Ardbeg 'Wee Beastie' 5 year old Single Malt
It would have been very easy for Ardbeg to have released another Islay landmark titled non age statement expression that would have given precious little more information to the consumer other than the usual guff of 'a range of young to well aged spirit matured in the finest of fine casks'. But as a consumer at least you know that the youngest spirit in the Wee Beastie is at least 5 years old.
Please excuse the Waterford bottles in this picture....they've subsequently been binned |
Nose: immediate hit of sweet peat and coastal bonfires. Then green apples, mint tea and tar. Wood shavings, espresso and cracked black peppercorns.
Palate: On arrival I’m greeted by honey and spun sugar with the green apples appearing again. This is followed by a wave of smoke, ash and tar with a menthol freshness behind that.
Finish: Short but dominated by ash and smoke.
Overall: The 10 year old this is not. Very one dimensional with little flavour development being mostly about smoke and tar, so in a way Ardbeg succeeded in making the rawest, smokiest Ardbeg ever. The nose is actually pretty good but the palate isn’t really appealing at all and considering it retails close to the 10 year old it doesn’t really represent value. If you love sucking lumps of peat I assume this will be right up your street....if you want complexity look elsewhere. Certainly for a young peated whisky it's nowhere near as good as the Bill Phil from WD O’Connell or even the Dark Silkie which is a much better bet for less money.
Score: 4 out of 10.
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Thank for sharing. As a lover Ardbeg products I was weary of this young one.
ReplyDeleteInteresting, for me it's the opposite: don't like the bandaid smell... But the meaty flavours make up for it.
ReplyDeleteTry with Wasabi peas
ReplyDeleteDidn't expected 5y can be so smooth
ReplyDeleteIf additive colors are banned younger whiskies may prosper
ReplyDeleteLight color is gold. Darker shades are varnish, turpentine and co. Hail Pete.
ReplyDelete