Ardbeg Grooves Feis Ile 2018 46% NV

Professional reviews

Words of Whisky (87)

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Color Chestnutoloroso sherry
Nose
A fair amount of brine to start, with hints of smoky barbecue notes. This is quite meaty actually, but with bursts of blackcurrants and red berries. In the background there's a layer of soot, iodine and rubber.

Taste
Fairly big bodied, with a good viscosity. Quite ashy and somewhat burnished to start. The oak certainly isn't shy, as this is a reasonably dry whisky, with a good amount of spices too. In the background there's some darker, roasted fruits.

Finish
A syrupy sweetness with smoke, ash. A pinch of salt, as well as some lemon peel. Long.

Comments
Good, well-engineerd whisky from Ardbeg, that offers an interesting drinking experience.

BOW (86)

whiskynotes.be

Nose: sour berries, eucalyptus and hints of rubber shoe soles at first. Vanilla pastry, toasted wood and salted popcorn. Strawberries in the background. A bit of a funny mix so far. Pine resin and briny notes. White pepper too. Youngish and you feel the aromatic wood trickery, but nothing’s out of balance so it kinda works. Mouth: bittersweet notes and heavy soot, kippers and plenty of brine. White pepper, cloves, ginger. Even a mustardy sharpness. Then back to citrus, pear drops and vanilla. Fades on burnt herbal notes. Finish: quite long and warming. Smoked pimentón. Tarry and briney notes.

This is very sooty but also fairly dry and oaky, with plenty of spices. It feels a little doctored. This wouldn’t work in the core range (especially at this price) but it’s nice to try as an experiment.