Review by: ZoidbergOnTheRocks
My sense of completionism is getting the better of me, as I’ve decided to work through all of my un-reviewed Ardbegs. There’s only like 8 of ’em so it won’t take that long. On deck we’ve got some committee releases, a couple of IBs, and another Uigeadail to compare to other years.
To start, today I’ve got the committee and general release of Grooves from 2018. The schtick is they did a heavy re-char on ex-wine casks until grooves formed in the wood. As usual we have a committee release at what we assume is cask strength, and a reduced version for the mass market at 46%.
Tasted on 8/21/2022, neat in a Glencairn, water added later as appropriate.
Distillery: Ardbeg
Bottler: Distillery Bottling
Region: Scotland, Islay
ABV: 46.0%
Age: NAS. Bottled on 01/23/2018.
Cask type: Ex-Wine Casks w/ heavy char
Non-chill-filtered. For Ardbeg Day 2018.
Nose: earthy peat and wood smoke. Lemon. Creosote, tar. Oak dust. Some iodine. A little seaweed. Vanilla, a bit sweet. All relatively mild and well balanced. A touch hot, I had to check my pic to make sure I hadn’t swapped the glasses. With Water: more mild, otherwise the same.
Taste: earthy peat. Wood smoke. Lots of oak spice and some pepper, but mostly the oak. Tannic. Sweet lemon. A little tar. With Water: same.
Finish: nice pop of wood smoke. Lots of oaky spice. Sweet caramel. A little drying. Lemonaid. Creosote. Ginger. Medium length on smoke, spice, and sweetness. Tails off onto mostly oak after a while. With Water: same.
Summary: this is a mild, nicely balanced, fun dram that doesn’t really scream Ardbeg to me but is yummy nonetheless. Lots of oaky flavors, and rather tannic on the finish. Not especially complex, and I’m not personally picking up much wine influence on either of these. It’s a little thin, and water does nothing for this except push back the nose which was already rather mild.
Would I buy a bottle? nah, give me a Corry any day
Final Score: 82.
Ardbeg Grooves Committee Release
Distillery: Ardbeg
Bottler: Distillery Bottling
Region: Scotland, Islay
ABV: 51.6%, cask strength
Age: NAS. Bottled in 2018.
Cask type: Recharred Red Wine Casks w/ heavy char
Natural color. Non-chill-filtered.
Nose: very, very similar to the other one. Same earthy peat, wood smoke, lemon, tar, oak, etc. A little maritime, a little medicinal. Sweet vanilla. A bit more oaky spice. With Water: same.
Taste: thicker mouthfeel. More smoke. More spice. Same sweetness, a little drying. Lemonaid. Yes, I like this richness vs. the other. With Water: more oak. Sweeter, with lots of vanilla.
Finish: richer peat and smoke. More spice. Similar to the other, with sweet caramel, oaky, tannic, lemonaid, etc. Finish is a bit longer, mostly on smoke and spice. Tails off into a bit of bitter oak after a while. With Water: same.
Summary: this is very similar to the other one, which tracks. There’s a bit more oaky spice on the nose here, but the palate is where the difference really comes out for me. A thicker mouthfeel, more smoke and spice, and this is sweeter with lots of vanilla. The finish feels bigger and longer, with more smoke and sweetness. A few drops of water opens the palate and finish more without really changing the nose. Overall, quite nice.
Would I buy a bottle? nah, give me a Corry any day
Final Score: 83.
Comparison
Order: Committee > general release
These are very similar, but I feel the committee release is a slight cut above with better mouthfeel, a bigger finish, and a bit more richness throughout.
You’d be happy pulling this one out with your buddies to taste alongside one of the standard Ardbeg expressions like the 10, Corry, or Oogie. You’d all have fun, you’d enjoy this dram, and I suspect you’d find that you like whatever you put it next to better. You wouldn’t be sad you have this, but I bet no one would walk away saying “man, I gotta gets me some Grooves!”
Scoring Legend:
- 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
- 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
- 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
- 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
- 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
- 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
- 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
- 50-59: Save it for mixing.
- 0-49: Blech.
Malt Runners 