Ardbeg Galileo

Ardbeg Galileo is NOT space whisky. Repeat that over and over in your head, to your local bottle shop owner, to your co-workers that think they know more about whisky than you, to your beloved pet that you swear can communicate with you telepathically. Tell it to whomever spews that nonsense in your direction. The rumors behind this 2012 bottling from Ardbeg range from cosmonauts smuggling a bottle of Ardbeg 10 on a space flight to cases of the stuff being ordered by members of the international space station. None of it is true. This bottle is simply a celebration of the astronomer Galileo and Ardbeg helping a scientific study about the germination process of barley in zero gravity. They were contacted to supply a few pieces of grain for the experiment while maintaining the same grain here on Earth. Scientists wanted to monitor how things change in space. That’s it. The whisky specs are: 12 year old stock taken from first and second fill bourbon casks that’s blended with some Marsala wine cask finished juice. It’s non-chill filtered, but does have added coloring and was bottled at 49%. Current prices range anywhere from $215-$400, if you can find it. Is it worth it? In a word, yes. It’s a beautiful deep, copper gold with big, thick runny legs and heavy droplets. It looks very oily and drinks that way as well. The nose is typical peat smoke with a spicy backbone. There’s a slightly funky, soured and over-ripened vine fruit aspect that permeates the entire nosing. Raspberries and green grapes immediately came to mind as I nosed this thing for the better part of an hour (I got distracted during the session). The palate is a complex bit of sweet, salty and savory wine cask. There’s an oily and rich vanilla note from the bourbon cask stock and a distinct tobacco note. The smoke is surprisingly restrained here, but I think it actually helps the overall experience this way. This is a dessert whisky more than a smoky Ardbeg. The finish is long and sweet, oily and warming that turns spicy right at the very end. The smoke finally leaves its signature here. Smoky burn and spice that meld together perfectly. Overall, this is an incredible Ardbeg for its age. The entire space whisky talk is just a distraction. Buy this bottle and drink it. They whisky inside this bottle will take your tastebuds on a voyage that no space flight ever could. I found a couple bottles of this online out of The Netherlands for $215 and now I’m wishing I bought a few more- not to collect, but to savor. This is a beautiful Ardbeg. 4.5 stars. Cheers.

Distillery tasting, probably my favorite of the entire trip 2018. Wow.

OK, not worth buying