Ardbeg Wee Beastie

It’s been a beast of a week. And what should have been an Ardbeg every night of the week has not come to pass. Still, Wee Beastie is in the glass and I am pumped. Off the heels of a very solid open on Ardbeg 10, the Wee Beastie comes in at 5 y/o and offers a mix of ex-Bourbon and Olorosso casking. Nose: Sharp and punchy, the peat is a little damp and mulchy and gives a rotten wood on the bonfire kind of effect to the smokiness. Behind that though are some toffee, candy sweetness, stewed baking apples, a little sherbet-like lemon sourness and an all-encompassing salty-oily-peppery-wooded medley. The nose feels young, but it also has a lovely playfulness that is quite enticing. Palate: A little thin on arrival. Sweetness and black pepper add a surprising brightness to a sharp, dilute lemon squash-soaked peatiness. The smoke is salty but a little harsh. Sweetness develops with successive sips and leans towards stone fruits like lychee and nectarine with maybe some ginger-caramel. There's nothing particularly special here, it's on the aggressive side and if anything is a little underdeveloped. Finish: Surprisingly long. Oily, peppery, preserved lemon and mulchy peat. The smoke loses out in the finish. The name Wee Beastie and a 5-year age statement primed me into thinking this was going to be a vibrant, exciting version of the standard 10-year-old, albeit a little less nuanced and refined. It’s not quite that in my mind. The nose is the standout, there's plenty of big bold notes and lots to get excited about, but from there it kind of goes downhill into mediocrity. The excellent notes of lemon, sea air influence, and delicately perfumed smoke are just not there. A sweetness replaces these that makes the dram seem like a budget blend rather than a gatekeeper of whisky excellence (that I believe Ardbeg are regarded to be). This isn’t a wee beastie, it’s just a wee impersonation of something quite excellent. That said, it's still good. Onwards we forge… Ardbeg running scores: Ardbeg 10: 4.25/5 Wee Beastie: 3/5

Appearance: Russet hue. Swirls leave a thin film on the glass, with slow-forming legs. Nose: Vanilla, peat smoke, and lemon zest stand out. Hints of orange peel, molasses, and honey emerge with further sniffing. Palate: Oak spices and campfire smoke dominate initially. Sweet honey, vanilla, white pepper, and toasted bread are also present. Finish: A medium finish begins with strong spicy oak tannins and black pepper. It develops a mild saltiness, transitioning from spice and pepper to a bitter citrus taste, then becoming nutty, and finally leaving a smoky residue. With Water: A small addition of water enhances the honey sweetness on the palate and slightly reduces the pepper and spice on the finish. Overall: Quite pleased with this bottle; for an Ardbeg, it offers great value relative to its cost. It surpasses several limited editions they have released. While not overwhelmingly complex, it's a satisfying drink at a fair price. The initial plan was to use it for Old Fashioned cocktails, but more than half the bottle has been enjoyed neat without trying any yet.

Nose: Sweet grapes, light stone-fruit, lemon candy, green olive brine, gentle peat smoke. There's a hint of machine oil, damp oily wool, and the suggestion of a peat bog underfoot on a damp day. Adding a little water enhances the nose's depth without altering the profile. Palate: Sweet, salty, and smoky upon entry, in the typical Ardbeg style, with pears, barley sugar, and honey present. However, this is a delicate, gentle dram with an initially light texture. As it develops, it becomes drier, saltier (almost tequila-like briefly!), more citrusy, and the texture gains body, becoming smooth. Diluting with a little water brings out more barley sugar but doesn't make the palate sour or rubbery, which can often happen with peated whiskeys. Finish: Medium to Long. Salty, smoked citrus fruit with some pepper. There's a hint of eucalyptus oil and a slight bitterness in the aftertaste. This bitterness fades when the whiskey is diluted. Very easy to drink and quite mild compared to other peated whiskeys, this could be described as the subtle and attractive side of Ardbeg. It is definitely young, but contrary to my expectations, the peating level seems quite low. It's not overpowering or raw, as some young peaters can be, but rather contained and controlled. I was uncertain about how diluting it would affect it, but rest assured, it handles water well. It doesn't lose anything but becomes gentler, softer, and sweeter. I really like this young Ardbeg. Despite its youth, it's quite charming and would be an excellent choice to offer to yourself and a novice being introduced to peated whiskeys. Regarding the name "Wee Beastie," don't assume it implies a monstrous creature. On the contrary, it's an endearing little creature, like the mouse in a poem by a famous Scottish poet, or the otters sometimes seen near the distillery. Tasted from a small sample. "Very Good": 85/100 (4 stars)

The aroma is solely peat smoke. If other elements could be detected in the scent, this would be excellent, but the smoke is so intense it's difficult to perceive anything else. There are faint, intermittent traces of saltiness and sea air, but they are barely noticeable. The taste mirrors the aroma, but with more distinct elements. The peat is dominant again, yet the subtle notes from the scent become more pronounced on the palate. If you desire a straightforward, smoky whiskey without much contemplation, this might be ideal. Describing it as a "peat bomb" is an understatement; it's more like a "peat nuke." The overwhelming smoke obliterates everything else, leaving only its intense presence. While it's too one-dimensional for my personal preference, I do find myself enjoying it occasionally. My enjoyment comes from discerning subtle nuances, but here, there's essentially only one overpowering flavor that assaults your senses relentlessly. I strongly suggest paying a bit more for the 10-year-old version. Five years is very young for a whiskey, and while I appreciate the distillery's honesty about its age statement, the result is a spirit that feels too immature, underdeveloped, and somewhat underwhelming.

A peated Single Malt Scotch Whisky by Ardbeg Distillery in Islay, Scotland, aged for 5 years in ex-Bourbon & Oloroso Sherry casks. It has an aromatic birth with notes of sea spray, rock pools, smoked malt, damp bonfire wood, vegetal smoke, brown sugar, pear drops, vanilla, cooked apple, spareribs, lemon sherbet, black pepper & wood shavings; while a bold life adds notes of citrus oil, orchard fruits, tart dark berries, hickory-smoked bacon, eucalyptus, dark chocolate, pepper steak, creosote, clove, lychee, peach, salted caramel, damp peat & dry wood smoke; leading to a long & briny death with notes of oak, sea spray & seaside bonfire smoke. April / August 2022

To start, I really enjoy peat, smoke, and typical Islay scotch flavors. However, I quite like this. It certainly tastes like a 5-year-old; it's obviously a young scotch. But the flavors are incredibly potent. I detect notes of honey, butterscotch, and chocolate, along with intense peat and smoke. It's not particularly refined, but it delivers a powerful blast of flavor to the nose and palate.