Ardbeg Wee Beastie

Nose: The first time in a long time I've experienced a nose this strong - actually made me laugh a little with excitement. Proof is absolutely evident and helping things jump out of the glass. Over-smoked brisket, like when it borders on bitter smoke. Bacon with a black pepper crust. Lemon oil, wintergreen, pine. Slight sweetness - almost like molasses. Brine. Green bell pepper, fire roasted poblano, smoked chipotle, paprika, bitter chocolate. Imagine all the sliders for a mix pushed up to 10, and then all the eqs pegged with a little brick wall compression thrown onto the master bus like a modern dance track. It's not completely unbalanced, just very forward. Palate: Earth, vanilla, fruity sweetness. The casks are absolutely evident on the nose, but in a very complementary way. Oak, tannin, and char, though the tannin influence is less than you'd see in something with more age. Dark fruits in syrup. Citrus, mint, cucumber - getting a Limon Pepino Gatorade vibe, but with some mint tossed in for good measure. Creamy and lactic. Peanut brittle, dusty corn. Wintergreen. Tar and resin. Sandalwood and tobacco. Chocolate with a touch of smoked chipotle. Pop Rocks style effervescence. Mouthfeel is medium, bordering on medium-heavy. Finish: A wash of brine, dust, earth, citrus, vanilla, and oak. A swell of dill and anise show up, followed by some cocoa. Some slightly bitter and sour characteristics play around, when coconut, sandalwood, and maduro tobacco come in. The citrus, mint, sandalwood, coconut all hang out for a long time - great oil content here. Very long finish. Other notes: I'd long wondered what you'd get if you aged a heavily peated whiskey on the shorter side and instead let the more intense, raw flavors come through. Though this makes good use of sherry cask to help make things a little more palatable, I almost wish this was just pure second or third fill bourbon instead, minimizing the influence of what the barrels held. That put aside, this is like Uigeadail if it took off the smoking jacket and slammed three Black Eyes from Starbucks. It's not as refined and cohesive, but it offers up something unique and well worth some exploration. Highly recommended.

Nose of: Fresh pepper, herbs, pine and light salty leather. Palate: rich, light oil texture, smoked meat, and grass. Finish: long smooth smoke and oil salty dark chocolate tobacco.

Smoke and ocean are there, but not as abruptly and grumpy as the label would suggest: wet peat with barbecue ribs, oranges and lemons, with a sprinkling of pepper. Touch of sweet licorice. Tones from Ardbeg but all in all quiet and simple, we are more on the side of a ladybug than a horsefly... The palate becomes harsher in the aromas, while flowing oily on the tongue, bringing out the burnt tires sprinkled with black pepper and cloves, with sweet hints that go in the background (candied orange, more licorice, hazelnuts). Very marine, especially in length, with salt permeating the mouth. Quite static, but pleasant, for those who love the genre, of course. The finish is quite long and ashy, where the tarry blanket drags some licorice, pepper, orange and a lot of salt. Far from the grumpy little beast evoked by the name, it is a basic but pleasant expression of Ardbeg for those who want to get closer to the notes of the distillery, all too muffled especially if you think of the Ten and how much more representative it is at a similar if not lower cost. If this expression is really here to stay, the price should be reconsidered, although I fear this could lead to an increase of the 10yo (with a relative decrease in production) also to give more breathing space to the production of the distillate.

Minute peat but the classic Ardbeg smoke is very present. I still prefer Ardbeg 10 but for the price ($35), this will be staying in my rotation as a solid daily drinker.

2nd time tasting: Nose - blueberry jam, blue cheese, espresso, chocolate, burnt wood. Taste: blueberries / dark fruit immediately turns into bacon grease and then disappears. The finish returns with that mint after taste but now it has the edition of a burnt hay. Fairly generic vegetation note as well. Very lingering black pepper finish as well. Water intensifies the fruit notes as well as the malt. It turns the taste into what I can only describe as motor oil. The flavors definitely evolved from last time but it’s still a 3.5 from me

Gives a new dimension to Ardbeg. Fine dram. Gives a heavy hit just like a scotmans kilt that blows up with the wind, except, this is a good experience.