Ardbeg Grooves

93/100

Nose is sweet, notes of grapes. Lots of spice with an abundance of smoke and peat. Decently long finish.

Ahh, Ardbeg. I've fully explored Arbeg's core offerings, but never had any of the annual limited edition bottles. I began to remedy that deficiency during my recent visit to the Flatiron Room in NYC by selecting the Grooves. Quite simply, this is a gem. Full of flavor, both sweet and smoke, with a fairly gentle but lengthy finish. There's a lot to like here, but the two highlights are the red wine finish notes, which are strongest on the beginning of the palate and throughout the finish, and the peat smoke, which makes a grand entrance mid-palate. The wine notes are natural straightforward fruit sweetness. As for the peat, Ardbeg's is simply my favorite. Bold, barbeque and meaty, without ashiness or any trace of smoky bitterness. That peat note is on full display in the Groove. Perhaps the most pleasant surprise came when I located a bottle for sale at a reasonable price. I expected they would be entirely gone. I look forward to exploring the Grooves in more depth!

Peaty, but very smooth. Enjoyable.

Good whisky. The sweetness drove it away from its roots though. Might be a good intro to Islay whisky.