I said on Monday that I’d be closing out the month with a week of reviews of single malt whiskies. I forgot to say that they’d all be Islay whiskies. On Monday I reviewed a relatively recently released Bowmore: the second release of the Bowmore Vault Edition. Today, I have a review of an Ardbeg released almost 12 years ago: the Ardbeg Galileo. This was Ardbeg’s special release for 2012, back when Ardbeg’s Feis Ile releases had just begun to take up residence in the realm of the ludicrous. The silly story attached to the Galileo was that a small amount of the whisky that went into it was sent into space at the end of 2011, purportedly to see how well it would mature in zero gravity conditions. Because that naturally was and remains a very relevant question for any contemporary distillery: as you know, we are on the verge of running out of gravity on Earth. Well, at least we can be secure in the knowledge that a corner of Islay will be prepared. It was also a controversial release among a sector of whisky geeks then on account of the ex-marsala cask content. This was clearly also well before proliferating cask folly made marsala cask maturation seem positively old-fashioned.

Anyway, I had bought a bottle of this in 2012 (this was also before I stopped buying Ardbeg’s special releases). I finished the bottle before I started the blog in 2013. But, as was my practice at the time, I had reserved a 6 oz reference sample to revisit later. I then, as has been my practice for quite some time, forgot that I had done so. But I recently found it, and having confirmed that it is in pristine condition I finally have a review of it on the blog.

Ardbeg 12, 1999, “Galileo” (49%; ex-bourbon and marsala casks; from a reference sample saved from my own bottle)

Nose: Sweet peat with pipe tobacco and charred and buttered toast. The smoke is darker, more phenolic on the second sniff. As it sits there’s some toffee and then some cream. With time there’s some soot mixed in with the smoke. Softer with a few drops of water and the smoke gets leafier.

Palate: Not as sweet here to start with burnt rope and pencil lead leading the way before inky phenolic smoke wafts out of the bottom. A good drinking strength; good texture. On the second sip there’s some citrus (lime) and then the sweeter notes from the nose show up. The smoke gets ashier with time and it also picks up more char. The smoke gets drier with water and the leafy notes show up here as well; some salt now too.

Finish: Long. The smoke goes on forever; very bitter chocolate towards the end which finally resolves into slightly milky cocoa. Develops as on the palate with time and water.

Comments: A very nice blast from the past. The sweet wine is very well incorporated with the phenolic character; no wine separation at all.

Rating: 86 points.