Ardbeg
Scotland
Single Malt
Ardbeg's Wee Beastie is a youthful single malt drawn from a combination of ex-bourbon and Oloroso sherry casks, bottled up at five years of age. Peaty notes sit at the fore for this one, with oak somewhat taking a back seat, since... Well, y'know, it didn't stay inside those casks for too long. However, don't mistake that for meaning Wee Beastie is an uncomplex expression. It still packs a satisfying flavour profile that should impress many of the Ardbeg aficionados out there.
There’s sea spray, rock pools, smoked malt and damp bonfire wood initially which waves of sweet and slightly vegetal smoke powers through. Hints of brown sugar, pear drops, a little vanilla and cooked apple add sweetness among notes of spare ribs, lemon sherbet, black pepper and wood shavings. I love this nose, it’s smoky and musty and like standing by a seaside bonfire.
The palate is very pleasantly sweet and salty. Citrus oils and orchard fruits are present along with an unmistakable dark berry tartness which is joined by plenty of damp peat and dry wood smoke. Adding depth there’s pepper steak, creosote and then some touches of clove and liquorice. In the back-end, there’s a juicy sweetness from lychee and peaches as well as just a touch of salted caramel.
The finish is exceptionally long and oily. It’s a bit like sucking on a lemon sherbet and taking a great big whiff of some freshly cut peat, to be honest. While standing on a beach. Lovely.
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Ardbeg and Laphroaig are by far the two best Islay distillery’s in imo and I’ve tried them all. I’ve tried the Ardbeg Ugi, Corry and 10 many times. Wee Beastie is up there with these in its own right and for the price is a no brainer, fab dram with lovely sherry notes, will definitely buy again.
I like this, just not as much as the 10, but then it is half the age. You get the smokey, peatiness on the nose and then I get a mild taste of liquorice with more bonfire smokiness to finish. It is nice, but as I say I prefer the Ardbeg 10.
The description given on MoM is very accurate, I got most of the tasting notes which was nice and varied with each mouthful and on the nose. The bottle says chocolate but I didn’t really get that (not like in a jura 10). It’s not mellow like an older whisky, but definitely enjoyed it more than Lagavulin 8 to compare with another young expression. We’ll worth it if you’re into islay
I have had a few Ardbegs: 10, Corryvrekan, An Oa, Uigeadail. This is surprisingly soft and sweet. A truly lovely experience. The finish is longer than I expected and the mouthfeel has a pleasant oiliness. This does not suffer for its youth. The sherry cask does wonders for the complexity and drinkability. If you like Ardbeg, grab a bottle.
I’ve always liked this Islay whisky and found myself in a whisky bar in Boston in Sept 2023 with a friendly group of people and an underused bottle of this whisky behind the bar. I could see by what the other were drinking that they would like this. I encouraged them to try it and they unanimously all came back from the bar with big smiles and that bottle was gone by the end of the evening. Nice to have my suspicions confirmed. I just ordered another fresh bottle.
