Ardbeg’s Wee Beastie is a n Islay single malt whisky aged a minimum of 5 years in a combination of ex-bourbon and Oloroso sherry casks. It is the youngest whisky regularly sold by Ardbeg, and I believe is also generally the cheapest. As to be expected from Ardbeg, it is not chill-filtered, and has no artificial coloring added. It is bottled at 47.4% ABV.

The bottle describes it as:

Young and intensely SMOKY, with a rich explosive mouthfeel of CHOCOLATE, TAR, and SAVORY MEATS. Cracked BLACK PEPPER and sappy PINE RESIN on the snout.

Honestly, the idea of a cheap 5 year old whisky had me ignoring Wee Beastie, but I saw some surprisingly positive reviews and, in the interest of trying to learn the full range of Islay malts readily available in my area, I decided to pick up a bottle.

Tasting Notes

Rested 15 minutes in a Glencairn, served neat.

Nose

There’s no subtlety to the peat, which should not be a surprise given the age and the marketing description. I also could detect hints of black pepper (a rare case where my senses agree with the marketing!), and also iodine. Behind it all is a tang like iron and copper. There’s not anything sweet in the nose; it comes in strong and harsh, but not in a bad way.

Palate

The initial flavors are some of that sweetness missing from the nose. I tasted an initial hit of vanilla mixed with plum. That’s quickly replaced with a massive wallop of peat and peat smoke.

Finish

Peat, smoke, more peat, and perhaps some salty vanilla cream at the end.

Comments

This is an intense bottling, and really surprised me. Despite the overwhelming peat there’s a lot more complexity and depth to this than I expected. When comparing this to Ardbeg’s 10 year, I actually feel like the Wee Beastie is the more complex spirit. There’s a lot going on with it, even if that’s mostly peat, smoke, and more peat. The 10 year is sweeter and much more of an everyday drink, however. Despite my surprise and appreciation for the Wee Beastie, I don’t foresee myself reaching for this often. It’s harsh, oily, and a massive peat bomb, as advertised.

That being said, this whisky is a great buy for the money, particularly when you are looking for a real punch of peat.