Ardbeg Grooves (2018 Committee Release)

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.

** 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.

Ah a good dram it is. I had the Talisker Dark Storm before this and I definitely prefer this. Richer and more vibrant...even if the vibrancy is all about oily soot, smoke, tar with a hint of sweet vanilla on the palate and nose to round it out. Very nice. I think I got more of a flavour range from the Kelpie last year. But then saying that I get a hint of rich meat and the wine influence the more I got into it so it could just be that on initial impressions the soot etc taste just overpowers the rest of the flavours in there. I think if I drank my way through a bottle this one could really evolve but I have to go with what I have at hand. 4.25 to 4.5 for me. Also because it'll be well over the $150USD mark here when it comes out I reckon.

Let røg, sødlig, rund,