The annual releases mark the final day of Islay’s Festival of Malt & Music (Fèis Ìle). This year, it’s June 2nd. As usual, you won’t be able to buy the cask strength bottling unless you’re a Committee member, however, the whisky comes in a 46% variant for general retail. Volumes aren't specified, but this year's seems more severely allocated than any we can recall.
And the story behind the quirky title?
The intention of any Ardbeg Day bottling is to offer an unusual blend or introduce a novel production technique that differs from the distillery’s traditional practice. For 'Grooves', director of whisky creation, Dr Bill Lumsden has employed heavily charred red wine casks, the heat creating grooves in the surface of the wood. The expectation was to release flavours and aromas accenting "smoked spices, distant bonfires and chilli-seasoned meats".