Wee Beastie
Age: 5 years
Proof: 94.8
Neat
Nose: Smoked meat and more smoke just to be safe
Taste: More smoked meat but with some nice dark fruit and malt notes to balance it. Great mouthfeel for the proof even if it doesn’t hold up to a cask strength whiskey there. Excellent proof integration with the smoke and sweet completely covering any burn.
Finish: Short to medium finish with more smoke, a bit of wood and some vanila.
1 Star - Good whiskey: I would choose to drink this over readily available whiskies
Corryvreckan
Age: NAS
Proof: 114.2
Neat
Nose: Smoky, peppery meat and rich oak.
Taste: Vanilla cream, smoked meat, slightly acrid smoke and rich oak. Great mouthfeel.
Finish: Medium length with a bit of bitterness and plenty of smoky meat.
0 Stars - Poor to Fine: I would not specifically choose to drink this
Conclusion
The Wee Beastie does a great job bringing a solid proof, NCF and age statement(albeit a young one) to the sub $50 price point. If you’re willing to spend a little more Laphroaig 10 Cask Strength is a step up for sure but in the sub $50 Islay price point Wee Beastie is my go to.
The Corryvreckan is a nice but that slight acrid note is a bummer as is the missing age statement. At this price point I’m expecting a little more to get a star.
TL;DR: Great whiskey at an unfortunately low proof and too high a price.