ralfy review 843 - Ardbeg 5yo Wee Beastie @ 47.4%vol:
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 13 ก.ย. 2020
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I just received a bottle of Wee Beastie from my girlfriend for my birthday. It will be one of my favourites till the end of my life purely because she remembered Ardbeg 10 was my first “real” whisky experience and wanted to give me something to remember.
The dead bodies pulled out of peat bogs just add to the flavour.
Dead animals are tasty...
Wee Zombie?
😂👍
All distilleries should disclose on the label if their whisky contains dead bodies pulled out of peat bog. The label is the contract!
That'll be Pete Bogg
I'm late to the show, but I really like the 5 yr. It's very green takes me back to some of my days hunting in the woods. I think I prefer the wee beastie over the 10 yr
Describing the taste of something as "seashell" is fantastic 😂
Tried Ardbeg tonight for the first time. The An Oa, the 10, and the Wee Beastie. I gained an instant understanding of what a smokey scotch is like. The Wee Beastie was my favorite. I found the smoke was well balanced with the floral and fruit notes. Thanks for the suggestion Ralfy!
Ralfy, thank you for beaing as you are. You are truely amazing guy I love to listen.
Greetings from Poland! We wish you all the best!
I bought this bottle at the grocery store and rushed home to find Ralfy's review. I drank it along with him, added water with him, and allowed myself to LEARN from him. On my own, I loved this whisky. But it is SO fascinating to hear somebody talk about it who has a one in a million pallet.
SO many things I wouldn't have realized about it without help. But adding the water, following step by step, I am, in one, fell, Scottish Swoop, a better man, as far as whisky is concerned.
I may never be Ralfy, and need not be ... but I am a Scotch Whisky lover, and in watching this video, am the better for it.
And Grand Greetingz to My Malt Magnificentz!
Merry Christmas (2020)
Thank You, Ralfy!
I know this review is dated but you hit the nail on the head with this one. I love all ardbeg. All of them. Wee beastie is definitely named appropriate. It's Young and it's a beast. Love it
I watched this review and it inspired me to open the bottle of this that I have in my "monster of smoke" trio from Ardbeg. I have to say this is a fantastic dram and I can see myself buying the big bottle as a reserve. You really captured the expression of this whisky very well. Glad I have found your channel at last!
I’m new to scotch and picked this after a bottle of Glennfiddich 12. The smoke smacked me in the face then the sweet brine then the fruits apple citrus. It was a wild ride and loved every second of it.
😂a we are ra aa
Uncle Ralfy, you had me at: “Humans are stupid and immature and need to grow up!” Completely agree!
Wouldn't that be inhumane?
@@Powerslider Inhumane? On what basis?
@@Powerslider I see what u did there.
Humans are sinful and need a redeemer
I'd love to try the Wee Beastie after such a great review (not that I ever needed an excuse for a dram of any Ardbeg), but alas my health took a turn for the worse earlier this year and I am now firmly a non-drinker. I know, the spirits business in the UK is suffering now that I've stopped drinking, but at least there's more for you fellow Malt Mates! I am still buying the occasional bottle as a long-term rainy day/investment and who knows, I might have to open something special on my deathbed. Keep going for quality, Malt Mates, not quantity like I did. Cheers and good health.
Hope you are good now mate!
My condolences . .
@@nickwoodward1511 Thanks :-D
@@mandatorybizcoot Thanks. Keep enjoying quality malts in moderation, but Ralfy at max!
I’ll have a drink for you and to you my friend. Cheers.
I blend Ardbeg 10 and Laphroaig 10 to make a fuller experience that fill holes in each that I did not realize existed before I blended them. This is not a master blend by any measure, but it is good and now I want to add a wee beastie to the mix. Other reviewers steered me away from this and now Ralfy is bringing me back.
I think that would be nice. My recipe is Laphroaig Quarter cask(which is better than 10 in my personal opinion) mix with 20% of Ardbeg 10. The peat flavor of Laphroaig is quite rude, the Ardbeg flaver could fix that, and make the peat style “rude but more educated”. And I will add more 5~10% of Laphroaig PX cask, remember if you are adding some sherry thing into this must be careful , you need to avoid bright and active and too sweet sherry thing, put some steady , darker,older feeling sherry in, it will greatly increase the complexity.
It's always good to try new mixtures to keep things interesting
Thyme and thyme again. 😉 I am so glad Ardbeg did this. It a nice, different option and tells the tale with less cask influence. Cheers! 🥃
Jalapeno pepper! Yes! I've been telling everybody there's jalapeno in that bottle. Thanks for another great review, Ralfy!
Much prefer the Ten but when experimenting, the Wee Beastie makes a great Old Fashioned! Change the sugar syrup for Maple and it’s smoked BBQ honey ribs in a glass, if that’s your thing...
Great idea!
Every Whisky makes a great Old Fashioned as long as you have the right maraschino cherries 🍒😎
I have to try that
Oh my god you're a genius.
I agree that it really did look like a marketing gimmick with how many people were reviewing the bottle and to some extent I’m sure some of it was. Especially with some of the larger reviewing channels. The Wee beastie has been such a trending topic and I feel this is heavily why everyone pulled the trigger and reviewed the bottles when they did. The people that did review the wee beastie got a little extra exposure because of all the people searching the name. I had my bottle in the cabinet for almost 2 months before I realized “wait, people can’t find this???”... and posted it. Lol. I’m excited to watch the rest of this review to see what you think.
Cheers Ralfy
Good review. I had a bottle given to me for my birthday back in March however, I quit drinking altogether for the new year. Still haven't touched any booze. Want to, but haven't. Now this bottle is just sitting on a shelf, calling my name every now and then when a Ralfy review pops into my feed.
Useful, informative, and entertaining for sure !! I've only started watching these reviews a few weeks ago and really enjoy them all, but this one is definitely my favorite so far.
After a dry spell, I've had the opportunity to purchase a new bottle of Ten. Previously, commented that for the money I'd stick with the Ten but, after 3 bottles of Beastie and coming back around for the Ten I have a better appreciation for Beastie and its Sherry cask influence. I wont get into the semantics, but you nailed it Ralfy. Two different drams, not just a younger version to boost sales, but rather a unique experience.
This review really helps identify the flavors that are so enjoyable about this single malt. Alone, without any water, it is a bit overwhelming for me as a relative newcomer to scotch. Being on a budget, I have found that mixing one part Wee Beastie with two parts Dewars 12 makes for a very smooth and flavorful dram that fits well into the budget. Ralfy's recommendation to try mixing and blending makes wonderful sense.
I got the 10 as my first real foray into Scotch, but I love it enough to go ahead and pickup the 5 as a regular sipper. Great video!
Thanks for all your reviews Ralfy, discovered them during (first) lockdown! I was browsing on the web on Sunday and suddenly there was the Wee Beastie in front of me, large as life and available to buy! Studied the label carefully and then ordered, and it arrived just now! Looks genuine enough!😁👍🤞
I am hoping this starts a wave of reasonably priced 5 year old “integrity” bottles coming from a few distilleries.
Cheers Ralfy great as always🥃🥃🥃🥃
Hmmmm, exciting! If only there was an older, affordable version of this...
- oh wait! -
oogie!
Yet another fascinating review Ralfy - more knowledge shared and appreciated thank you
Thank you, Uncle Ralfy, it is always an educational journey with yerself.
Thanks for the review Ralfy. I was bought a bottle of this for Christmas and I have to say I really enjoy this malt.
One of my favorite Ralfy Reviews yet!
Ralfy you legend! I love my Ardbeg and it's not all talk and no trousers like some other peat monsters. You do such a fantastic job. Keep up the good work.
Great review and great commentary, as usual! I am really enjoying Wee Beastie as well.
For me all marketing has to do to get me to buy a bottle is slap Ardbeg on the label and I’m sold lol. Really enjoyed sipping this one.
Ralfy, greetings from Texas! I would love for you to review something from here, Balcones in particular are doing a lot of interesting things. The cask strength single malt is absolutely delicious.
Thanks for the education, and helping me understand/appreciate.
Since stumbling across your channel a few years ago I have now tasted many lovely malts, have my own favorites, and am confident enough to know what ticks my taste bud boxes and why.
I'm a sucker for Islay Malts now though, it hurts my wallet but I will certainly give this young gun from Ardbeg a fair go.
Cheers
My first sip of Wee Beastie took me right back to when I tried my first heavily peated islay, early on in my whisky journey. I likened it to scraping damp moss out of some guttering and chewing on it. But I was instantly hooked
I haven't seen a Ralfy review is WAY too long! I love you're honesty and your drive to warn the masses of the games distilleries play to get us to buy a bottle. I hope everything is well and you and yours are doing great. I'll be going back to past videos to see what I've missed and will be giving you as many likes as possible. I'll forgive your "...not even Laphroaig..." comment. Cheers
Your decanter triggered a memory of when I was a lad with my father visiting a liquor store. Behind the counter,
high up on a shelf, there were a series of ceramic decanters for sale. I remember birds, dogs, sports, and military equipment. There was even a moose. Thanks.
A brilliant review, particularly enjoyed your tasting process and took note on the amount of water you added, think I've been adding too much so many thanks and you've got another subscriber
Excellent review Malt Mate. I only got a bottle recently and being a cynic I wanted to criticise it but I could not do that. I feel as though it has a place in the Ardbeg line up and well done to them for recognising that. I really enjoy it but...It's a little pricey for 5 years and it just doesn't have the classic Ardbeg profile of the 10. It's a good little dram but having had the 10 right after it I think the 10 is what I would spend my money on. If the 5 was a little cheaper I would really rate it.
47.4% vs 46%
Thanks again for another great review Ralfy. My mention : Welcome my magnificent, marauding, Maltsters of the Universe...
Thanks for the insights and honest review. Love the Wee Beastie - pretty hard to find where I am. Finally tracked it down, and bought two bottles for my stash. (Great tip about tea!)
Really enjoyed this review, looking forward to cracking my bottle open now!
Bought one bottle....was apprehensive about it...being only 5 YO....but was pleasantly surprised. Had 3 neighbours over who all enjoyed it as well....so went out and bought a second bottle to save. Thanks for the great review Ralfy!
I've been watching your channel now for some time, and enjoy it immensely! I was a 66 year old single malt virgin and the Wee Beastie is what I lost it too. Being totally honest, I really enjoy it, so much so Ive purchased a second bottle. Thanks
Welcome to the journey. So many Islay choices in your future. Cheers!
William Davelaar Thank you so much. I only wish that I lived in an area where a bigger variety was possible. I’ve a great journey ahead of me.
Great review. I have no problem with a 5 year age statement. One of my favourite islays is the octomore 10.1 bottled at 5 years as well.
Ralfy reading the marketing blurb had me in stitches. :D Very informative and entertaining review!
Wee Beastie is one of my favourite islay drams! Delicious, young whisky’s seem to hold onto the smoky peat flavours before the wood takes it away and I’m a massive peat head ❤
I love the bog body flavored wee beastie, and I am delighted wee got it here.
Ralfy, I was poking away myself at those embers looking for that final conclusion; I admit you had my hanging on...... not really knowing whether you actually liked this or not. A most comprehensive review from you and all the more interesting for that. Ardbeg is on my radar but I was working my way up to the peat monsters (as you do). Having recently plunged into the Ledaig pool of peaty happiness, I feel as though I'm ready to take on the likes of a 'wee beastie'. Grateful thanks as always maestro 😄👍.
Bought this in October when the distillery were allowed to briefly let you in and give you a dram in a wee bottle to sneak in the car park - loved it, as you say Ralfy, way more interesting than might be expected, although wee beastie puts me in mind of midges
Love this scotch. Only 40-42.00 here in Ohio. Great deal for a great single malt.
It took me a while to get into Wee Beastie but i do like it. I'll definitely buy another bottle.
Tea’s different... spot on. I regularly have a cuppa and a dram at the same time. You can buy Single Estate Tea which is a similar concept as Single Malt Scotch.
Wee beastie is basically a relatively cheap scotch that delivers a decent drinking experience
Hi ralfy
I hope you are doing well, I couldn't agree with you more about this whiskey, I would give this a little higher score than you, but as you say and I agree that whiskey is subjective in nose and taste, this whiskey is favorite of mine in the ardbeg line up. I have never had an ardbeg that disappointed me, I have about 4 bottles of this whiskey unopened, and why you asked, I never want to run out for sure, I love your reviews ralfy, and I will finish off this glass 👓 of 5 year old wee beastie, cheers brother and keep the great videos coming !!!
I’m on my third bottle ,,, I love it !
I just cracked one open a few days ago. Been enjoying it a lot. Ardbeg 10 is probably my no1 but I think 5 is every bit as good, maybe a bit fresher and sweeter, not had 10 for a while so I think I will pick one up and try them side by side.
It’s a delicious dram for sure. My favorite scotch. I like the wee beastie better than the ardbeg ugadail
Found a bottle here in Cape town.....Claremont . Your description of it being... sweet, vanilla sweet.... after time in the glass is spot on. Will take some time with this.
I’m glad you enjoyed this bottle too. I dont think it’s amazing... but I want another bottle already and the current bottle isn’t gone. I would buy this over the 10 just for the sheer character. It’s just a fun whisky! Cheers Ralfy.
Arrived today for my birthday,no idea who sent it...rather nice actually.🎁🥃😃☺️
I've been loving my bottle of the beastie. I find it more interesting than the 10 yr.
I am a fan of Ardbeg. Just picked up a bottle today of Wee Beastie. I am enjoying it very much, maybe as much as the 10 and the An Oa, all three good, but different. I’m not sure any of them are going to top the Uigeadail. Due to the price point, I very carefully indulge in that one. Ralfy, your videos are the best!
Just bought me a bottle. Very impressed. Very very impressed.
I’m also a big tea drinker. I just ordered some Scottish whiskey tea, I don’t really expect it to taste like whiskey, but looking forward to it.
Thanks for the great reviews! Just bought this bottle! Very interesting in it's own right indeed! It's not the 10 year old.. but it's not supposed to be! I do enjoy it.
Well done on resisting the "Thyme, and thyme again" pun
Followed Ralfy's previous advise. Just mixing 3/4 NSS Sirius with 1/4 Ardbeg Uigeadail. Very nice.
Hi Ralfy , Just purchased my first bottle. Found it a very interesting experience. In my opinion it improves with time teaspoon water leave for 15 minutes. Good choice.
Fascinating. Will have to try alongside my 10.
To Ralfys list of amazing young whiskies I want to add ledaig! When ever you find a 4-6 year old version of that buy it.
Love Ledaig 10, will look for the INd bottlers for younger version thanks.
Looks like a nice little bottle that, Ralfy. For the price of it, I think it'll be well worth adding to the list. Like you said, if you have the 10 (which I do), then I'm sure you could create something even more special! Cheers mate, take care.
Another great review Ralfy.
I mix the Beastie 50/50 with the Ardbeg 10. Try it - its lovely. Still needs a wee splash of water though.
What a difference a year makes Ralfy! Finally (and I admit that I purchased this AWB back in April)....I set time aside and sat down to sample the first neck pour. My word - there's some stuff going on here. I've been fortunate enough to try the 10, the Uigeadail, An Ao and the Corryvreckan with the latter being my favourite. So with some pre-armed knowledge I tackled this, the Wee Beastie.....straight away from neat it delivered great interest. I certainly get the notes, but curiously not the cracked black pepper; instead I detect a liquorice together with those smoked meats and sappy resin aspects.
Colour was an unusually golden hue but the legs were indeed slow. There's an oily feel and herbal peatiness I've not previously experienced in the layering of the beast, but it is a beast of a very friendly persuasion. But more than anything else, is the old practice of giving a whisky time in the glass that brings dividends. I must conclude that this Ardbeg is a quality dram and with more air and time, I reckon I'm in for a hell of a ride with this; 'fiery young creature' 😉.
Ralfy, I'm with you on the "mezcal" notes, for me even more and substantially so on the taste rather than on the smell (maybe similar to your "sour / herbal" flavour)?! Interesting stuff.....
Time for age statement like 5 years on Ardbeg...I remember Ledaig 6 or Bunnahabhain 5 from Murray Mcdavid years ago, brilliant stuff!
According to their description there is some Oloroso sherry casks as well. So how much, no idea, but AFAIK the 10 is just ex-bourbon casks so it is a different whiskey. I really liked my bottle, but I didn't think the name really fit, but whatever. I enjoyed it.
Hello Ralfy, great review and episode altogether. Lately, I have hard time to link impression from the review to final scoring. Sometimes you looks very excited and positive about whisky and then give average score, or the other way around.
. . . your right, I do !
Really good to hear your thoughts on this bottle. So much hype, but hearing your appreciation helped me know, this is a must buy. Cheers!
You're the best, Ralfy.
As one of those early reviewers (I think mine was... what, like two months back?) I'm actually surprised at how close we ended up on this stuff - I landed on 86-, you got 86 flat, I got aggressive floral elements intermixed with the peat, you got aggressive herbal elements. Nice review.
Now, let's see if the YAS (young age statement) parade on Islay continues. Kilchoman? What you got over there?
Sorry had to smile..."herbaceous herbs"...love it!!!
Ralfy, have a fully stocked bar with higher priced liquors in the living room and just a few "good" Scotch's in the man cave. Recently picked up a bottle of Auchentoshan 12 for the cave and found it "Grand Marnier" like. Slightly disappointed but still won't go to waste, just added Ardbeg Wee Bestie to counter balance. Looking forward to sampling tonight and appreciate all your accurate with a touch of witty humor reviews.
I quite like Auchentoshan 12, but it was my first Scotch. There is depth there, but you have to patiently look for it (a drop of water, and a 20 minute wait, and I find it opens up). Primarily, it's just a wonderfully easy drinking sipper. I'd love to have it at cask strength (or even just 46%).
@@Vykk_Draygo Problem is it's diluted to only 80 proof.
HOWLING!!!! "They pull dead bodies out of peat bogs not Whisky." Thank god I wasn't sipping on a dram or I would have choked.
I also think it’s worth mentioning that this is supposedly now part of their line, and not a limited edition. I know there’s been some confusion about that, but I asked Ardbeg via commenting on their official YT channel.
Great review
Excited to try this! Not available yet at the LCBO in Canada.
Time has told. The wee beastie now sits at the 10 yr price point in the USA, and the 10 yrs has gone up 33%.
There was a $2 difference between them at my Total Wine shop in Maryland USA
It should be a seasonal release at Halloween!!!
Hay Ralfy, great review. Look forward to trying this one when I can get it in Dublin. On the subject of young whisk(e)ys are you going to review Waterford? 50% abv., natural colour and not chill filtered. Age statement, although not on the bottle, there is a code on the label that can be inputted on their website and you can see the exact age of your bottle's whiskey and much much more!
I've had a bottle just when it hit the shelves way back in June this year in my country. At first it seemed much bolder and much more raw than the 10 is - phenols were more expressive (let's say) and darker, I found also more going on in the palate than in the 10. On the other hand 10 is surely much more mature and complex in a way. I just can't appreciate it as it is, don't know why, but when it comes to a classic smoky, medicinal and peaty whisky I choose Laphroaig and Lagavulin (in that order) over Ardbeg. I like Uigeadail and Corryvreckan very much but both are kinda' different story.
Seeing IOM on a regular bassis from Blackpool this week. We were in St Abbs at the weekend (many know it as the home of Thor - Asguard in the Marvel films) planning a trip to Aberdeen this weekend.
Ardbeg 10 is maybe my favourite Islay single malt and at the moment I have an opened bottle of An Oa. I like it alot, maybe it's a tiny bit easier? Yesterday I bought a Wee Beastie and looking forward to tasting it.
Talisker 10 is among my favourites. I like the pepper notes and the saltiness. This is not entirely different? From what I've read and seen I guess I will like the Wee Beastie.
fascinating, absolutely fascinating. having killed all but one of my tastebuds with tindaloo im properly impressed
For those impatiently waiting...hang in there. IMO it isn’t something you’d feel good losing sleep over. It’s very spirit-driven and sensory (as it smacks you), but the finish will immediately make you long for what is already available- the Ten.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s a quality dram for the money. But it won’t change your life. I’d rather buy a twice-as-much Ardbeg and stretch it farther. But if you’re on a budget for peat, look no further.
Came back to say an 86 is dead-on.
I got this expecting an intense experience. It's quite good, but not particularly intense. Much sweeter than I expected. Mouthfeel is wonderfully full and creamy. I think the 10 year is better, but I wouldn't mind having both on my shelf at the same time.
Still have a bottle of the Benromach 5 kicking about. Great stuff! Too bad they don't make it anymore.
I'm enjoying my first pour right now. I'm not someone who needs a blast of peat to the face, even though I can take it and like it, love Lagavulin, Laphroaig, Ardbeg, but I also like light and subtle, sweet, and dry, sherry and bourbon, etc. I am not someone to brag that I drink the highest ppm, to me it's about flavour, not extremes. I expected this to be beastly but this critter is rather polite and well mannered to my palate. I've had some peated Speysiders, i.e. Glen Moray peated and this one, to me, comes across as maybe a peated Glenlivet or Glenkinchie (there's a subtle one) or better yet: as a "half" of an Ardbeg 10. I get no youthful harshness or roughness at all, just the fruity freshness and balanced peat. I normally like to add water and I only added a few drops, it was that mild in terms of nip. Could've used more syrupy oily viscosity, but no negatives for the price. Nice to introduce someone to peat or to maybe start peaty sessions. Or to make your pricier peat bottles last. I'm not looking down on it, I think it's well done. I'll just have to decide if I really want to stash a few bottles or not. If we were to use "beast" analogies, this "wee beastie" is not a crazy chihuahua or a psychopathic maltese. It's more like a dignified boston or jack russell terrier who is a pal and a pet, not a nasty ankle biter :)
It's my new favorite, this is my 2nd bottle I'm on this spring/summer
I love this so much... because it is different, yet familiar... I tried it.. went back to it again the next day, then bought a case, 6 bottles... I like it...It aint Ardbeg 10,,, of course its not,,,, But it is a great pour, great I say.
I've still not opened my bottle -- waiting on a time to share with some friends.
I watched this before but I just opened my own bottle and tasted along. I made sure to stay one step ahead to form my own opinions before Ralfy voiced his. Must say I agree with about 90%. I don't get any black pepper but I don't get the jalapeno either. I did the same water addition to and noticed much the same development although at least in this light I don't see any mist forming. It's funny that you say I must have some 10 or Uigeadail but while I've had lots of 10 I don't have either at the moment. I do have An Oa, Corryvrechan, Blaaack & Supernova. Every year my brother buys Ardbeg 10 at the duty free and I spend more on something else more expensive for the variety. It never fails that I prefer the Ardbeg 10.