet can prove to be some of the greatest gems. I’m glad my compulsion to try them led me to buy this. Well done, Ardbeg.

It is always sad and joyful to drink an ardbeg. With so many of their bottlings being one offs, you never want to finish a bottle but it's a lot of fun to drink from one. This was sadly one I never saw the CR of and by the time the standard bottles made it to me, I assumed if Kelpie was still on shelves and Dark Cove was on shelves for over a year...surely Grooves would last. Sadly, I was wrong and this one was gone from shelves by me in record times. Nose -my first response is that that reminds me a bit more of Lagavulin's profile than Ardbeg. Those wine casks must be giving me a similar note to a PX sherry perhaps. Behind it is smooth smoke, sweet puffs, and a wonderful toasted oak. Taste - One of the things I love about Ardbeg in general is how broad the range of tasting sensations is and grooves takes that up a notch. I get sweet delicate wine notes up front with some sweet honey. Then it gets into these candied notes on the mid pallet almost like a lemon drop without the sour elements and not really a lemon flavor but the sweetness of that candy/sugar itself. Then we get into the peat and smoke as the finish brings with it spices and pepper and brine and smoke. With a lot of whiskies lately I bring up a distinct salt note, but not here. There is brine and with it salty elements but I don't get a distinct salt flavor. If you can still find grooves close to MSRP, get a bottle man! I'm putting this up there with some HEAVY hitters and I don't feel bad scoring it 3.5. It's no dark cove which spoiled us as that might have been a 4.5 at CS. Still get is a winner!

Ardbeg day testing! Ardbeg 10, An Oa and Grooves Let’s start here – All delicious and all worth buying. The An Oa has hints of new oak, and even French oak, with a nice spicy finish. The finish is longer than the 10 and spicier. The palette on the An Oa rolls a bit more and is little less brash and is more balanced. The PX sherry takes the smoke and makes a pleasant whisky. An Oa takes the win over the 10. The Grooves is sweeter, almost a bit of sticky wine finish. The finish is longer than the An Oa and a bit better. Sweet, balanced, lovely finish, a slight advantage over the An Oa. The win versus An Oa depends on your palette. If you like red wine the Grooves wins. If you like bourbon the An Oa wins (I get some virgin oak impacts on the An Oa). Rankings 1. Grooves – due to the longer finish and a bit sweeter than the An Oa, 2 An Oa – better balance than the 10 and much better finish and 3. 10 – solid dram with aggressive smoke that is so easy to like. All so good. I’d I was buying, I would pick An Oa. If if was a gift I would pick Grooves.