Ardbeg 1999 Galileo 12 Year Old
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Tasting Notes by Victor
Ardbeg Galileo, officially released approx. September 1, 2012, is a 12 yo Cask Strength whisky--understated from 50.6% ABV to 49% ABV, according to master distiller Bill Lumsden--finished in Marsala wine casks.
There is a lot of discussion as to whether these unique expressions are worthwhile additions to the distillery line, or are merely attempts to garner profits through hype and increased prices
Nose: very wine fruity, sweet, big vanilla, the usual briney, smokey, peaty, medicinal Ardbeg, with many shades of Marsala wine. Delicious
Taste: fifty shades of Marsala wine, all good. The Marsala finish is quite noticeable and very delicious. Strength of flavours is quite good, and only slightly reduced from that of some of the strongest Ardbegs. Nice malt, nice peat, nice smoke. Much to like
Finish: good lasting consistent finish
Balance: this one works. I wish Ardbeg would make this part of their standard line. I am a huge fan
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Comments
Wills wrote:
So everyone grabs his Galileo? You were sipping fast Victor, getting the first review. I am one of the anti-hype guys, won't pay for this bottle. But nice to hear that it really seems to be worth the heavy price tag. Nonetheless for me this would be one of the few whiskies I'd like to have as an investment rather than drinking it. Sad, I know...
WhiskyBee wrote:
As @Willis said, @Victory, that was a quick one! I'm wondering if yours is the first online review anywhere.
I'm aware of Ardbeg Expression Overload, but I've yet to see a negative review of any Ardbeg. Perhaps a few that are less than raves -- the Blasda is B-level in the opinion of many, while the Supernova is knocked for being overpriced -- but a bad or even mediocre one? Haven't seen any so far.
I'd love to try all of them, but then my whisky budget would be exhausted on nothing but Ardbegs. For now, my 10yo and Uigeadail will have to do as I dream (rather than dram) about the rest. ;)
Wills wrote:
"Willis" and "Victory" got me a laugh here :)
Ofc they are doing a great job but I think other distilleries aren't worse. For the same budget you might get more bottles of excellent whisky. I also like the Uigeadail very much but I actually don't like this run on other bottles like the Supernova or the Galileo. It's just my opinion and I stop my yadda yadda yadda here, won't get Victors enjoyment corrupted.
Victor wrote:
@Wills, prices here are not extreme for Ardbeg Galileo, $73 total, but the bottles are allocated and relatively scarce. I am not one for hype, at all, but I AM one for Ardbeg. At twice that price I would have been reluctant to bite, mostly because they sell Uigeadail here for $ 60, when on sale.
@WhiskyBee, if you read my Ardbeg Uigeadail review, you know that I considered the initial quality of one of my early batch bottles (bottle #2) of it to be only so-so, which was a severe disappointment after having gotten bottles of batch L10 151, which is my all-time favourite regular release malt. Even that bottle #2 did oxidise well and become much better after a good bit of time.
EvaRees wrote:
@Victor Surprised me with the prices you listed — I just saw the Galileo in CA for $95, and Uigeadail for $55 both standard non-sale prices. I passed on the Galileo, but did give it a taste. I did enjoy my sample, but I do think it's a touch too much at $90+.
Victor wrote:
@EvaRees, I need a very good reason to spend $ 95 plus tax for a bottle. At $ 103.55 ($95 plus our 9% tax) I probably would have passed also. Our local $ 64.19 non-sale Uigeadail price is not quite as good as your recent L.A. price, though currently Uigeadail is on sale here for $ 58.55 including the 9% sales tax.
SquidgyAsh wrote:
Awesome review Victor! Makes me can't wait to try my bottle.
@Wills I was able to snag my bottle at $85 AUS which is about $45 lesser then Uigeadail and about $65 less then Corryvreckin. Mind you I am picking up my bottle when I'm in Scotland so I'm not paying for shipping :D
Victor please keep us updated with how you think the bottle is doing as it oxidizes!
Taco wrote:
Wow! I need to move to Virginia! I've been told we won't see it for 6 months here. My favorite Aedbeg is the L11 195 Ten YO followed by Corryvrecken and lastly Ugeadahl and the other Ten's, but they are all great. Look forward to getting it after reading your notes! Thanks for whetting my appetite.
systemdown wrote:
Impressive.. maybe it's not ridiculously over-hyped after all if @Victor gives it the nod. A part of me was hoping that it was too good to be true based on all the fanfare. Is there room in my life for another Ardbeg beyond the trusty Ten and the Uigedail? We shall see.
Martberg wrote:
Ordered my bottle... can't wait ! Thanks for the review Victor, I'm really excited ! Merci beaucoup ! :)
joshk wrote:
@Victor @EvaRees Just arrived in NJ for $100 + tax. At that price I passed as well.
Marcooda wrote:
In sale in Sydney for $182 AUS - spoken with the dealer, he has to pass on the supplier costs :(
http://www.worldofwhisky.com.au/content_common/pr-ardbeg_ardbeg-galileo.seo
systemdown wrote:
@Marcooda Wow, I'll pass for that price.. can't get it locally up here in Brisbane, as far as I know. Why would I pay substantially more for this than the Uigeadail or the Corryvreckan?
Wills wrote:
Because it is brand new and only available for a restricted time!!!
systemdown wrote:
@Wills Haha.. yeah, I'm sure that's what they want us to think. I'm sure I'll pick up a bottle cheaply one day when the punters realise it's not an investment bottle and start off-loading =)
SquidgyAsh wrote:
Holy CRAP! I spent about $80 AUS off the top of my head for a bottle. That's INSANE! At that price I'd probably start looking into something like an older Talisker or put it towards a Thomas H Handy or a George T Stagg.
markjedi1 wrote:
I was able to get only one bottle of this and now I am in doubt. Open it or save it (and try to get a sample elsewhere)?
Marcooda wrote:
If anyone knows a cheaper seller local to Sydney or Melbourne, let me know.
SquidgyAsh wrote:
@Marcooda I doubt you'll be able to get it cheaper then that for the time being in Australia. I'd personally import it if you can find one on Abbey Whisky, Master of Malt, The Whisky Exchange, etc.
FakeDamienHirst wrote:
@markjedi1 save it, you can buy a sample of Galileo from Master of Malt :)
talexander wrote:
Thanks @Victor! Another excellent review (love the "Fifty shades of Marsala wine" comment) I can only hope and dream this gets to the LCBO though I'm sure if it does it will be at a $250-300 price point.
Lars wrote:
@Victor, Another enjoyable review (the fifty shades comment made me cringe ;D ). I managed to purchase a bottle at the whisky exchange for £69.95 which translates to about 112.00 Cdn. Overpriced maybe but I know as talexander states IF I can get a bottle from the MLCC it will be double to triple the price I paid.
@markjedi1 my vote would be to open and enjoy this whisky.
Life is short and I plan on enjoying it as much as I can.
Jaimie wrote:
I would definitely agree with this review. The famous Ardbeg peat is kept in check with vanilla (lots), fruit, and mild wine notes. REALLY well balanced, not the face full of peat that hard-core Ardbeg fans are probably looking for, though there is still plenty. I love this dram and am glad I bought several bottles to put by! Highly recommended, I like it much better than Supernova, Alligator, or Ten. It is my current favorite in the cabinet.
Chookster wrote:
@marcooda - Dan Murphy's selling for $127.99 + Shipping online!
Marcooda wrote:
@Chookster - you're a legend. Just placed an order. Thanks
Victor wrote:
Can Ardbeg Galileo be forgiven for being wine forward, and typical-Ardbeg-supported, rather than typical-Ardbeg, supported-by-wine? For me, yes, because I am evaluating the whisky sui generis, and not making assumptions about what it should taste like based on the distillery from which it originated. 100 pts? No. Best Whisky in the World? Certainly not for me. Very good? yes, I do most definitely continue to think so,...albeit it is more wine-forward and a little out of the groove of other Ardbegs. This has its own niche for me, and it is a different niche from other Ardbeg whiskies. Typical Ardbeg? No, emphatically not. Forgiven for that sin? Yes, I do forgive it...and will continue to enjoy drinking it when its own peculiar niche flavours are what I crave. Are those cravings for Galileo similar to cravings for Ardbeg Uigeadail, Ardbeg Ten, Ardbeg Airigh Nam Beist, Ardbeg Supernova 2010, or Ardbeg Corryvreckan? No. For me they are entirely different cravings. A trip into Galileo-Land is not a trip into traditional Ardbeg Nirvana. But, I most definitely have a mood and a temperament that makes Ardbeg Galileo Just-The-Right-Whisky-For-The-Moment. And that is why I continue to think very highly of Ardbeg Galileo.
markjedi1 wrote:
@Victor, well put, sir!
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