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Ardbeg 12 years Galileo

peaty malty
4.2
(6)€327Scotland, Islay, Single Malt

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Taste mentions

Facts

In 2011, Ardbeg sent vials of new make spirit up to the International Space Station. The plan was to see how whisky behaves in zero gravity. Galileo is the bottling that celebrates it, named for the Italian astronomer and the Jupiter probe. Sicilian Marsala casks finish a spirit that spent twelve years in first-fill bourbon wood. The result is fruitier than most Islay peat monsters. Apricot and banana sit up front, smoke and iodine underneath, anise on the close. Pour it neat and the two halves meet in the middle.

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About the distillery

Distillery

Ardbeg

Ardbeg distillery is located on the southern coast of the Isle of Islay, Scotland. It was founded in 1815 and has been producing some of the world's most highly regarded Islay single malt whiskies ever since. Ardbeg uses traditional malted barley, Scottish water, and peat to produce its signature smoky and peaty flavors. The distillery uses malted barley that is heavily peated to around 55 parts per million (ppm) phenols, which gives its whiskies a distinct and powerful flavor. Interesting fact: In 2011, Ardbeg sent vials of its whisky to the International Space Station to study the effects of microgravity

4.2Average rating

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About the Ardbeg 12 years Galileo

Ardbeg 12 years Galileo is a single malt Scotch whisky from Islay, bottled at 49% ABV. Distilled in 1999, it reached the bottle twelve years later. The spirit matured in first-fill bourbon casks, then took a finish in ex-Marsala casks from Sicily. Nothing here is chill filtered. The name nods to Galileo Galilei, the Italian astronomer, and to the spacecraft that carried his name out to Jupiter. In 2011, Ardbeg sent vials of its new make spirit to the International Space Station. The question was whether whisky matures differently in zero gravity. This bottling marks that experiment, and the name carries it. Sicily supplies the other half of the story. Marsala is a fortified wine from the island, and its casks were chosen as a nod to Galileo's Italian roots. Science and sweet wine make an odd pair, yet it works. Apricot and banana arrive first, bright and a little tropical, with citrus behind them. Sniff again and the older notes surface: cedar, dried date, a medicinal edge, a lick of chocolate. Apple and oak take over on the palate, then iodine and smoke roll in hard. Vanilla sweetness holds the middle together. Anise and cinnamon carry the long dry close, finishing on a dusting of ash. Most of the core range leans on peat and bourbon oak alone. Ardbeg 12 years Galileo bends that line without breaking it. The Marsala finish brings a rounder, fruitier sweetness the standard bottlings never show. The smoke stays exactly where you expect it. Every bottle came from the same 1999 distilling year, so there is no topping it up. It was tied to one experiment and one moment, and it stayed that way.