Ardbeg Grooves Single Malt Scotch Whisky 750ml

Ardbeg Grooves Single Malt Scotch Whisky 750ml is the Ardbeg Day 2018 limited edition from Ardbeg Distillery, the heavily peated Islay house founded in 1815 near Port Ellen. Bottled at 46% ABV (92 proof), this Islay single malt turned the distillery's annual celebration into a full flower-power happening, trading Islay tweed for tie-dye with a peace-and-love theme lifted straight from the summer of '69 and a name that salutes both vinyl records and the wood science inside the bottle.

The grooves in question are literal. Dr Bill Lumsden, Ardbeg's Director of Whisky Creation, matured a proportion of the spirit in ex-red wine casks that were intensely re-charred without first being shaved, scorching deep grooves into the surface of the staves. The channels dramatically increased the spirit's contact with charred oak and wine-soaked wood, coaxing out flavors the distillery described as smoked spices, distant bonfires and chilli-seasoned meats. As always, the whisky is non chill-filtered; the general release arrives at 46%, while Committee members received a 51.6% bottling.

The record spins accordingly. Smoked cinnamon and paprika groove alongside antique leather and saddle soap on the nose, while classic Ardbeg pine resin, tar and briny sea spray hum in the background. The palate riffs on sweet smoke, chargrilled fruit and peppery spice before a long, resonant fade-out of ash and dried herbs, distinctive enough that seasoned Ardbeg drinkers can pick it from the discography blind. Water softens the spice and lets the wine-cask fruit take the melody.

Ardbeg Day bottlings are struck once and never repressed, and in the years since its release Grooves has aged into one of the more fondly remembered singles in that celebrated annual catalogue. Its combination of novel cask engineering, era-defining artwork and one-summer-only production makes it a natural target for collectors of the distillery's limited editions, whether destined for the turntable of an open tasting or kept sealed in its sleeve as a period piece from one memorable Islay summer.

• Size: 750ml
• Proof: 92 Proof (46% ABV)
• Age: No Age Statement
• Origin: Islay, Scotland
• Distillery: Ardbeg Distillery (est. 1815), Port Ellen, Islay
• Whisky Type: Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
• Cask/Cooperage: Heavily charred ex-red wine casks with deep grooves cut by re-charring, plus traditional Ardbeg casks
• Series: Ardbeg Day 2018 limited edition (Committee release bottled at 51.6% ABV)
• Peating: Heavily peated malt, approx. 50-55 ppm
• Production: Non chill-filtered; one-time limited release
• Tasting Notes: Smoked cinnamon, paprika, antique leather, saddle soap, pine resin, tar, briny sea spray