The Shortie Smoky Porter is the first beer from whisky giants Ardbeg

It's something of a rarity to see a whisky company swap disciplines when it comes to alcohol and release a beer, but that's exactly what Scottish distiller Ardbeg has done - and it's all for a good cause.

Ardbeg will be one of around 250 craft beer brewers that are making beer for Brewgooder's Global Gathering, a campaign that sees profits from the beers sold going to help clean water projects in Malawi.

Although there are hundreds of brewers involved, Ardbeg is the only whisky company that's set about creating its own ale.

While the differences between brewing beer and making whisky are pretty distinct, Mickey Heads, Ardbeg Distillery Manager, reckons there's a lot of familiarity in the process: "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," he notes

"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."

As for the taste, the Shortie Smoky Porter is a beer that's has the following notes: bitter dark chocolate, malty biscuit, dry espresso coffee and a hint of liquorice. It's also been given a smokey flavour that's in keeping with an Ardbeg dram.

The Shortie Smoky Porter will be showcased at Brewgooder's Global Gathering which takes place of World Water Day weekend (20-22 March)

It will then be available to purchase exclusively in the UK from the Ardbeg Distillery Visitor Centre and online at Ardbeg.com from Tuesday 24th March - priced at £14 for a four-pack.

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