Renowned Islay distillery Ardbeg — known for its smoky whisky — has launched its own beer with profits going to support clean water projects, in partnership with craft beer social enterprise Brewgooder.
The Shortie Smoky Porter is the brainchild of flatmates Alan McIntyre, global senior brand manager at Ardbeg, and Alan Mahon, founder of Brewgooder. It is named after Ardbeg’s beloved canine mascot, Shortie, a Jack Russell.
Originally scheduled for release to support World Water Day (22nd March), the development and launch was postponed due to the covid-19 pandemic. The much-anticipated beer is now available from 13th August on Ardbeg.com and viaselected retailers, with all profits to be donated to clean water projects in Malawi.
To produce this one-off beer — which will be available exclusively in the UK for a limited time only — Ardbeg joined forces with Williams Bros Brewing Co. The Shortie Smoky Porter was made using the same peated malt as the award-winning Ardbeg Ten Years Old whisky, capturing the distillery’s signature smoky character with notes of bitter dark chocolate, malty biscuit, dry espresso coffee and a hint of liquorice.
Dr Bill Lumsden, Ardbeg’s director of distilling, whisky creation, and whisky stocks, said: “We all dig Ardbeg, and no more so than Shortie. So for this life-saving, well-digging clean water brew, it was only fitting that our canine mascot should represent Islay.
“As with most porters, this beer is smooth and creamy. However, our malt has helped make it distinctly smoky — the way we imagine an Ardbeg beer is meant to taste!”
Friends and collaborators Alan Mahon (left), founder of Brewgooder, and Alan McIntyre, global senior brand manager at Ardbeg
Mickey Heads, Ardbeg distillery manager, added: “Not only is this a hugely important cause — that we’re delighted to be a part of — but The Shortie Smoky Porter is, of course, a first for the Distillery.
“Helping brew a beer may seem like unchartered territory for Ardbeg, but as any whiskyphile worth their malt will tell you, beer and whisky share the same DNA. Just like brewers, we ferment our malt. The only difference being, we hold on to the hops. We hope that Ardbeggians and craft beer lovers alike will enjoy this extra special limited edition.”
Alan Mahon, founder of Brewgooder, said: “This collaboration is particularly special for me. To create an incredible beer that helps empower people’s lives is one thing, to do it with one of the world’s best whisky brands is another, but to bring it to life with my best friend: there are few things I have been prouder of in my life.
“I look forward to working with the team at Ardbeg to turn the profits from this beer into life-saving clean water wells for those who need them.”
The Beer Today review
I was sent free cans of the beer, but even so, I don’t feel compelled to be complimentary. As it happen, I’m going to be, because it’s a fine beer. I’ll admit to wariness about the smoke, but it’s so well done. Just the right level of smokiness — not quite the bonfire in a glass that the base whisky is. This means the notes in the porter shine through: bitter chocolate, espresso coffee, a little woodiness, some treacle sweetness. It’s a complex, clever beer, that was a joy to drink on a grey evening, while listening to the story behind the brew on Zoom.
