Ardbeg Grooves 2018 Committee Release Single Malt Scotch Whisky
In stock
2018's Ardbeg Day whisky recalls the ‘Summer of Love’ 51 years ago with the annual release for Ardbeg Day on Saturday, 2 June, an annual celebration centred on the distillery’s open day during Fèis Ìle, the Islay Festival of Music and Malt.
For this year’s bottling, director of distilling, whisky creation and whisky stocks Dr Bill Lumsden has matured part of the whisky in re-toasted red wine casks. These casks were intensely charred to create heavy grooves in the surface of the wood, designed to produce more intense flavours of ‘smoked spices, distant bonfires and chilli-seasoned meats’.
As in previous years, two variants will be launched to mark Ardbeg Day: one bottled at 46% abv and on general release and another bottled exclusively for members of the Ardbeg Committee at 51.6%.
Product Details
Tasting Notes
Colour
Deep amber with coppery-gold highlights and a reddish mahogany edge, a warm, wine-kissed glow.
Nose
Funky, peaty bouquet of chorizo-meat and sooty red fruit, lacquered with licorice. A maritime, smoky core—salty black grapes and crispy fish skin rise from a muddy peat bed, with tar and damp forest notes. Subtle redcurrant and red bean curd add brightness against the earthy, oily sea-air.
Palate
Firm, smoky palate anchored by black grape and fruity liquorice, with redcurrant brightness and peppery salami notes emerging from earthy, tarry peat. A squid-ink depth and bean-curd texture mingle with smoked paprika and salted toffee popcorn. Roots-and-tar linger, joined by smoked bacon, red-wine crispness and gamey, meaty undertones.
Finish
Long and peppery, with chorizo, tarry fish oils and a dirty, earthy peat; black grape notes weave with anise, new leather and a touch of gentleman’s relish.
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