Ardbeg – Grooves Committee Release (70cl, 51.6%)

Ardbeg – Grooves Committee Release is a whisky from Ardbeg (Islay). Bottled at 51.6% ABV, 70cl. Since its establishment in 1815, The Ardbeg distillery has been on a tumultuous rollercoaster ride of ownership changes, closures, and reopening. Stability was only achieved relatively recently, when the ailing distillery was purchased in 1997 by industry giants, Glenmorangie. The subsequent years have seen the distillery’s popularity swell, with fans enticed by the signature style of tarry, sooty smoke, balanced against citric sweetness and an oily mouthfeel. While Ardbeg still retains its distinctive personality, it has definitely been influenced by Glenmorangie’s propensity for experimenting with cask finishing, and (dare we say it) NAS expressions. Grooves Committee Release: This groovy release was created to tie in with the retro, summer of love theme for 2018’s Ardbeg Day. To create this unusual expression, Ardbeg took red wine casks and heavily charred them in such a way that created grooves in the wood. This increased the surface area of cask that the maturing spirit was in contact with, resulting in an aromatic, complex dram.