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

Ardbeg – 5 Year Old Wee Beastie is a whisky from Ardbeg (Islay). Aged 5 years, bottled at 47.4% ABV, 70cl. Since its establishment in 1815, The Ardbeg distillery has been on a tumultuous rollercoaster ride of ownership changes, closures, and reopening. Stability was only achieved relatively recently, when the ailing distillery was purchased in 1997 by industry giants, Glenmorangie. The subsequent years have seen the distillery’s popularity swell, with fans enticed by the signature style of tarry, sooty smoke, balanced against citric sweetness and an oily mouthfeel. While Ardbeg still retains its distinctive personality, it has definitely been influenced by Glenmorangie’s propensity for experimenting with cask finishing, and (dare we say it) NAS expressions. Wee Beastie: Added to the range in 2020, the Wee Beastie is a feisty dram with intense smokiness barely tamed by its short, five year, maturation. Proudly displaying its youthful age statement as a badge of honour, and bottled at a higher strength than the standard 10-Year-Old, this peat monster isn’t for the faint of heart, and we wholeheartedly approve!