Whiskey Review: Ardbeg 'Wee Beastie' 5 Year Old Single Islay Malt Scotch Whisky

In today's tasting our Editor Don Kavanagh looks at a young and fiery Islay Malt Whisky, Ardbeg's 'Wee Beastie' 5 Year Old Single Malt

Ardbeg is one of the oldest Scottish whisky distilleries on the island of Islay. It is renowned as one of the peatiest whiskies in the world.

Ardbeg's two stills produce a relatively large 1 million liters of spirit annually. This is only available as a single malt and is not a component of any blends.

Whisky has been made on the site since 1798, and it was produced commercially for the first time in 1815, the same year as its near-neighbor Laphroaig began. Ardbeg achieved success early, with strong demand for its spirit for use in blending but, from 1838, the distillery entered a protracted phase of ownership changes and bankruptcies, until it was finally closed in 1981.

It reopened in 1989, but was only operational for two months each year. Finally, in 1997, it was bought by Glenmorangie and production resumed on a fulltime basis. The distillery is now owned by French luxury goods group LVMH, as part of its Glenmorangie group.

The whisky is matured mostly in Bourbon casks, with a small portion aged in Sherry casks. It is heavily peated, but does not have the same briny, sea-air character of many Islay whiskies. Instead, Ardbeg is popular among malt drinkers for its smoky, spicy, sweet character.

The whisky is available in a range of core expressions, from the recently-introduced Wee Beastie five-year-old and the standard 10-year-old bottling to the 25-year-old, another new edition to the main range. Various limited editions are also made, and a number of historic releases are still to be seen on retail lists.

Ardbeg Uigeadail ("Oog-a-dal") is particularly popular, and rather different in style. The traditional smokiness of the spirit is married to rich raisiny tones via maturation in Sherry casks.

To find out about Ardbeg 'Wee Beastie' 5 Year Old, its pricing and where to buy it follow this link to the Wine-Searcher website: https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/ar...

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