Ardbeg Wee Beastie

Beautiful, malty nose. It’s got some tar, rubber, the afterthought of vanilla, salt for days. And of course the peat smoke is powerful, though for me it’s less than the 10 year old. The palate has a bit of hot smoked salmon, vanilla, a bit of sherry with a slight sulphur undertone (but in a good way). There’s no doubt that this is incredible for the price.

A brash young upstart, bruichladdich gets away with selling 5 year old whisky for wild amounts, why not Ardbeg for more moderate prices. Clearly not as sophisticated as an octomore, but nevertheless enjoyable. Nice to see something different in the market but not overpriced (rare from Ardbeg)