Halloween Special // Ardbeg Wee Beastie

Welcome guys and ghouls, to a very special review article about Ardbeg’s newest addition to the core range: the 5 year old Wee Beastie, a ‘monster of a dram’. I was sent this bottle to review, and the note that accompanied it was rather straightforward: enjoy Halloween! So that’s what I did. Dram in hand, make-up on my face, fake blood everywhere. Here’s a special ‘Wee Beastie’ photoshoot for you all…

Text: © Mickaël Van Nieuwenhove
Photography: © Reinhold Podevijn & © Hendrik Parmentier
Hair, Make-up, Special Effects: © Vaula Harju

The Wee Beastie Halloween Photoshoot

We had to wait a bit before the Wee Beastie arrived in Belgium. At times, it looked like all neighbouring countries were able to enjoy this newest, exciting release except for us. With every passing week, my anticipation grew more profound. I could have ordered this bottle online from a webshop, but decided instead to ‘sit this one out’. I’d rather buy whisky in a physical shop than from an online warehouse anyways.

But then, the day arrived when I received a package from Maria (Ardbeg Belgium) and Stijn (We Love Pure), which contained a bottle of ‘the monster dram’ and a note that stated that I should ‘enjoy Halloween’. Okay, this review should go online on Halloween. Ardbeg is aiming for a spooky promotion campaign. Cool!

Being a LARPer, I like to dress up for fun, and I certainly don’t mind having make-up plastered all over my face. The choice to do something that was ‘out of the box’ was made almost instantaneously. I had planned to bring together the classic Monster Movie monsters in one big photoshoot, but because of progressively stricter Covid rules and a tight time schedule, I ended up with only one ‘monster’ in the photoshoot. Nevertheless, I am very proud of the results. I had a lovely afternoon, accompanied by two talented buddies / photographers and my girlfriend, who designed and did my make-up and special effects. My dog was excited too.

My choice: the Wolfman. It made sense to me, with a whisky called “Wee Beastie”, to go for a monster that is all about transformation and releasing our inner demons. Menacing, scary, ready to rip you to shreds. Part animal, part man, all monster. With a belly to show. Monsters can be body-positive too!

I hope you enjoy these pictures. Feel free to share them online, but make sure to add the specific copyright information, or tag me in it!

Tasting Wee Beastie

I’ve been a fan of Ardbeg for a while now, and I’m always excited to taste their expressions, whether they are limited editions or part of the core range. Back when Wee Beastie was first announced, I knew that a new addition to the core range could only mean: more Ardbeg for everyone!

Wee Beastie now finds a spot in the core range of Ardbeg, which includes the Ten Year Old, An Oa, Uigeadail, Corryvreckan, and the 19 year old Traigh Bhan. To me, it was only logical that, after the release of a ‘mature’ Ardbeg, the next core range release would be something ‘fresh and young’.

Well, Wee Beastie certainly does not disappoint. This 5 year old single malt whisky is, as described in the promo campaign, ‘raw’, ‘feisty’, and ‘the smokiest in the core range’. Bold claims, which divided the community into people who got excited almost immediately and people who were a bit more skeptical.

As the reviews hit social media, it became clear that the bigger part of the community really appreciated this new expression, even though it wasn’t always locally available. Now, after tasting this ‘little monster’ on multiple occasions, I can honestly say that this expressions is well-deserving of a fixed spot in the core range, and it offers a ‘classic Ardbeg touch’ without being derivative of the other core range releases.

Scents galore in this expression. There’s the obvious smoke, classified in my brain as ‘chimney smoke from a wood stove on a rainy autumnal evening’. There’s a certain saltiness, countered by a sweeter note too. There’s some greens as well. Some notes of wet rocks as well (that’s a new one for me), reminding me of some chalk as well. Could this be the ‘maritime’ note that everyone talks about when describing Islay whiskies? There’s a ‘meaty’ note as well, reminding me of cured meats. Surf and turf in a bottle? Delicious!

The flavours are a little bit ‘sharper’ than in other Ardbeg expressions. Perhaps this is what they mean with ‘raw’. There’s an edge to this dram, but not in the way that it starts to annoy you. It’s actually quite pleasant. Burnt wood mixed with coals and ash offer up the first introduction. Then, a sweeter side replaces the peat. There’s a prickle on the edges of my tongue, almost like pepper. At 47% ABV, again very enjoyable. Some fruit notes are introduced the second time I take a sip. A little citrusy note rounds it all out for me.

The finish is medium-long at first, then moves towards a drawn-out sensation as your saliva picks up on the dram quite easily. This Beastie likes to burrow itself in your mouth, and it’s planning to stay a while.

Preliminary Conclusion

Being what it is, a 5 year old single malt whisky, Wee Beastie certainly has enough power to convince me that it’s a worthy addition to the Ardbeg core range. Its ‘sharper’ side and tendency to ‘stick to your palate’ allow this dram to keep even the most seasoned Ardbeg drinkers interested. For some, this might be the ‘dram after work’ expression in the core range. Others might see this as an ‘introduction to Ardbeg’s capabilities compared with the 10 year old’.

On its own, I enjoyed the Wee Beastie. It’s classic Ardbeggian, but also distinct enough to not simply call it a ‘watered down’ version of an older Ardbeg.

I used the word “preliminary” in the header of this segment, simply because I am not planning to call it a day here. Towards the end of the year, I’d like to review the full core range, first separately and then as a comparison between the individual expressions.

I’ve got plenty of Ardbeg fun to look forward to!

PS: Enjoy Halloween, and stay safe!

Love,

M.