Ardbeg – 5 Year Old Guaranteed Wee Beastie 2020 (70cl, 47.4%)

Ardbeg – 5 Year Old Guaranteed Wee Beastie 2020 is a single malt whisky from Ardbeg (Islay). Aged 5 years, bottled at 47.4% ABV, 70cl. Known for its outstandingly smoky drams, the Islay Distillery, Ardbeg was founded by John McDougall in 1815 after taking out a licence. Just under a century later, the name 'Ardbeg' and signature 'A' were registered as a trademark, an iconic recognisable logo for the distillery. Further on in the 20th century, the distillery started outsourcing, using a peated malt from the nearby Port Ellen Distillery in 1974 just before Ardbeg was mothballed for the first time in 1981. Reopened again by Allied Distillers in 1989, it was not long before the distillery was closed for a second time, however, the Glenmorangie Company saved the day by purchasing Ardbeg just before both Glenmorangie and Ardbeg became part of Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy. Being awarded World Whisky of the Year more than once, the distillery will continue to succeed, with the plans submitted of increasing the distillation capacity by adding not one, but two more stills in 2018, Ardbeg is only going upwards from here. A monster of a dram! This young and intensely smoky dram is said to be so fierce it wrecks everything in its path! This is the first new single malt since 2019 Traigh Bhan 19YO. There are plenty of things in this world that cannot be explained and one is said to be the fierce bite that emerges from the peat bogs of Islay. Both ex-bourbon and Oloroso sherry butts have been used to make this special little guy and Ardbeg's soon-to-retire distillery manager, Mickey Heads' words describe it best: “A new permanent expression in the core range is always momentous for the Distillery, but Wee Beastie is a particularly special dram. As it's a younger whisky, it means we're able to get as close to the still as possible. So it's safe to say this is a ferociously good wee nip!” So fierce that Ardbeg had to warn all of the enthusiasts of its nature with a red bottle top for danger...