Tastes

Nose: faint peat and tar. Iodine and sea spray. Faint ash, smoked meat. Chocolate and candied fruit. Mouth: slightly oily quickly turns watery as it heats up. Taste: Vanilla, caramel, dried fruit (fleeting), toasted coconut, then smoked meat and peat strong on tongue - fading quickly. End fast with a wee bit of wet ash. Fun. Ok. Probably not but again. A little more and I’m drinking An Oa.

So, last September I was in Lexington, Kentucky and had the occasion to take in a couple distilleries. On many of the tastings we began with white whiskey (unaged) and there is a distinctive round taste, and a hint of acetone on the nose with that. And that I find in Wee Beastie (WB), but fleeting as I then pick up melted caramel, fresh road tar, and a hint of smoked meat – fleeting. On the mouth a bit oily and hot – dispersing quickly, turning sweet then thyme, vanilla, powdery carob, smoked meat and long on the white pepper. On the aftertaste some faint pine, pencil shavings (to clarify: I have never eaten pencil shavings but the aftertaste on the exhale definitely leaves me with that impression). Then a clean dryness and plenty of salt. I was excited to get this and skeptical to say the least. Why punch out a 5 year? I was expecting tons of heat and loud peat, and not much else, and was surprised – but not disappointed. After regularly drinking the full gamut of Ardbeg I thought there’d be no place for this, but am a Wee Bit wrong. This is a great starting place for an Ardbeg neophyte. I have taken many friends into Ardbeg through various routes of travel but its hard to transition from one place to another when AB 10 can sometimes be hard on those purposing to get there. I’d say my regular bottom will remain AB 10, but I will need to keep a bottle of WB around for those who come by and ask about Corry when they peruse the cabinet. I’ll grab the Wee Beastie, sit them down with the quaich, and we’ll step off on a little trip.

Having this again. Just totally love this stuff. And found it $10 less while visiting family in another state. Makes it even better!!

My first venture in Talisker land, and this is my initial thought over a single dram. May take more to develop a good profile. Nose: Briny teased with iodine, Peat and faint wet ash, fruit (?) – grilled pineapple, then a wee bit of fresh cut mango. Palate: Blast of oily sweet on the front of the tongue then sharp iodine and white pepper, rapidly subsiding to a mild smoked brisket a la’ Lagavulin 16? Some deeply cooked caramel, peat and salt and ash. Then a really quick finish. Wish that would last longer. :(

Nose: smoke from embers, green apple, iodine, cocoa powder, faint hemlock. Palate: sweet - very mild and fleeting (like a piece of grilled pineapple) , black pepper - iodine. Hint of smoked meat - short in duration. Finish: slightly oily, mild peat smoke. slight sweetness - very short ending with slight iodine.

Lagavulin Distillers Edition 4/508 Distilled 2013 Bottled 2019 Nose: white grapefruit, dark chocolate, burned sugar, very mild wet ash Appearance: Color - bourbon, thin tears in glass Mouth: raspberry on back of tongue salt on the sides and center of the tongue, just a hint of smoke, modestly peaty. Oak for certain, not much on the sherry notes as expected. Heat like from white pepper, and slight clove Finish: not too long but has some vanilla, salt water, very faint Lagavulin smoked meat - that leaves quickly. It’s probably a good entry point for those new to Islay. I found it a bit weak, but’s good every day/every one type scotch. Probably will not buy again, but would recommend to a new Islay explorer. I’ll stay with 16, or Ardbeg Uigeadail.