Slainte-Mhath
Ardbeg Wee Beastie
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed
February 25, 2023 (edited February 28, 2023)
Most of Ardbeg's committee releases are a complete waste of money, but this core range bottling was decent enough to write a review. Earthy and mineral notes hit the nose, followed by chimney soot, butterscotch and pine resin. Barley sugar, honey and ripe pears are first to arrive on the palate before menthol, bitter walnuts and lemon zest take over in the development. Ashy peat smoke, bay leaf and a touch of eucalyptus push into the clean and straightforward finish. Make no mistake, this Wee Beastie will challenge the toothbrush later tonight.
RATING: 3.7/5.0 stars ≙ 85 pts → ABOVE AVERAGE [+]
38.0
EUR
per
Bottle
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I actually prefer Wee Beastie to the 10. I like them both, but WB to me replaces just a little of the grass/hay i find in the 10 with a meatier smokiness that gives it a little more heft, more depth. If I was being completely honest with myself, Wee Beastie reminds me of Laphroaig CS, and that’s probably why I prefer it to the standard 10.
My personal ranking of the Ardbeg core range: Uigeadail (89 pts), Ten (88 pts), Wee Beastie (85 pts), Corryvreckan (85 pts), An Oa (84 pts). Best value is probably the Ten. I wouldn't waste any money on the special relases.
@PBMichiganWolverine That's a fair point. In Europe, the price difference is about $15. The Ten is better, no doubt.
@Slainte-Mhath my biggest issue with is the price. It’s just a few dollars shy of the 10yr old. So, why not simply buy the 10?
Additional comment: I realized that reviewing a lot of independent bottlings does not make a lot of sense on Distiller. Most people tend to focus on bottles that are available where they live, that's why I wanted to highlight a malt that is similar and on par with my previously reviewed Caol Ila.
Additional comment: I am on my second bottle of Ardbeg Wee Beastie, and I am getting the impression that batch variation is a bit of an issue here. The first few 'ambassador batches' got people excited (86 points, shy of 4 stars), but I got the impression that current batches are not quite up there. It's still a good buy, but the shine has worn off a little bit.