This is an excellent introduction to the Ardbeg range. For the price and age, this is a fantastic dram and lives up to its name "wee beastie". It is indeed like a young beast. I found it to be a rougher version of the 10. The nose is sweeter than the 10 probably from the sherry cask finish and the smoke is more campfire ash. I have noticed that with time, the profile changes in the glass. It oscillates between the sweet, meaty, briny notes and the dark chocolate/cocoa bitter brine with white pepper spice. It has a beautiful grilled pineapple, barbeque sauce note that settles into a candied bacon/smoked ham note. The brine is featured throughout with a lemon oil note. For the fruit, I have mostly found it to be baked fruit with baking spices. Once again, with time, the fruit character does oscillate with a citrus (grapefruit, lemon) bitterness. In my opinion, for the price, the best gateway islay whisky currently available.
Hi Eric I give this ardbeg 5 year old a 89 all day long, this whiskey is one of my favorite peated whiskey s, I have about 10 bottles of peated, and one flavor everyone is missing is a roasted peanut on the nose and palate, along with a slight chocolate 🍫 in the development, it is completely different whiskey than the 10 year old, which is why I love 💘 this expression, I also get a little jalapeño pepper also, out of the 150 + bottles 🍼 of whiskeys I have, this is one of the best 👌 I have, but I love sherry whiskeys the most, and this expression I think has a bit of sherry in it, but I could be wrong, please keep the reviews coming, cheers brother 👍!!!
Smell of the neck pour made me reminisce about walking through the Ardbeg distillery because it's very young. It's a little too young smelling and tasting for my liking and I'm an Ardbeg fanboy. I compared this to a Kilchoman 5 yr Single Cask and the Kilchoman killed it. Understand that pricing is different between the Kilchoman and Wee Beastie, but it wasn't close. When it comes to Ardbeg, I'll spend a little more for the Ardbeg 10 year everyday of the week plus Sunday. I'll come back to it later and see what I think but that's my initial thoughts.
I just got an add from a favorite source in California promoting this and I was tempted. But, I can't see buying the wee beastie for the same price as her big brother. Thanks for doing this initial review. I'm going to wait until you do the full review to buy a bottle. I'm a bit over my whiskey allowance lately!
I know you should never judge a bottle by its neck pour, but right off the bat I get one thing: Finlaggan Old Reserve, albeit with a bit more punch, but surprisingly, not much more considering this is 47+%. That familiarity comes from these things, a slight vinegariness and constrained smoke on the nose, and peanut skins on the arrival. A very good mouth feel, dry, and hint of dark red fruit & dark chocolate on the long finish (there is Sherry matured malt in this ). It'll be interesting to see how this bottle evolves as the air gets to it. For $40 and 47+% (I don't have the bottle in front of me), and naturally presented, this seems to be a very good value, and massively moreso than the similarly priced and embarrassingly anemic Laphroaig Select. Cheers!
It really is a little monster. I got mine on Tuesday and can’t stop sippin on it lol. So good and complex it’s what you would expect from Ardbeg. All hail ARDBEG 🤘🥃
Thanks for the awesome review Erik! Interesting thing about neck pours. I also try not to judge whiskies too much on them. However, I have had the experience (quite a few times) where I really loved the first dram of a bottle. I can’t seem to recapture that flavour as the bottle opens up. It could just be anticipation of a sought-after bottle 🤷♂️
Great review 👍I think that the nose is great. Almost like a corryvreckan, love the nose. I can sit and nose it without drinking, taste is good enough but does lack a little complexity. But it makes up for it in price.
Great review Erik!! Love the way you emphasized that this wasn’t a full review due to the fact it was a neck pour. I see a lot of reviewers review a spirit on a cork pop and it’s just not a true an honest review of the whisky. I appreciate the honesty and the explanation of a neck pour. Once again great review as always buddy!! Cheers Erik!!🥃
It's not just a matter of tasting sherry cask past the peat but how the sherry intermingles with the bourbon cask. Another way around thinking about it is, "If I were tasting it blind could I discern that sherry casks were used?" I'll be doing another review soon and comparing it with Ardbeg 10 and Lagavulin 8 so I should be able to better your question at that time.
The bold flavor profile and unique experience of drinking the Wee Beastie is such that I don’t regret spending the money on the bottle, but I will not buy it again. I don't care for this whiskey very much. This stuff is too young, much too immature, and overly harsh which takes away from the enjoyment of drinking it. I enjoy the calmer drinkability of the 10 y/o which is much more sensible for the money. I am content to say, “I tried a bottle of Wee Beastie, once” rather than say, “I drink Wee Beastie regularly.”
Curious to see how it oxidizes with time. Is there potential danger if it's all mostly peat that after a while when peat subsides there is not much other flavour left?
There is plenty of fruit character now with all the peat. So, if the peat did dissipate the fruit character would remain. But, I don't anticipate it changing much as it opens..... we shall see!
I decided to go from Johnnie Walker Black to Glennfiddich 12 to Ardbeg 5. I really learned to appreciate my scotch clean. I can’t wait to try the Wee Beastie.
I have watched many whisky reviewers on you tube and most of them are arseholes [not Ralfy though]. However, I stumbled across this reviewer today, and he has not changed my view.
This is an excellent introduction to the Ardbeg range. For the price and age, this is a fantastic dram and lives up to its name "wee beastie". It is indeed like a young beast. I found it to be a rougher version of the 10. The nose is sweeter than the 10 probably from the sherry cask finish and the smoke is more campfire ash. I have noticed that with time, the profile changes in the glass. It oscillates between the sweet, meaty, briny notes and the dark chocolate/cocoa bitter brine with white pepper spice. It has a beautiful grilled pineapple, barbeque sauce note that settles into a candied bacon/smoked ham note. The brine is featured throughout with a lemon oil note. For the fruit, I have mostly found it to be baked fruit with baking spices. Once again, with time, the fruit character does oscillate with a citrus (grapefruit, lemon) bitterness. In my opinion, for the price, the best gateway islay whisky currently available.
Great opening. Sounded rich and full of flavour. Cheers!
Ardbeg Wee Beastie was released in the UK today. Was lucky enough to get a bottle. Am looking forward to trying it.
I just picked one up for $40. Very much looking forward to it.
We We We Weee Beatieee!!!!👾
Hi Eric
I give this ardbeg 5 year old a 89 all day long, this whiskey is one of my favorite peated whiskey s, I have about 10 bottles of peated, and one flavor everyone is missing is a roasted peanut on the nose and palate, along with a slight chocolate 🍫 in the development, it is completely different whiskey than the 10 year old, which is why I love 💘 this expression, I also get a little jalapeño pepper also, out of the 150 + bottles 🍼 of whiskeys I have, this is one of the best 👌 I have, but I love sherry whiskeys the most, and this expression I think has a bit of sherry in it, but I could be wrong, please keep the reviews coming, cheers brother 👍!!!
Smell of the neck pour made me reminisce about walking through the Ardbeg distillery because it's very young. It's a little too young smelling and tasting for my liking and I'm an Ardbeg fanboy. I compared this to a Kilchoman 5 yr Single Cask and the Kilchoman killed it. Understand that pricing is different between the Kilchoman and Wee Beastie, but it wasn't close. When it comes to Ardbeg, I'll spend a little more for the Ardbeg 10 year everyday of the week plus Sunday. I'll come back to it later and see what I think but that's my initial thoughts.
Didn't knew neck pour was a thing. I will try to test it. Thanks for review ❤
Yep, whiskies (like wines) benefit from aeration.
Excited. I'm getting mine today.
I just got an add from a favorite source in California promoting this and I was tempted. But, I can't see buying the wee beastie for the same price as her big brother. Thanks for doing this initial review. I'm going to wait until you do the full review to buy a bottle. I'm a bit over my whiskey allowance lately!
I know you should never judge a bottle by its neck pour, but right off the bat I get one thing: Finlaggan Old Reserve, albeit with a bit more punch, but surprisingly, not much more considering this is 47+%. That familiarity comes from these things, a slight vinegariness and constrained smoke on the nose, and peanut skins on the arrival. A very good mouth feel, dry, and hint of dark red fruit & dark chocolate on the long finish (there is Sherry matured malt in this ). It'll be interesting to see how this bottle evolves as the air gets to it.
For $40 and 47+% (I don't have the bottle in front of me), and naturally presented, this seems to be a very good value, and massively moreso than the similarly priced and embarrassingly anemic Laphroaig Select.
Cheers!
It really is a little monster. I got mine on Tuesday and can’t stop sippin on it lol. So good and complex it’s what you would expect from Ardbeg. All hail ARDBEG 🤘🥃
Hail
“Shite and briny” you’ve got to coin that term lol! Great review
Thanks for the awesome review Erik! Interesting thing about neck pours. I also try not to judge whiskies too much on them. However, I have had the experience (quite a few times) where I really loved the first dram of a bottle. I can’t seem to recapture that flavour as the bottle opens up. It could just be anticipation of a sought-after bottle 🤷♂️
It’s delicious the smoke is very upfront then the brine sweetness it’s heaven
I can't wait to try this one. Very nice review. I also love the way you seem to chew on the whiskey when you taste it. Thanks Eric
I have to edit out the chewing noises!
Don't edit. Chewing makes it better
You agree with me! A young whiskey that is not that expensive and a will get better once you’re below the neck.
Yup. Looking forward to tasting the Wee Beastie. Well done. 👌🏻🥃
I had similar reactions to this whiskey. It's funny that we both posted the same review on the same day. Good stuff.
Been waiting for this one!
Love the review, and the song at the end!
Looking forward to this one, but it’s not yet available in my area...maybe next week.
I wonder how it does blending it into another Ardbeg like Blaaack CR. Quarter oz of Beastie into a full oz of Blaaack.
Nabbed for 34 bucks in West By! Great review, ol' bud!
It sounds a lot better than my thoughts. Thanks Erik, slainte 🥃🥃
Lol that opening
Great Video! Yes this one is just the way I expected it to be, A real young Islay whisky That's worth Buying.
That intro 🤣🤣👍
Nono it's a campfire on cold Islay Island and the 5 is the campfire..👍
Great review 👍I think that the nose is great. Almost like a corryvreckan, love the nose. I can sit and nose it without drinking, taste is good enough but does lack a little complexity. But it makes up for it in price.
Both Corryvreckan and the Wee Beastie have some sherry cask influence though not as much as the Uigeadail.
Now Erik, we gotta talk about that knife living in CA. Lol. I pick my bottle up on Monday. Looking forward to it.
Dude, I am from the hood, the streets, the barrio living la vida loca. You gotta have a blade.
Hi Erik, how's about a H2H comparison of Ard 5 and Lp Quarter Cask ... and the mentioned Lag 8? :-)
Good idea but I don't currently have a bottle of the Laphroaig Quarter Cask.
Great review Erik!! Love the way you emphasized that this wasn’t a full review due to the fact it was a neck pour. I see a lot of reviewers review a spirit on a cork pop and it’s just not a true an honest review of the whisky. I appreciate the honesty and the explanation of a neck pour. Once again great review as always buddy!! Cheers Erik!!🥃
Can you taste they sherry at all past all that peat? An Oa is their other young sherry casked scotch. Any similarly?
It's not just a matter of tasting sherry cask past the peat but how the sherry intermingles with the bourbon cask. Another way around thinking about it is, "If I were tasting it blind could I discern that sherry casks were used?" I'll be doing another review soon and comparing it with Ardbeg 10 and Lagavulin 8 so I should be able to better your question at that time.
The bold flavor profile and unique experience of drinking the Wee Beastie is such that I don’t regret spending the money on the bottle, but I will not buy it again. I don't care for this whiskey very much. This stuff is too young, much too immature, and overly harsh which takes away from the enjoyment of drinking it. I enjoy the calmer drinkability of the 10 y/o which is much more sensible for the money. I am content to say, “I tried a bottle of Wee Beastie, once” rather than say, “I drink Wee Beastie regularly.”
Definitely subscribed...I've watched a couple of your vids now, and I'd like to share a bottle of Islays finest with you. Slainte!
I Love my 16, but Ardie 5s are hardly a cruel mistresses @ our prices $82 v.$52 here in NV.
not as good as Lagavulin 8 but a very mature tasting scotch at just 5 years old.
Hmm so basically the same price as the 10 but maybe not as good. Looking forward to the follow up.
Yep, that about sums it up!
Over $10 cheaper where I bought it and higher ABV than the 10 year
itsbrandcouldsaleitasbread...goodqual&lowprice...excelent!
Did you just get lucky and get sent this for review or is this actually hitting the shelves in the USA already?
It arrived in New York and Chicago last week.
Curious to see how it oxidizes with time. Is there potential danger if it's all mostly peat that after a while when peat subsides there is not much other flavour left?
There is plenty of fruit character now with all the peat. So, if the peat did dissipate the fruit character would remain. But, I don't anticipate it changing much as it opens..... we shall see!
Young ardbeg bottled at 47 per cent
Yes please
Love the fact ardbeg disclosed the age...even though no body does it at 5 years
Bought my bottle for $40.00 in Indiana...add some water!
I tried it off camera with water and ice.
I decided to go from Johnnie Walker Black to Glennfiddich 12 to Ardbeg 5. I really learned to appreciate my scotch clean. I can’t wait to try the Wee Beastie.
bring the beard back!
Until the mask requirements goes away I won't be growing another beard.
I don't understand all the excitement. I am not impressed. I had better 5y old drams before (Staoisha, Octomore).
NOBODY has ever heard of Staoisha, Octomore. EVERYBODY has now heard of Ardbeg Wee Beastie. What is the difference? Marketing and branding.
I have watched many whisky reviewers on you tube and most of them are arseholes [not Ralfy though]. However, I stumbled across this reviewer today, and he has not changed my view.
Don't judge a whisky on a neck pour and don't judge a person on first impression.
Great marketing, mediocre whisky.tastes like what it is young scotch whisky.