Ardbeg Airigh Nam Beist Whisky Review!

The polar opposite Ardbeg from last week's review, the raw and undercooked 5-year old Wee Beastie! This blast from the past is a very, very different beast. Or should that be beist? 

Airigh Nam Beist is something of a legend in modern Ardbeg terms. It only lasted three years, and was last bottled in 2008 before being replaced in the line-up by a vastly different whisky in the non-age statement Corryvreckan. The name Airigh Nam Beist, pronounced "Arry-nam-baysht", means 'shelter of the beast' or 'shelter of the animals' in Gaelic. It is the name given to the small freshwater loch (lake) that sits between Ardbeg's water source, Loch Uigeadail, and the dam built at the distillery. But this whisky is also known by another name: Ardbeg 1990. Despite being bottled over three years from 2006-2008, and the bottling year is listed on the back label, all Airigh Nam Beist was distilled in the same year. They don't have exact age statements printed, but if your bottle has 2006 listed on the back label as the bottling year, you have a 15-16 year old Ardbeg, and if it has 2008, you have a 17-18 year old Ardbeg official bottling. Which prior to 2019's release of the 19-year old Traigh Bhan was a very rare thing, and is still nothing to be taken for granted. But Airigh Nam Beist is far more special, because while Traigh Bhan was distilled in the year 2000 under the distillery's current owners, the distillery was a very different place a decade earlier. Following a closure from 1981-1989, the distillery was revived under the ownership of Allied Distillers, but only operated for roughly two months of the year for the next 6-7 years. What's interesting there is that Allied also owned another distillery down the road that you may have heard of, named Laphroaig, and rather than employing separate crews to run Ardbeg over those two months of the year, they sent the Laphroaig distilling team up the road to Ardbeg to keep the lights on. And it just so happens that one member of that Laphroaig distilling team at the time was none other than Mickey Heads, who would go on to manage Ardbeg from 2007 up until his recent retirement. 

As you may imagine, the distillery wasn't particularly well-loved during this time and was in a sorry state of disrepair before it was closed again in 1996. But it was purchased by Glenmorangie - which would later be purchased by Moet Hennessy, and then became part of the LVMH empire - a year later, who brought the distillery back to life and have ensured that those green doors won't be closing again anytime soon. Stocks from those pre-Glenmorangie era are now quite rare, since alongside the two month per year operating status Allied Distillers had no qualms about selling quality casks to independent bottlers, which is not the case with the current owners. Bottlings from Gordon & MacPhail and Cadenheads from this era were particularly numerous, but they also seem to be drying up these days with pricing to match. Official bottlings though are even harder to find. Airigh Nam Beist had been on my bucket list for quite some time, until I stumbled across the chance to try it at a fantastic member's only whisky bar in London named Soho Whisky Club. Among the mind-blowing array of bottles adorning the walls at this small, expertly-staffed and quite reasonably priced (even with membership factored in) bar was one last generous dram of Airigh Nam Beist, bottled in 2008. And it was instantly cemented as one of my favourite official Ardbegs to date, among the likes of the 2009 Supernova, Ardbog and Alligator. Oh and the original Ardbeg Day bottling from 2012. 

Airigh Nam Beist sits apart from those younger, more typically-Ardbeggian bottlings, thanks to it's age, the casks used (all were first- and second-fill bourbon cask matured), and also it's comparatively lower bottling strength of 46% ABV - but 'ANB' doesn't suffer because of that, not at all. This is not a big, peaty bruiser of an Ardbeg, instead this is a more refined, balanced, creamy whisky that still shows it's smoky, coastal roots, but in a softer and more inviting way. It's even very different to the likes of the recent 'Twenty Something' bottlings that were distilled post-1997 under the current owners, and the much older 17-year old bottling that was distilled in the early 1980s and discontinued in 2004. In my opinion, it belongs right next to those older whiskies on the top shelves of Ardbeg's past bottlings. These days a bottle of Airigh Nam Beist will not be easy to find, and prices have jumped over the last couple of years. You'll be looking at 220-290 GBP on the British auction sites - which with the buyer's premium, shipping and if you're down under, the ridiculous Australian customs charges will make for one very expensive bottle. I'd estimate the total at around $800 AUD landed, which is quite the hefty sum. But for a now-legendary Ardbeg that was discontinued twelve years ago and has not been repeated since, you can still see the value there. Particularly when the recent Twenty Something bottlings hover around the $900-1200 mark at the same strength. The sample for this review came from a generous mate who decided to crack this 2008 bottling open at a recent session - and although the cork broke on contact, it was something of a show-stopper! 

Ardbeg 1990 Airigh Nam Beist, NAS (but see below) 46%. Islay, Scotland.

Distilled in 1990 and bottled in either 2006, 2007 or 2008 as stated on back label (so 15-18 year old depending on bottling year). Matured in first- and second-fill bourbon casks. Non-chill filtered, natural colour.

Colour: Full gold, tinges of copper. 

Nose: Sweet, creamy and coastal. Sweetened vanilla cream, sweet & sour pineapple chunks, black pepper and natural lime juice. Warm tar and sharp coastal notes - seaweed, hot sand, damp rocks and drying sea salt. A hint of dark toffee and sweet white (honeydew) melon in the background. 

Texture: Medium weight. Refined & inviting, creamy & oily. No heat whatsoever. 

Taste: Creamy vanilla, some ashy, spicy peat and brine. More black pepper and a touch of that pineapple again but it's sweeter here. The lime juice again too but it's more subtle here. Charred, caramelised oak as well, with a little salted butter. 

Finish: Long length. That creaminess is delicious! Vanilla and sweet & sour pineapple again, and the black pepper. Sea salt and oyster shells. A touch of Ardbeg's classic tarry natural rope and a hint of liquorice, with that spicy, ashy peat carrying through 'til the end. 

Score: 4.5 out of 5. 

Notes: Well. Fantastic. Love it. Quintessentially Ardbeg, but with that gentler, creamy character joining in and adding a new dimension. There's still plenty of peat and plenty of coastal Islay-ness to play with as well, and there's no shortage of... well, anything actually! The classic Ardbeg DNA of sweet fruit, black pepper, lime & tarry ropes are all there - and that's missing from some of their modern / current bottlings if you ask me. But it's also so inviting, and even refreshing. A more poetic writer might call it restorative. And it's just as delicious as I remember it being from that all-too-brief encounter in London three years ago. There can't be many casks of Ardbeg from the early 90s left now, which is a shame, because that Laphroaig crew certainly seem to have done a great job! And thank god (or the spaghetti monster, or the whisky gods) that the casks that they used were still good quality, and that at least some of those casks were left alone so that the new owners could give them their due when the time finally came. 

So, is Airigh Nam Beist "worth" the secondary prices that it commands in 2020? In my opinion, as an Ardbeg lover that had yet to properly discover whisky when this stuff was still readily available, the answer is going to be yes. You'll probably need to be an Ardbeg lover to agree with me there, but this is really a piece of the distillery's history, and it's from a darker period in that history when things weren't looking so great - although you'd never be able to guess it from the experience that 'the Beist' provides. And it won't be repeated. Get your whisky hunting gear out folks!

Cheers!

Ardbeg Wee Beastie Whisky Review!

Ardbeg are the latest Islay distillery to join the 'single digit age statement' movement, and it's a permanent addition to their core range - so it's not going to go mental like the limited editions do. Well, hopefully...

Ardbeg have been quite busy over the last couple of years, between the recent An Oa core range bottling, two batches of the Traigh Bhan 19-year old annual release, and a few 'Twenty Something' older bottlings, plus the pending release of a core range 25-year old bottling, they haven't exactly been resting on their laurels. That's not including the two versions of the annual 'Ardbeg Day' bottling - with the pinot noir cask-finished Blaaack being the latest iteration, and I'll be surprised if we don't see more Supernova bottlings in the near future - just remember that they're no longer all distilled from 100+ ppm malted barley, they're now a mix of that super-heavily peated spirit and casks of regular 50-55 ppm Ardbeg that the distillery found to be 'particularly peaty'. Thankfully, the venerable 10-year old, Uigeadail and Corryvreckan are still with us as well, and let's hope they don't go anywhere! Ardbeg 10 Year Old is still one of the best bang-for-buck Islay single malts out there, particularly when you consider the bottling strength of 46% and the lack of chill filtration or added colouring - there really aren't many distilleries that can tick all of those boxes at the same price level. They're also working on a significant expansion of the distillery, including the addition of a second pair of stills which are expected to fire (or should that be steam) in to life in mid-2021. Adding to all of this excitement is the recent arrival of a new Distillery Manager, ex-Lagavulin manager Colin Gordon, following the retirement of Mickey Heads, although Mickey will continue to chair the Ardbeg Committee fan club / loyalty program. Colin has also managed the Port Ellen Maltings, so it's safe to say that he knows his malt!

As is the case with everything Ardbeg does, much marketing noise was made about this most recent addition to the distillery's 'core range' of permanent expressions. The email broadcasts, video advertisements, press releases, pre-release reviews and social media promotion were all coming thick & fast. But the news was good, because most of the 'Ardbeg haters' have always had one major sticking point that they can't seem to get over: the lack of age statements in the distillery's core range of permanent bottlings. Indeed, prior to this release and aside from the aforementioned Traigh Bhan and 'Twenty Something' annual releases - which means they're not core range bottlings - the only permanent release of age-stated Ardbeg was the 10-year old. Personally I've never had a huge concern over NAS whiskies, provided that the whisky itself doesn't suffer (as in decent strength, non-chill filtered and natural colour) and that the quality is left intact. And with Ardbeg's NAS bottlings that does tend to be the case - in fact they're probably one of the better performers around by that criteria. But as more distilleries have ramped up production to meet the ever-increasing demand that has exploded over the last decade or so, and as the spirit made under that increased production comes of age, we're seeing more distilleries from all walks of Scotland bringing age statements back into the fold. And regardless of what that number is and regardless of the other qualities of the whisky itself - remember that age and maturity do not always go hand in hand - it does seem to be working. Although I'm sure those same Ardbeg detractors will dust off their soapboxes when the next NAS Committee Release is announced!

Wee Beastie is a 5-year old single malt, which Ardbeg claim to be the youngest they've ever released, although technically 2004's 'Very Young' cask strength bottling was also 5-years old - there's no exact age statement on that one, but as printed on the label it was distilled in 1998 and bottled in 2004, which constitutes a 5-6 year old age statement in my book. The distillery also claims that they set out to produce "the rawest, smokiest Ardbeg ever", which to the casual observer / imbiber would be expected from a 5-year old peated whisky, even before the whisky's name is mentioned or the pretty and very emotive packaging is seen. But that's not necessarily the case, and in my opinion this is far from the smokiest Ardbeg ever made. It is certainly raw, though, and it does offer a very different experience from the rest of the distillery's range, but this is no massive peat monster. Wee Beastie was matured in both ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks, but there's no mention of whether of not they were first-fill casks. In my opinion, based on smell & taste, there weren't many (if any) first-fill casks of either variety in this mix. And that's fine, of course, and it probably adds to the punchy, raw, unapologetic nature that they were looking for with Wee Beastie - and that approach certainly works for the likes of Lagavulin 8-year old. It also helps this 5-year old whisky stand further apart from Ardbeg 10, which uses a roughly 50/50 mix of first- and second-fill ex-bourbon casks. Wee Beastie is bottled at a slightly higher strength of 47.4% ABV, and is non-chill filtered and naturally coloured. Stock has finally landed in Australia in decent quantities, where it's selling for around $85 AUD - and that puts it on par with the 10-year old, which instantly puts a rather large obstacle in its path.  Let's see how it fares. 

Ardbeg Wee Beastie, 5-year old, 47.4%. Islay, Scotland.

Matured in ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks, presumably refill. Non-chill filtered, natural colour. 

Colour: Medium-gold. A good shade darker than the 10yo. 

Nose: Hot tar, fresh plastic / silicone (e.g. tupperware), wood ash and sour lemon juice. Green banana and smoked unripe pear. A bit of a prickle with hot chilli flakes and a little table salt, and some green pepper. Hints of hessian sacking and dark chocolate underneath. 

Texture: Light-medium weight. Sweet, raw and immature - spirit-led, which is not usually a bad thing, but in a raw, under-cooked way here. Tongue-tingling heat but it fades quickly. 

Taste: Raw, sweet and straight-forward. Thinly flavoured, if that makes sense. Thin, runny caramel, a little vanilla, some heat rub (e.g. deep heat), more green pepper, verging on green chilli flakes. Hot tar again, more plasticky pear & banana, and some vegetal peat and more hessian sacking underneath. 

Finish: Medium length, raw & herbal. More hessian and table salt, sweetened plasticky fruit and sour lemon. A little ashy smoke, vanilla, and a hint of salted butter. Dried green herbs and green pepper again, turning slightly bitter. 

Score: 3 out of 5. Almost a 2.5, but extra breathing time (both in the glass and in the bottle) helped. 

Notes: Well it's certainly improved after a month of breathing time in the bottle. That plasticky, raw, under-cooked thing has been subdued a little, but it's still very much there. There's only a little discernible cask influence, which does make me think it was mostly refill cask-matured, and there's not a lot of character or depth & complexity on offer. So this Ardbeg is very spirit-led and quite clean, which is not not normally a bad thing, but without the balancing effects of cask influence or the calming effects of prominent peat influence, and if you ask me it also hasn't had quite enough time in casks for the extractive and oxidative processes to do their thing - see Lagavulin 8 or 12, Port Askaig 100 Proof, or even the regular Caol Ila 12 for good examples of what I'm talking about there. I've had plenty of younger whiskies (and some that weren't old enough to be whisky) at higher strengths that had more depth and more character, and were more rounded - and they didn't have this raw, green, thin, under-cooked thing that shows through in the Wee Beastie. So this is not age-ism by any means. But to be fair, most of those did cost significantly more than $85 AUD! 

The casks just haven't added much depth, balance, richness or maturity to this young whisky like they could have if there were more first-fills involved - see the aforementioned 'Very Young' and 'Still Young' Ardbeg bottlings (which were both cask strength) for reference if you can find them, or the likes of Kilchoman's Machir Bay and/or Sanaig for example - in fact Kilchoman even use the same malt as Ardbeg and the pricing is much closer to Wee Beastie, so they're perfect examples. Now I need to try some Ardbeg new make spirit, just to see how much difference the five years have made to the Wee Beastie. It's not exactly a beast, in my opinion, but it's certainly raw, powerful and clean. For my money though, it doesn't challenge the 10-year old's crown. Ardbeg 10 is still the leader of the sub-$90 (AUD) Islay category, and let's hope it stays that way!

Cheers!