Ardbeg Wee Beastie

Will buy next time! Super smooth and smoky!

This is very interesting for its age. I'm glad I picked this up because it shows how much peated whisky can change over time. I feel it stands up quite well to the rest of the Ardbeg line of whisky despite its age. I love that Ardbeg started providing quality whisky at a younger age to show that it is possible. Nose: Earthy, salty, and a smoked ham or a rauchbier. Palate: Figs, salt, earthy peat, medicinal, late hint of chocolate Finish: Medicinal medium long and it gets earthier and earthier Mouthfeel: Oily but a little thiner. The smoke almost combine with the ethanol to make it feel even more dense and it has ethanol spikes all over the mouth. It definitely feels hotter than the other Ardbegs that I've tried.

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.