Ardbeg Wee Beastie is $92 this week, and from what we have seen it usually sells around $106, which puts it about as low as we have ever found it sitting in a Dan Murphy's cabinet.
The bottle. The Wee Beastie is a five-year-old Islay single malt raised in ex-Oloroso and ex-Bourbon casks, and for something so young it comes at you hard. The nose is all intense peat first, wood smoke and phenolic vapours and black pepper, a sea breeze behind it and a twist of sour lemon, and then the casks step in with milk chocolate raisins, bacon fat, star anise, orange blossom, a little orchard fruit, vanilla and powdered sugar. On the palate it stays peaty, punchy and oily, and the finish runs long and smoky. It is not a quiet dram, and it does not pretend to be.
What to pay. This week it is $92, and it usually sells around $106, with what we have seen ranging from $90 up to $106. Work it out by the pour and the bottle holds about 26 standard drinks at roughly $3.51 each, which comes in under a pint at the pub at about $6.28 for the same measure, so a good smoky pour at the bench costs you less than the same measure at the pub.
1/Ardbeg Wee Beastie is $106 this week. Price its features the way Dan Murphy's prices the rest of the whisky and you land on $91, so it sits about 16% over the going rate for those features. That gap is where this starts.
2/What is that $91 made of? Its strength comes to 43% of it, being a single malt 19%, its age 18%, and the name on the label the last 17%. Those are the features the going rate can see, each priced the way the rest of the whisky is.
3/What the going rate can't see is peat smoke and sea air — wood smoke, phenolic vapours, a sea breeze off the shore — which is what the Wee Beastie is strongest in. None of the features that set that $91 carries a price for it.
4/An Ardbeg Wee Beastie drinker gets about 92% of it from Lagavulin 8, $99 this week, going to the shore with salt and peat smoke of its own. A pour at home runs $4.05 a standard drink for the Wee Beastie and $3.73 for the Lagavulin, both under the $6.28 a $13 pint comes to.
| slot | 08-13 | 08-20 | 08-27 | 09-03 | 09-10 | 09-17 | 09-24 | 10-01 | 10-08 | 10-15 | 10-22 | 10-29 | 11-05 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| list / member | 105.99 observed | 105.99 m 90.00 observed | 105.99 m 90.00 observed | 105.99 m 90.00 observed | 105.99 observed | 105.99 observed | 105.99 observed | 105.99 observed | 105.99 observed | 105.99 observed | 105.99 observed | 105.99 observed | 91.99 observed |
| basis | mean | median | sd | min | max | range | cv | se mean | latest | own-range pctl |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| list | 104.91 | 105.99 | 3.88 | 91.99 | 105.99 | 14.00 | 3.7% | 1.08 | 91.99 | 8 |
| member | 101.22 | 105.99 | 7.46 | 90.00 | 105.99 | 15.99 | 7.4% | 2.07 | 91.99 | 31 |
| moments | m1 mean | m2 var | m3 skew | m4 ex-kurt | 95% band of the mean |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| list | 104.91 | 15.08 | -3.61 | 13 | 102.8 – 107.0 |
I love handing a Laphroaig 10 drinker an Ardbeg Wee Beastie. They'd pay about $68 for it, roughly 62% of what their own bottle costs them, docking it a little for the extra strength. A yes either way, really. More on the Beastie in this week's piece.
A dram of Ardbeg Wee Beastie after the plates are cleared, and the sums are the small ones: about 26 drinks to the bottle, which comes to $3.51 a pour at home. A pint at the pub runs closer to $6.28 for the same measure. The tasting is in this week's piece.
Ardbeg Wee Beastie is $92 at Dan Murphy's this week. It usually sells around $106, so you're catching it below the usual. If you like your Islay loud, peat, smoke and sea air, this one's for you. At about $3.51 a pour it's easy to keep on the bench. More in this week's piece.
Both are Islay single malts built on peat, and they sit side by side nicely. Ardbeg Wee Beastie, $92, brings wood smoke, black pepper and a sea breeze, with milk chocolate raisins and vanilla behind it; Laphroaig Select Cask, $75 for members, is the calmer, sweeter one, gentle peat smoke, iodine and damp earth wrapped in vanilla. Together they come to $167 at Dan Murphy's for members this week, against $181 at their usual prices, and $183 for the same two at Liquorland this week. At home that's a smoky pour for well under a pint.
Two Islays, side by side. Port Charlotte 10 is $146 this week, Caol Ila 12 is $138, so the Port Charlotte costs $8 more a bottle. Pour them and at 50% against 43% it's the cheaper drink: $5.29 a standard drink against $5.81. It runs darker than you'd expect, smoky and a touch medicinal, leaving you reaching for another. Per standard drink this week: — Ardbeg Wee Beastie: $3.51 — Lagavulin 8: $4.26 — Lagavulin 11 Sweet Peat: $4.84 — Port Charlotte 10: $5.29 — Caol Ila 12: $5.81 A pint at the pub is about $6.28 a standard drink. Every pour here sits under it.
Lagavulin 8 is light in colour but no wimp: the nose heads straight to the shore, mineral and salt, then turns sweet and lively. Menthol, bay laurel, brine, a touch of Parma violet. Peat smoke blown off a kiln into salt air. $113 at Dan Murphy's. More in this week's piece.
If Lagavulin 8 is your dram, Ardbeg Wee Beastie, $92, gives a Lagavulin 8 drinker about 92% of what the Lagavulin 8 does for 81% of the price, all wood smoke, sea breeze and black pepper, with more on the Lagavulin 8 in this week's piece.
Hand a Caol Ila 12 drinker a Lagavulin 8 and they'd pay 59% of what their own bottle costs, marking it down for being the younger pour. Still an easy yes for anyone who loves salt, shore and peat smoke. Where would it sit for you? More in this week's piece on Lagavulin 8.
At $4.26 a standard drink, a pour of Lagavulin 8 at home sits under the $6.28 a pint costs at the pub. The $113 bottle holds about 27 standard drinks, 161st of 310 at Dan Murphy's by price per drink. Where does that leave you? More in this week's piece on Lagavulin 8.
Like Lagavulin 8? Laphroaig 10 gives a Lagavulin 8 drinker about 80% of the same pour, for 96% of the price — and it's $109. Brine, iodine, charcoal, a sweet oak finish. The rest sits in this week's piece on Lagavulin 8.
Light in colour but no wimp: Lagavulin 8 heads for the shore with mineral and salt, then menthol, bay laurel and Parma violet, breezy as peat smoke blown off a kiln into salt-laden air. It's $99 for members at Dan Murphy's this week. Pour one; the full piece is on Lagavulin 8.
Talisker 10 gives a Lagavulin 8 drinker about 95% of what the Lagavulin 8 does, for 93% of the price. $92 for members. Pour it and the smoke lifts to a sweet, pear-like note, then a hit of cracked black pepper. More on Lagavulin 8 in this week's piece.
Ask the drinkers of Lagavulin 8's nearest neighbours what they'd pay for it, each starting from their own bottle: $90 at the low end, $142 at the high. At $99 for members, it sits inside that range. The full read on Lagavulin 8 is in this week's piece.
Ever worked out what a pour at home actually costs you? Lagavulin 8 comes to about $3.73 a standard drink, where a pint at the pub sits closer to $6.28 for the same measure. The full piece on it is up this week.
I poured both side by side this week and the contrast stayed with me. Bladnoch Vinaya Lowland, $87, is the light one: brown sugar, honey and butterscotch, a few sultanas and a hint of almond. Ardbeg Wee Beastie, $106, goes the other way: wood smoke and phenols, black pepper and a sour lemon edge, then milk chocolate raisins and vanilla underneath. The two come to $193 at Dan Murphy's for members, against $200 at their usual prices, and $209 for the same two at Liquorland this week.
Pale in the glass, but no wimp. The nose heads for the shore: mineral, salt, a sweetness that keeps it fresh. Then menthol, a hint of malt, Parma violet, like peat smoke blown off a kiln into salt air. Lagavulin 8, $99 for members. Pour one this week; more in the piece.
I asked the drinkers of Lagavulin 8's nearest neighbours what they'd pay for it, each starting from their own bottle: $100 to $142. At $99 for members, it lands just inside that range. I've set it all out in this week's piece on Lagavulin 8 — where would you put it?
Lagavulin 8 runs $99, about 27 standard drinks, so $3.73 a pour at home. A pint at the pub is around $6.28 a standard drink. Shore on the nose, menthol and bay laurel on the palate, breezy peat through. One for the drinker who likes smoke fresh. More in this week's piece.
The bottle that costs more is the cheaper drink. Smokehead High Voltage costs $19 more a bottle than Ardbeg Wee Beastie, but at 58% against 47.4% it's the cheaper drink: $3.90 a standard drink against $4.05. Per standard drink this week: Lagavulin 8 at $3.73, Smokehead at $3.90, Wee Beastie at $4.05, Port Charlotte 10 at $5.29. All four under a pint at the pub, about $6.28. Smokehead is campfire and brine over caramel. Wee Beastie, five years, wood smoke and bacon fat. Lagavulin 8 keeps to the salt shore, breezy. Port Charlotte 10, ten years, meaty smoke into butterscotch. Whichever peat you like, there's a yes here.
Port Charlotte 10 is darker and less sweet than you'd expect, and it keeps pulling you back for another sip. Heavy peat that never shouts, butterscotch underneath, a medicinal thread running right through the finish. It's $146. More on it in this week's piece.
If Port Charlotte 10 is your pour, Lagavulin 8 gives you about 97% of what it does for 68% of the price — $99 for members. Mineral, salt, a hint of menthol, all very breezy. Give it a try, and there's more on the Port Charlotte 10 in this week's piece.
All Islay, all peat. Hand an Ardbeg Wee Beastie drinker the Port Charlotte 10 and they'd pay 85% of what their own bottle costs. The one thing they'd mark it for is being older than theirs. More in this week's piece on the Port Charlotte 10.
Port Charlotte 10 sits at $146, about 28 standard drinks, which works out at $5.29 a pour at home. A pint at the pub runs closer to $6.28 a standard drink. I've written more on it in this week's piece.
Standing at Dan Murphy's with the Port Charlotte 10 in hand, it reads $146 this week, about where it usually sells, around $146, and across what we've seen it's sat from $120 to $146, so this week lands at the top of its range, not off on its own. More in this week's piece.
If you drink Port Charlotte 10, Ardbeg 10 is the easy swap: it does about 94% of what Port Charlotte 10 does for a drinker like you, at 83% of the price and $121 a bottle. Smoked haddock, citrus and milk chocolate. The full tasting's in this week's piece.
An Ardbeg Wee Beastie gives a Port Charlotte 10 drinker about 87% of what their bottle does, for 73% of its price, at $106. Wood smoke, phenol, black pepper. Most of what Port Charlotte 10 does, for less. More in this week's piece on Port Charlotte 10.
Pour it once the dishes are done. Ardbeg 10, $121 at Dan Murphy's. Salt and medicine on the nose, a waft of smoked haddock. Then hot peat, black coffee, liquorice. The finish runs long, sweet smoke trailing off the back of it. More on it in this week's piece.
Poured a dram after work and thought of the Ardbeg 10 crowd. Lagavulin 8 gives an Ardbeg 10 drinker about 96% of what they're after, for 82% of the price, at $99 for members. Mineral, salt, a breath of menthol. More on Ardbeg 10 in this week's piece.
Ardbeg 10 opens salty and medicinal, then hot peat, pipe tobacco, black coffee and a little chocolate. Hand it to an Ardbeg Wee Beastie drinker and they'd put it at 88% of what their own bottle costs, the older of the two. More on where it sits in this week's piece.
Pour an Ardbeg 10 at home and it's $4.76 a standard drink — $121 the bottle, about 25 pours. Salt and smoke on the nose, then hot peat and chocolate, a long sweet-smoke finish. A pint at the pub runs $6.28 a standard drink. More on Ardbeg 10 in this week's piece.
| # | candidate | price | CEARP | price − CEARP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ardbeg An Oa Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $74.50 | $102.72 | -28.22 |
| 2 | Bruichladdich The Classic Laddie Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $108.99 | $101.47 | +7.52 |
| 3 | Laphroaig Quarter Cask Scotch Whisky 700mL | $169.99 | $100.32 | +69.67 |
| 4 | Lagavulin 8 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $99.00 | $99.51 | -0.51 |
| 5 | Smokehead Islay Single Malt 700mL 40% | $81.99 | $99.06 | -17.07 |
| 6 | Bruichladdich Port Charlotte 10 Year Old Scotch Whisky 700mL | $145.99 | $95.54 | +50.45 |
| 7 | Laphroaig Select Cask Scotch Whisky 700mL | $75.00 | $95.33 | -20.33 |
| 8 | Smokehead High Voltage Islay Single Malt Whisky 700mL | $124.99 | $93.55 | +31.44 |
| 9 | Laphroaig 10 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $97.00 | $89.01 | +7.99 |
| 10 | Lagavulin 11 Year Old Sweet Peat Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700ml | $164.99 | $88.06 | +76.93 |