The Basics:
Do I recommend it?: Yes, but only close to retail price (unlikely).
Availability: Scarce.
ABV: 49.0%
Presentation: Unchillfiltered and natural color
General information: Commemorates a small amount of Ardbeg whisky being sent into space.
Bottling type: Proprietary
Character: Sooty, smoky, fruity and sweet.
Score: 91/100
The details:
Ever since the great Ardbeg renaissance really took hold after the turn of the millennium, it has put out a gradually expanding and formidably reliable core range built around the flagship 10 year old expression. For some time now, there have also been regular special releases, typically with some manner of gimmick–an unusual maturation, an experimental barley, an accident in the fermentation process. Increasingly, there are multiple special releases each year, with some mostly flying under the radar and others getting quite wide release.
The gimmick with Galileo was commemorating a small amount of Ardbeg whisky being sent into space to examine the effects off space flight on the spirit. I (rather idiotically) thought that the actual whisky in the bottle had been spent to space; not so.
Space or no space, the whisky was quite excellent. At the time I bought the bottle and tasted the whisky, I was in the midst of one of my intermittent phases of not especially liking peated whisky and being particularly down on Ardbeg, but even in that frame of mind, I had to admit that this was a lovely whisky with an excellent balance between the usual sooty attack and fruity, sweet notes. With my renewed fondness for peat smoke and my generally more positive attitude about Ardbeg, this whisky would probably score even higher with me if I were to review it now; alas, my bottle is long empty, and not likely to be replaced given the premium it commanded the last time I saw any available.
Ardbeg Galileo, 49.0% abv
Bottling Information:
Expression: Galileo
Bottler: Proprietor
Range: n/a
Bottle Code: 1.12 158 16:02 6ML
Presentation: Unchillfiltered and natural color
Details: Distilled 1999, bottled 2012
Price: Paid ~$100, expected to pay at least $300 and likely more now.
Availability: Likely auction only.
Distillery Information:
Region: Islay
Location: Port Ellen, Argyllshire
Geography: Coastal
Date Founded: 1815
Owner: Glenmorangie Plc (Louis Vuitton-Moet Hennessey)
Website: https://www.ardbeg.com/en-US/
Capacity: 1,100,000
Plant Summary: MASH TUN: Semi-Lauter; WASHBACKS: 6 Wood; STILLS: 2; HEAT SOURCE: Steam kettles and coils; CONDENSER: Shell and Tube
Total expressions sampled: 9
Overall distillery score: S
Tasting notes:
Nose: Lots of smoke and peat. Seaweed. Soot, charcoal. Underneath, cherry cough syrup. Lots of sweetness on the nose. Whiff of sweet ruby red grapefruit juice. Smoked ham. Pineapple orange juice.
Body: On the light side—watered down syrup?
Palate: Remarkably sweet. Sweetness dominates the peat on the front palate. Cherry cough syrup showing up again. Metal. Soft fruit—peach or apricot nectar? The peat is there, but suppressed. Bananas.
Finish: Iron, smoke, peat. Medium to long.
Score: 91/100
Who should buy it?: Astronauts? Deep-pocketed lovers of peaty whisky, Ardbeg, and space travel.
Overall thoughts: A lovely dram that deftly mixes Ardbeg’s signature soot and smoke with lots of fruity sweetness. It’s not worth what a bottle would likely cost you nowadays, but if you ever luck into some at anything close to retail price (i.e. $100, give or take), it is absolutely worth grabbing.
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Whisky Considered 